Horse, use of

For most of the medieval period, the knight and horse combination formed the most awesome force the battlefield had ever seen. Using the stirrup and saddle, the knight and his fifty pounds of armour would bear down on the opponents with a heavy lance .The key to this attack was for a group of knights to charge closely together, the effect of which would completely unnerve the defenders and break up any who remained. Because this technique required such careful coordination, tournaments were begun during the 12th century.