Destrier

This article is about the type of war horse. For the album by Agent Fresco, see Destrier (album).
Mounted on a destrier, Richard Marshal unseats an opponent during a skirmish.

The destrier is the best-known war horse of the Middle Ages. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was described by contemporary sources as the Great Horse, due to its significance.

While highly prized by knights and men-at-arms, the destrier was not very common.[1] Most knights and mounted men-at-arms rode other war horses, such as coursers and rounceys.[2]

  1. ^ Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996, p 30
  2. ^ Oakeshott, Ewart. A Knight and his Horse, Rev. 2nd Ed. USA:Dufour Editions, 1998, pp 11-12