Across most of the ancient world, to fight as cavalry required the financial means to field a war horse. This, in turn, meant that the vast majority of cavalrymen were of noble birth or, in Athens and many of the other democratic or oligarchic Greek city-states, of a high social class. Unfortunately, it doesn’t follow that those with the best armour and equipment necessarily made good fighters; controlling a horse in the thick of battle whilst protecting it and yourself from harm was no easy feat, it required lengthy training. Cavalry - or ‘hippeis’ in Greek - often carried either a javelin or a long ‘xyston’ lance in addition to a double-edged sword for swinging in melee. Greek horsemanship of the day was quite different to later forms. As the stirrup had yet to be invented, the rider’s legs were free to direct the animal. However, saddles were just a simple felt cloth tied around its belly, so good balance was absolutely essential. Greek cavalrymen trained to charge, skirmish and melee in this way.
