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Backing the Right Horse: Types of Equids in Medieval and Later Europe

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Edited by John Clark, Anastasija Ropa, Andrew Ó Donnghaile, Gail Brownrigg

Publication date: September, 2026

10.22618/TP.BRHTEM.2026.361

ISBN 978-615-7058-35-4                        Paperback, €55

ISBN 978-615-7058-34-7                         Hardcover, €79

eISBN 978-615-7058-36-1                      eBook, €55

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.

Printed copies available starting October 2026. To pre-order, please email publishing@trivent-publishing.eu.

 Selected chapters available in open access

Cover
Quantity


Introduction: What Do We Talk about When We Talk About Historical Breeds?  Download PDF

  Anastasija Ropa

Did Horse “Breeds” Exist in the Middle Ages?      

   Clothilde Noé


Icelandic Horses: An Overview of Origins and Roles      

   Samantha Cone


Additional Examples of the Uses of Horses in the Byzantine World from the Histories by John Kantakouzenos

   Alexia-Foteini Stamouli


Portuguese Equids in the Medieval World from the Tenth to the Thirteenth Centuries

   Afonso Soares De Sousa


Defining the English “Hackney:” Type and Terminology  Download PDF

   John Clark


Horses for Courses: Galloways at the Races

   Miriam A. Bibby


The Missing Warhorse, or the End of an Era?

   Kelly-Anne Gilbertson


Wild Horses from the West to the East of Medieval Europe

   Anastasija Ropa


The Râvît: A Middle High German Term for the “Saracen” Warhorse?

   Jürg Gassmann


The Liminal Mule: Equine Ambivalence in Spenser and the Literary Emblem

   Kristen L. Olson


Notes on Contributors

Data sheet

Editor(s)
John Clark, Anastasija Ropa, Andrew Ó Donnghaile, Gail Brownrigg
Imprint
Trivent Medieval
Book series
Rewriting Equestrian History
Volume no.
10
Book series editor(s)
Anastasija Ropa, Timothy Dawson
ISBN (hardcover)
978-615-7058-34-7
ISBN (paperback)
978-615-7058-35-4
eISBN
978-615-7058-36-1
Publication date
September, 2026

Specific References

Destriers, rounceys, palfreys, hackneys, Friesians, Arabians, Galloways... Nowadays, we identify horses primarily by their breed, but, historically, horses were more often known by their function, and if imported, by origin. Breeds as we define them today come into existence relatively late. The studies in this volume explain the mysterious combinations of type, employment and geography as the most common way of identifying horses and other equids, which often confuse historians and lay readers alike.

John Clark was for many years curator of the medieval collections of the Museum of London (now London Museum), during which time he published The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, a study of medieval finds from London excavations. Since his retirement in 2009 he has continued his interest in medieval horses and horse equipment and has contributed on the subject to publications and conferences. A Festschrift in his honour The Horse in History was published in 2025.

Anastasija Ropa, PhD, is editor of Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History. Her publications in horse history include the academic monograph Practical Horsemanship in Medieval Arthurian Romance (2019), and, recently, a book for general audience, The Medieval Horse (2025). 

Andrew Ó Donnghaile is a postdoctoral researcher at University College Dublin. His research interests include early Irish law, medieval insular political, military, and equestrian history, and Eurasian military history. His work on medieval Irish saddles, equitation, and use of cavalry are informed by a reconstructive practical approach, the results of which are in forthcoming publications. He also practices and teaches Eurasian equestrian martial arts.

Gail Brownrigg is independent scholar with a special interest in the history of the harness and has presented work in this area at numerous conferences, including the conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. Her published work focuses on pre-modern horse harness, including a co-edited volume in the BAR International Series, Chariots in Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Joost Crouwel, edited by Peter Raulwing, Stefan Burmeister, Gail Brownrigg, and Katheryn M. Linduff (2023).

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