Rome versus Pyrrhus

[D B Campbell]

I think you're mistaken. Livy mentions equites serving equo publico during the Hannibalic War (Livy 27.11). But maybe you have another explanation?

Maybe I misunderstand, but Livius XXVII mentions that the surviving Equites that took part in the Battle of Cannae lost their right to a public horse, there's no direct mention of Equites Equo Privato unless one assumes that these Equites then had to buy their own horse and thus became became Equites Equo Privato.

Apologies, Jesper -- slip of the pen/keyboard. Livy does directly mention equo privato (as well as equo publico) in the passage I cited, which was intended to question Steven's opinion that the equus privatus was a one-off concept from the 5th C. (My understanding is that the men in question lost their right to a "public horse" on account of cowardice, and were forced to continue serving equis suis, i.e. using their own horses.)