Cavalry and chariots against infantry

[Domen]

I remember a video of some horse smashing into another horse in some race, but 10 horses out of 1,000 would not dictate cavalry tactics.

But 10 horses out of 1,000 is exactly a proportion of trained combat horses to all horses.

Because - you know - elite heavy cavalry formations did not fight on "any horse they could find".

There is a reason why for example in 1302 Robert II, count of Artois, bought 5 "great combat horses" for 280 livres each (on average), 2 "cart-horses" for 50 livres each, one "fast horse" for 60 livres, 14 "nags" for 34 livres each and 3 "small horses" for 12 livres each. As you can see one "great combat horse" was worth as much as 5 "fast horses", 6 "cart-horses", 8 "nags" and 23 "small horses".

But among horses physically fit and trained for combat there was still a considerable variety of quality.

In 1628 prices of combat horses used by Polish army varied from 200 to 1000 - 1500 ducats.

By comparison in the same time price of one ox in the city of Lvov was 3,5 ducats.

This means you could buy between ca. 60 and ca. 430 oxen for 1 combat horse. And each soldier of husaria (Polish-Lithuanian elite heavy cavalry) needed to have several combat horses. This is why only very rich people (and their retinues) could afford military service in this formation.