Cavalry are Warriors who fight from Horseback.Historically cavalry in Middle-earth consisted mostly of light mounted Soldiers fighting as reconnaissance or mounted Archers although the High-Elves and Númenóreans also deployed knights fighting as heavy cavalry.In the First Age the Edain and Easterlings had served the Noldo Lords as auxiliaries, also contributing to the cavalry of Ard-Galen, this later spawned some Horse-warrior traditions among the Northmen of Rhovanion,who from early on served as light cavalry auxiliaries for the Númenóreans.Among the Easterlings horsemen were few, as they mostly relied on smaller, more stocky horse-breeds who drew their heavy wains and chariots of chieftains although they had some few elite warrior-nobles who fought from horseback.The Haradrim always provided strong cavalry units for the Dark Lord, though they usually were no match for the elite heavy cavalry of Gondor or Rohan.The Halethian peoples originally knew no cavalry-tradition, but some of the pastoral clans of central and southern Eriador evolved into fierce herdsmen and their mounted cattle- and swine-herders, who had served as auxiliaries for both the Dúnedain and the Dark Lord, became the forefathers of the Dunlending warrior-nobility who also fought as light cavalry from horseback. Orcs were feared as wolfriders, but also usually only deployed fast and light armoured outriders.The Dwarves on and off used small ponies but did not especially enjoy to fight from horseback and so preferred heavy armoured infantry, though some eastern tribes on and off deployed small troops of light pony-riders.The Hobbits usually were not known to be very skilled riders but some Fallowhide clans had been keen "ponymen" and a few clans among the Gentlehobbits, especially in the Northfarthing had preserved that tradition, for example Bullroarer Took had led a small but efficient unit of tookish Pony-riders against Golfimbul of Mount Gram.
Examples[]
- Black Númenórean "Kharabarûn"
- Dwarven Pony-rider
- Easterling Cataphract
- Elven Horse-Archer or "Cúrochben"
- Dunland-Rider or "Marchauc"
- Gondorian errand-rider or "Rochon"
- Haradrim Knight or Siháde
- High-elven "Arquen"
- Knight of Dol Amroth
- Morgûl-Knight
- Northman Auxiliary or "Ridas and Driugs"
- Rider of Rohan or "Ridder"
- Wolfrider
See also:
- Akha
- Aldûryakna
- Breeland riders
- Elnaith
- horse Racing
- horse-rest
- Horses
- Khey-horsemen
- Lance
- Narakshi
- Race of Champions
- Vorganí
Roleplaying[]
In Rolemaster and LOTRRPG the Knight is a playable profession or elite Order.Rolemaster also has related orders as the cavalier, Horseman, Lancer, Outrider, Templar, High Warrior, Noble Warrior, Paladin, Ronin and Samurai
Notes[]
Non-canon works expand on horsemanship in middle-earth for example MERP presents almost all easterlings and the variags of khand as horse-nomads, modelled after the historic scythians, hunns or mongols, though this is explicitly denied in the legendarium, where it is stated that neither the Wainriders nor the Balchoth had many horsemen.Also the Movie adaptions show the Iron hill dwarves riding large swine and even goats, for which the books give no examples.
The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game added horsemen, cataphracts such as the Lôke-Innas Rim and Dragon-Knights to the easterling and variag troop-types, though only as elite-units. Many other derivative works were inspired by these examples.
MERP also invented more exotic types of infanty such as the Panther-riding Ts'dan of the far east.Rolemaster has the Serpentus-riding Lankani.