12. Combatants Often Started On Horseback
Evoking images of the infamous medieval art of jousting, many trials by combat started on horseback, at least for those wealthy enough to have horses. While they did not joust in the traditional way of court performance, they would have fought with weapons long enough to strike a foe from horseback, like a spear or halberd. Once an opponent was unhorsed, the victor in that stage of the melee would slaughter his opponent’s horse before turning to the man himself. Horses were an advanced battle unit in the medieval era and were worth considerable sums of money. Horse thieves were often judged as harshly as murderers. Horses were rarely referred to by breeds in the medieval period and instead classified by their use: agricultural, war, riding, or hauling.
As part of the battle, horses and their tack and gear would be checked for hidden weapons as well as any sign of magical enchantment or hidden religious items such as prayer scrolls that were believed capable of granting someone an edge in combat. Once one horse was dead (or quite possibly both), the participants would engage in armed or even hand-to-hand combat until victory was declared or someone yelled “craven” to admit defeat.