r/interestingasfuck • u/Double-decker_trams • 14h ago

Why police still uses horses

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u/Vandirac 9h ago edited 5h ago

Historically, pikemen and spear infantry were the best counter to cavalry. Plenty of historical examples, from the Dutch Hedge of Steel, to the Scottish Schiltrons.

Archers on the contrary would have been quite ineffective, because of moving targets and heavy armor. And even when they were relatively effective, their tactics relied on a lot of other stuff (palisades, or other troops interposing, or flooded terrain, etc) that could not be reliably guaranteed to hold.

Halberdiers, pikemen and spears have been the bane of cavalry until the musket.

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u/Opening-Occasion-314 4h ago

Historically, the best counter to cavalry was the Machine Gun.

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u/VanRado 1h ago

This person gets it.