It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has
done what he has done.
- Richelieu
> They struggle to make an impression against many units but that's
> more to do with troops in formation closing ranks than anything
> else. It's the heavily armed foot who are the problem rather than
> horsemen though, with the latter you can always lie on the ground
> out of easy reach of the cavalryman's weapons until the horse is
> above you whereupon you jump up and either cut the saddle girth or
> hamstring the horse. The more heavily armoured the cavalryman the
> easier that is. Risky, but members of the warband are going to try
> it.
The British cavalry in India practiced "pigsticking" and "tent pegging" with their lances to foil just such a tactic. Any horse soldier with a spear will take care of someone lying on the ground. A 3' sword *probably* won't reach the ground (but don't try it against trick riders like the Grazers, who can reach down and pluck a rag stiuck in the ground...).
A really nasty surpise would be to have a Kadone the Grounder Devotee make the lanceheads many times heavier than normal, just as the lancers level their lances - pole vaulting *is* possiblke from the saddle.
Sudden pits in the ground (More Ernalda magic), Hailstorms (Hedkoranth) or Windstorms (Orlanth), or indomitable courage all work against horsemen. A horse has to be crazy to actually charge into a wall of people (pointy objects or not). Of course, the horsey boys will have their own magic going, so it becomes Rock-Paper-Scissors on the magical front.
RR
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