HORSES

The Mongols protected their horses in the same way as they did themselves, covering them with lamellar armor. Horse armor was divided into five parts and designed to protect every part of the horse, including the forehead, which had a specially crafted plate which was tied on each side of the neck.

The Mongols' horses were small but powerful. During infancy all Mongols learned to ride and so became inseparable from their horses. It

A Mongol saddle, wood coated in gold leaf, f tohhut Museum, Courtesy of Lan Tien Lang Publications

Is estimated that each man had between 2 and 18 horses, with 5 or 6 being the norm. Tire horses were watered once a day and for the most part fed on grass. They were not ridden until they reached the age of three, and after they w'ere broken in they never strayed, and several thousand could be assembled without problem. The horses were renowned for their stamina, and it is on record that one horse could cover 600 miles in nine days. It is unlikely that the horses were fitted with horseshoes at the time of the initial conquests, and Rashid al-DTn mentioned horseshoes as a "special precautionary' measure." Tliomas de Spalato, an eyewimess of the European campaigns, noted that Mongol horses "run around on rocks and stones without horse. shoes as if they were w'ild goats." However, horses did wear saddles for their riders. They were made from oiled wood, high in the back and front so as to provide a tight fit for an archer to turn in the saddle and fire behind

Mongol military saddles and polo sticks with balls. Courtesy of Xinjiang Qinshan Culture Publishing

As he continued to gallop forward, a maneuver for which the Mongols were famous. The efficiency of the postal system, the yam, bore testimony to the high quality of the Mongols' horses.