Cataphracti and Clibanarii

[Robert Vermaat]

"Who says you can only use it from a frontal position?" - not me ... the author suggested that the one handed position was used against infantry. The forward position would be the most efficient using one hand. I dont see the one handed thing myself... two hands either side of the neck.

I agree. One handed over the horses' head does not seem effective.

"If your shaft is long enough, you can stab and still be out or reach of the opposing spears. From a fairly stationary position, even" - whats the point of the horse then, isn't cavalry about movement, momentum and weight of fire ...shock & awe?

Not necessarily. Cavalry is not meant to smash into an infantry line. A horse gives you tactical advantages due to battlefield mobility and of course an advantage of height combined with a psychological effect.
Cavalry is meant to attack flank or harass the front line. Armoured cavalry was mainly developed against horse archers, so their adavantage lies primarily in dealing with other cavalry, not infantry. But the armour allows you to get closer to the infantry.

"Your armour (and that of the horse) are there to protect you from missile weapons aimed at you in the meantime" i would still not want to sit of jabbing a kiontos lenght away ... one of those pila might find the weak scale hock:

The extra advatage of the armoured cavalryman is that he is less vulnerable to arrows and other light missiles. A pilum is a different thing altogether (as would be a plumbata). I can imagine that cavalry stayed away until these were spent.