Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Ron Andrea]

All of which argues against the presence of soft stirrups, even on saddles of the day. (The "day" of interst being fifth and sixth century sub-Roman Britannia.)

Obviously, many horsemen mounted, rode, and even fought from horseback centuries before the advent of the hard stirrup. It may not be necessary to postulate an intermediate development, i.e. soft stirrups, even after the introduction of saddles.

Thank you for your insights.