04-03-2009, 02:19 PM
To answer the original question - nobody can say for sure whether the Roman cavalry used semi-rigid saddles or not prior to the first century BC when the first evidence for the horned saddle appears. Most likely, prior to the horned saddle (whenever that actually appeared) they were using a simple pad saddle or saddle blanket. They were probably in step with developments in the wider Meditteranean world and we know from Xenophon that something a little more than a simple blanket was probably available in the mid-4th century BC (he talks of using a blanket shaped for the comfort of the horse and the security of the rider, perhaps a blanket with quilted sections?) and Thracian tombpaintings from the late 4th century show a saddle with slightly raised pommel and cantle.
Yes, the Romans did utilize Numidian allies and auxiliaries from the later stages of the 2nd Punic War onwards, who the sources record as riding bareback with no more than a rope around the horse's neck for harness.
In the Imperial period, I imagine the horned saddle quickly became pretty much standard issue for Roman troops, though local allies would be using whatever their local tradition and fashions dictated.
Yes, the Romans did utilize Numidian allies and auxiliaries from the later stages of the 2nd Punic War onwards, who the sources record as riding bareback with no more than a rope around the horse's neck for harness.
In the Imperial period, I imagine the horned saddle quickly became pretty much standard issue for Roman troops, though local allies would be using whatever their local tradition and fashions dictated.
