Hello!

I've been studying the English military of the 14th century, and a very interesting debate is the topic of a knight's warhorse. I'd always assumed the 'destrier' between 1100-1300 AD was a destrier; short-backed, stocky, quick, and strong. 14 to 16 hands and weighing between 500 and 650 kg.

However, some have proposed a lighter horse being used right from the early medieval period right up until the 1300's. This breed weighed little more than 400kg, was between 14.2 and 15.4 hands in height, and had very little if any Arabian blood in it. He also contended that medieval chargers of the period were NOT influenced by Arabian horses, and their primary influence was Spanish breeds.

Is this true? It seems nearly impossible anatomically.