Cavalry and chariots against infantry

[Mark Hygate]

......... Are those models based on mechanics (theory) or fact (sources)? Because if so, I wonder why dismounted cavalry and infantry on many occasions managed to hiold off cavalry attacks for hours or even indefinately.

I too would really like to know that - it's not entirely clear from the text?

.....All videos are of panicking animals. Are you suggesting that cavalry charging into infantry would also be in a state of panic? If so, how would the riders control their horses to charge in the right direction?

Again, this is not conclusive either, but indeed supportive of the reason that charges (if you're content to 'expend the cannon-fodder') have been tried. If a panicked animal (cf blindfolded and whipped scythed-chariot team are set on a collision course), or a wounded or dying Heavy Cavalry horse still ploughs into the line/square and creates a 'hole' - then in both cases you have a disrupted infantry formation which the cavalry can get into and exploit.

In general, however, imagine a formed body of troops facing forward, in even a minimal 4-deep line. Each charging horseman is then likely to be facing 8 infantry. Some of those may have thrown heavy javelins at you - others, or all, may be facing you with stout spears. Perhaps this is the reason that it is understood that cavalry will die in such circumstances.

Cavalry in the ancient world (less the Steppe nations and the Persian areas, which had other reasons) was mainly used and equipped for Scouting and Skirmishing. Yes, charges were made, but relied upon the infantry formations collapsing either through fatigue, morale or weakness (in flank/rear or whilst moving); which leads to the other best use of cavalry - running down and killing routing troops - the main reason for often high disparity between the losses between winners and losers.

One of the main reasons I remain confident that cavalry (with the exception of the heavily armoured and indeed heavy medieval knight - until Crecy... ;-) ) were never the panzer-shock weapon that many think (or most cavalry-types even now would like to believe) is that for almost the entire Greek & Roman period of professional and semi-professional armies - there were simply never that many of them.

The Greeks may have had theoretical names and formations to call them, but never fielded the numbers - and the Romans thought 600 cavalry per legion (~5000 infantry) was more than enough. If cavalry were ever that wonderful - then we wouldn't have seen so many infantry through-out history.