• New

The Horse in History: A Festschrift in Honour of John Clark

€65.00

Edited by Anastasija Ropa and Emma Herbert-Davies

Publication date: March, 2025

Pages: 403, colour

ISBN 978-615-6696-56-4                        Paperback, €65

ISBN 978-615-6696-55-7                         Hardcover, €93

eISBN 978-615-6696-57-1                       eBook, €65 

For any unavailable copies on our website, please refer to our distributors: ISD LLC for North and South America and Mare Nostrum for Europe and the rest of the world.

Cover
Quantity


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: Festschrift to John Clark

   Emma Herbert-Davies, Anastasija Ropa


“Just a Bit too Late.” A High-Medieval Horse Bit from the Gleichberg in Thuringia

   Frederik-Sebastian Kirch, Victoria Haack


A Large Amount of Mounts. New Insights into Medieval Equestrian Copper-Alloy Decoration

   Robert Webley, Laura Burnett


A Late Gothic Spur from the Castle in Szprotawa, Poland

   Arkadiusz Michalak


Medieval Horse Training in England: Evidence from Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Royal Accounts

   Emma Herbert-Davies


Gendering Medieval Equestrian Equipment: Mission (Im)Possible?

   Anastasija Ropa


A-Hunting We Will Go. The Transition from the Sideways Saddle to the Side-Saddle at the Turn of the Sixteenth Century and Its Significance for Female Equitation

   Bettina Keil-Steentjes


Cavalry Horses and Chariot Racers: Osteobiographies of Two Horses from Roman Britain in Honour of John Clark

   Pamela J. Cross


Fabricating an Ideal Beast: The Physical Transformation of Individual Equids in the Context of Medieval French Horse-Training as Presented in the Vernacular Translations of Jordanus Rufus’s De Medicina Equorum (C. 1250)

   Camille Vo Van Qui


Northern and Pistol Revisited: The Emergence of Galloway Nag Satire in Its Global Context

   Miriam A Bibby


The Colt-Pixy: A British Horse Spirit?

   Simon Young


Discovering the Historical Medieval Warhorse

   Jürg Gassmann


List of Contributors

Data sheet

Editor(s)
Anastasija Ropa and Emma Herbert-Davies
Imprint
Trivent Medieval
Book series
Rewriting Equestrian History
Volume no.
9
Book series editor(s)
Anastasija Ropa, Timothy Dawson
ISBN (hardcover)
978-615-6696-55-7
ISBN (paperback)
978-615-6696-56-4
eISBN
978-615-6696-57-1
Publication date
March, 2025
Page numbers
403, colour

Specific References

John Clark’s groundbreaking work in medieval equestrian history has shaped and inspired generations of scholars, transforming our understanding of horses in the past. A pioneer of archaeological and historical research on the medieval horse, Clark’s influential 1995 work, The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, set the stage for much of the academic exploration that followed. In this celebratory volume, international scholars come together to honor his legacy with new perspectives on the history, culture, and significance of horses across the medieval world.

Spanning from Roman Britain to the Elizabethan court, this interdisciplinary collection covers a diverse range of topics including equestrian equipment, horse training, folklore, and the symbolic role of horses in literature. Featuring in-depth studies on archaeological finds and providing innovative approaches to equestrian practices and the gendered dynamics of horse-riding, the essays in this book reflect the profound influence of John Clark’s work.

This Festschrift provides a fitting tribute to a scholar whose pioneering research continues to inspire and shape the field of equestrian history. Each chapter not only reflects John Clark’s enduring influence but also showcases the breadth of scholarly engagement with the historical horse, from its practical use to its deeper cultural and symbolic meanings.

ANASTASIJA ROPA holds a doctoral degree from Bangor University (North Wales) and is currently a lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Riga Stradinsh University. Her most recent research explores medieval equestrianism in English and French literary sources.

EMMA HERBERT-DAVIES holds a PhD from the University of Leeds, where her research focused on the role and significance of warhorses during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. A lifelong equestrian enthusiast, Herbert-Davies has owned and competed horses for many years, combining academic expertise with hands-on experience in the equestrian world.

You might also like

Clients say