There was no distinction made between "ponies" and "horses"
until much later in history. No conclusions about size can be
drawn from a modern translation of any ancient word as "horse".
The chariot burial at Wetwang (Yorkshire; 300-100 BC) yielded a
bronze jointed snaffle bit of 3.5 inches. A reconstruction of
the chariot at the Kentucky Horse Park (June 2003; right) is
pulled by ponies of 12 hands - and even these need a 4 inch bit.
The Romans and Celts were probably smaller than modern men.
Vegetius, who laid down heights for the selection of cavalrymen
and first line infantry in 390 AD, required: "...the standard
for the cavalry of the wings and for the infantry of the first
legionary cohorts ... six feet, or at least five feet ten
inches." Due to a slight difference between the modern and the
ancient inch, the six-foot recruit would be 5 foot 9 and a half
in modern measurement. Thus even 14.2 hand "horses" would have
seemed a decent size to them. Certainly in the early years of
the Christian era, riders d