Roman cavalry rode without stirrups, but their four-horned saddles were designed to help stabilize the rider.
The distinctive saddle had two raised supports at the front and two at the rear. These helped brace the rider against forward, backward and sideways movement during riding and mounted combat.
Archaeologists reconstruct the design from ancient depictions, leather fragments and metal fittings. No complete original Roman saddle survives, and some details of its internal construction remain debated.
This cinematic historical reconstruction explores one of Rome's fascinating pieces of cavalry equipment without presenting the reconstructed saddle as an intact archaeological find.
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