Colonial_trifecta t1_jbeao8m wrote on March 8, 2023 at 12:56 PM

Reply to comment by StekenDeluxe in Humans Started Riding Horses 5,000 Years Ago, New Evidence Suggests by Magister_Xehanort

Before the introduction of stirrups you would have a lot less stability. It would make it alot more dangerous and harder to ride. It also limits the activities you can do with the horse. I wonder if this contributed to that earlier attitude towards riding?

Doctor_Impossible_ t1_jbezziq wrote on March 8, 2023 at 4:03 PM

> Before the introduction of stirrups you would have a lot less stability.

Stirrups are considered important for allowing you to fight more effectively while on horseback. Simply riding without stirrups is not a problem at all.

kerill333 t1_jbf1gih wrote on March 8, 2023 at 4:13 PM

Stirrups make riding a lot easier, and safer.

War_Hymn t1_jbfntph wrote on March 8, 2023 at 6:34 PM

If you have a decent saddle. But most early horsemen (including the Macedonian companion cavalrymen that rode with Alexander the Great) had nothing more than a thick blanket or hide to cushion the back of the horse. This sort of riding took a lot more skill.