Thursday, September 25, 2014

Icelandic Horses in the Peasant Revolt of 1381 Dcoumentary

In 1381, peasants revolted in multiple areas in Britain possibly due to high taxes, discontent with the recent Hundreds Year war, and social unrest after the Black Death.  Ok, there probably weren't any Icelandic horses in the Peasant Revolt of 1381 in England.  However, ambling horses of a certainty would have been ridden.

Mike Loades hosted a documentary for the BBC on the Peasants' Revolt. In it, riders rode heavy draft breeds to re-create the route the rebels took.  For only one day, they switched to Icelandic horses, representing the amblers of the time.  Interestingly they covered more ground and in much more comfort than when riding the larger horses.  You can view this segment from 45:38 to 48:30 below.



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