As those of you who have ridden horses know, they have an amazing capability to poop while galloping. Sometimes they don’t even slow down; the only reason you know they are doing their business is because you hear the thuds of horse poop landing behind you. But when a horse has to pee, it is an entirely different matter. They stop, line themselves up sideways to the wind if you allow them to, spread their legs, and take their sweet, sweet time. My question: How did cavalry riders stop their mounts from pausing in the middle of battle to do their business? I can see it now: A group of Mongolian horse archers swoops in, fires a volley or three at the Polish pike regiment, then swoops out as the slower knights give chase. Laughing and hooting, the Mongols make their escape. But suddenly, one of them slows down and stops. With horror, the rider looks back. In front of the charging knights, he can see his mare casually raising her tail and the tell-tale sound of cascading water informs him of his doom. Screaming in terror, he kicks and shouts at her to gallop again; but she isn’t moving till she’s finished. Finally, with dignified slowness, she lowers her tail and begins to trot; but it’s too late. The Polish knights catch up, and the poor Mongolian archer is skewered.
So, how did horsemen prevent this terrible tale from occurring? I’m sure they had some sort of trick, but what was it?
Horses are somewhat skittish animals, and if there’s a loud noise nearby (like a charging army, for instance), they’re going to run first and stop to piss later.
Yeah, but that skittishness is trained away, at least enough that they run TOWARDS the charging army as opposed to away. I can still see them holding it out of fear, though In that case, what did they do when they were just marching towards the enemy? Stopping to pee would make them break rank, wouldn’t it?
But a horse race lasts only a few minutes, doesn’t it? Prolonged battles can last much longer.
I think I’ve read somewhere that Mongols and Turks preferred to ride mares, rather than stallions, in battle for precisely this reason: while a stallion has to stand still when peeing, a mare doesn’t.
Adrenaline is a wonderful drug, it’ll quench that need to pee unless the bladder is getting really full.
Also, just like humans horses prefer to position themselves just so to pee, but they can void the bladder on the move if they have to, or if they are frightened enough. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done.
In that case, what did they do when they were just marching towards the enemy? Stopping to pee would make them break rank, wouldn’t it?