234 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



On the contrary, though the Ironsides proved 

 themselves to be by far the most powerful cavalry 

 seen in England down to that time, their strength 

 was due not to their weight, but to their remark- 

 able mobility. 



The dismay the Ironsides spread amongst the 

 foe is said to have astonished the cavaliers them- 

 selves as much as it surprised the enemy. 



For it must be borne in mind that the Ironsides 

 did not wear armour. Instead they were protected 

 merely by light buff coats, so that naturally they 

 were able to ride far lighter and consequently 

 more active, horses. 



Probably it was the good work done by Crom- 

 well's cavalry that marked the turning-point in 

 the life of the old regime by driving out of the 

 field not only the great horses that until then had 

 been deemed wholly indispensable, but also by 

 sounding- the death-knell of armour that for two 

 centuries had been growing steadily heavier and 

 more ponderous. 



For many years, however, a body of the English 

 military authorities metaphorically clung doggedly 

 to the clumsy horses to which they had so long been 

 accustomed, and to the clumsy armour as well, 

 declaring — as some of their successors do to-day 

 — that the innovation of a mobile force must soon 

 prove unsatisfactory and ultimately be disbanded. 



Instead, exactly the reverse happened. 



By slow degrees the armour was discarded, 



