Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Lepidina]

Early on the stirrup discussion concentrated on "hard" stirrups, after acknowledging "soft" stirrups--I assume in the form of a simple leather loop--left few artifacts. Does that mean the soft stirrups didn't exist or that we have let the potential availability of artifacts drive our scholarship? (Or were they just useless; that's a question for the stirrup forum.)

Where's the discussion on "soft" stirrups? I can't see a use for them. You can't use them for mounting, they aren't going to help you brace in the saddle and if you fall off, they are likely to get tangled around your foot and leg so you get dragged.

The other thing about stirrups is that they aren't going to be useful unless the saddle is reenforced where they attach and you have enough of a tree on the saddle to keep it on the horse, esp. if you are making tight turns and sudden stops and starts or trying to keep yourself on the horse when someone is trying to knock you off of it.