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<blockquote data-quote="aspqrz" data-source="post: 7242928" data-attributes="member: 19485"><p>Well, we've blown through the $3000 and $3500 levels - Magical Medieval Europe and a Medieval Monastery - and it looks like we'll get through the $4000 level and the combined and expanded Regional Sourcebook ... I am completely amazed and thankful for the great support for the campaign! </p><p></p><p>I guess Historical/Fantasy stuff is way more popular than the Modern Military topics(s) that my first Kickstarter covered ...</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>Horse Puckey ...</strong></span></p><p></p><p>Another of those <em>everyone knows</em> things covered in<strong><em> OM2</em></strong> has to do with the nature and usage of Horses in the medieval period ...</p><p></p><p><strong>In Agriculture - The Horse Harness Problem.</strong> If you believe virtually every source out there, it was only the development of the Horse Collar during the medieval period that freed Horses from being choked by their Harness when pulling heavy loads, making them not significantly more useful than Oxen in ploughing and pulling Carts and Waggons.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately this is <em>completely <strong>wrong</strong></em>. It is based on the results of an experiment staged in France in 1910 by a Cavalry Officer with no practical experience in Harness making or Horse handling. His results did, indeed, show that a Horse harnessed as he interpreted the evidence (remember, no practical experience!) could only pull 500 kilos while one with a Horse Collar could pull 1500 kilos.</p><p></p><p><em>Even at the time this result was widely questioned and completely debunked</em> ... <em><strong>in academic circles</strong></em>. However, the claims had already taken on a life of their own as an <em>'everyone knows'</em> factoid.</p><p></p><p>The problem was that there were at least three ancient traction systems shown in art, <em><strong>none </strong>of which choked the horses</em> - Shoulder traction and Breast Traction (Greek and Roman) - and the earlier experiment had been done with a harness constructed according to inaccurate composite drawings combining, as it turned out, the worst elements of all three designs!.</p><p></p><p>Modern re-enactors have shown in real world experiments that there is, in fact, <strong><em>no</em></strong> choking when using these older harnesses.</p><p></p><p>You have to dig pretty hard to find this information, though, as the <em>'everyone knows'</em> version is widely repeated even in recent works.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Why </strong></em>was the Horse Collar adopted, then? What <em>actual </em>advantage did it provide?</p><p></p><p>It allows a lower attachment point to whatever is being pulled than the older systems which were really designed for what we would class as Ponies or small Horses today. This lower attachment allowed the Horse(s) in the team to pull whatever with much greater <em><strong>traction</strong></em>. As the <em>Mouldboard Plough</em> was being introduced at the same time (allowing heavier, clayey, soils to be economically farmed). the greater traction for ploughing was an important economic advantage ... a Horse team with Horse Collars and a Mouldboard Plough could, roughly, plough<em> twice as much land in the same time as an Ox team</em></p><p></p><p>Again, beware of what <em>'everyone knows!'</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aspqrz, post: 7242928, member: 19485"] Well, we've blown through the $3000 and $3500 levels - Magical Medieval Europe and a Medieval Monastery - and it looks like we'll get through the $4000 level and the combined and expanded Regional Sourcebook ... I am completely amazed and thankful for the great support for the campaign! I guess Historical/Fantasy stuff is way more popular than the Modern Military topics(s) that my first Kickstarter covered ... [SIZE=3][B]Horse Puckey ...[/B][/SIZE] Another of those [I]everyone knows[/I] things covered in[B][I] OM2[/I][/B] has to do with the nature and usage of Horses in the medieval period ... [B]In Agriculture - The Horse Harness Problem.[/B] If you believe virtually every source out there, it was only the development of the Horse Collar during the medieval period that freed Horses from being choked by their Harness when pulling heavy loads, making them not significantly more useful than Oxen in ploughing and pulling Carts and Waggons. Unfortunately this is [I]completely [B]wrong[/B][/I]. It is based on the results of an experiment staged in France in 1910 by a Cavalry Officer with no practical experience in Harness making or Horse handling. His results did, indeed, show that a Horse harnessed as he interpreted the evidence (remember, no practical experience!) could only pull 500 kilos while one with a Horse Collar could pull 1500 kilos. [I]Even at the time this result was widely questioned and completely debunked[/I] ... [I][B]in academic circles[/B][/I]. However, the claims had already taken on a life of their own as an [I]'everyone knows'[/I] factoid. The problem was that there were at least three ancient traction systems shown in art, [I][B]none [/B]of which choked the horses[/I] - Shoulder traction and Breast Traction (Greek and Roman) - and the earlier experiment had been done with a harness constructed according to inaccurate composite drawings combining, as it turned out, the worst elements of all three designs!. Modern re-enactors have shown in real world experiments that there is, in fact, [B][I]no[/I][/B] choking when using these older harnesses. You have to dig pretty hard to find this information, though, as the [I]'everyone knows'[/I] version is widely repeated even in recent works. [I][B]Why [/B][/I]was the Horse Collar adopted, then? What [I]actual [/I]advantage did it provide? It allows a lower attachment point to whatever is being pulled than the older systems which were really designed for what we would class as Ponies or small Horses today. This lower attachment allowed the Horse(s) in the team to pull whatever with much greater [I][B]traction[/B][/I]. As the [I]Mouldboard Plough[/I] was being introduced at the same time (allowing heavier, clayey, soils to be economically farmed). the greater traction for ploughing was an important economic advantage ... a Horse team with Horse Collars and a Mouldboard Plough could, roughly, plough[I] twice as much land in the same time as an Ox team[/I] Again, beware of what [I]'everyone knows!'[/I] [/QUOTE]
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