MrPunchers wrote:It's risky letting the horse you put years into training into battle when one broken leg renders them useless.
Broken legs in warhorses probably weren't more likely than for work horses; they both had to work on rough terrain (plowing, walking through mud, uneven roads). I'd say it's even less likely, because warhorses were bred to be tough as well as strong. And as for the enemy cutting at the legs: hence the armor. The part called caparison made of cloth/leather was designed to dampen any cuts to the legs as well as for looks. If you trained your horse for years, you will want to protect it.
I'd say it's riskier not having the advantage of height and speed in battle, as opposed to a few years of training.
But with the current mechanic of
Raw Hide! it's a bit pointless, since anyone could just unhorse a knight. I would propose adding some kind of poise/calmness factor to the breeding of horses, and it would be weighted against will/charisma of the
Raw Hide! user to check if the horse will rear or not.
Armored battle horses were used thorough the centuries because they gave so much advantage, and go back as far as ancient Greece. Celts too made use of heavy cavalry in their time.