The BHT is a mercenary force, the HW material points out that they recruit from many sources, slaves, malcontents, adventurers, escaped Vendref, Ormsgoni looking for the high life etc so their population base is not relevant when discussing numbers. The wealth that they accumulate through these lucrative contracts is such that they can support a large armed force far in excess of one their tiny population could support. In effect the people of Black Horse County are camp followers who have been in one place for a long time and have settled down while Ethilrist muses his past glories and prepares for new ones.
There are parallels for such a mercenary unit in the RW, the company of Hawkwood and other Condotierri prior to and during the Italian wars, the Catalan Grand Company is another good example. Some merc units lasted 20+ years, and numbered in the thousands, mostly men at arms and were very cohesive.
As for stuirrups, they exist in Glorantha, they are canon. They originated in the west and have been around since the Second Age. Ethilrist certainly uses them IMO.
Martin Laurie
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