Known in Gondor as the Riders of Rohan, the Rohirrim were the mounted warriors of Rohan. As is typical with horse cultures, the young people of Rohan would have been on a horse about the same time that they started walking, so by the time they were ready to go to war they were phenomenal riders, completely attuned to the horse with whom they had formed a bond so powerful that they moved and thought as one. If a horse's rider was killed, and the horse became captured, it would pursue freedom or death before it allowed a hostile creature upon it. This cavalry was not a permanent force, rather they were ordinary civilians, herders and trainers who roamed across the wide grasslands with their great herds. Only in times of war were they mustered, as it took many days for word to be spread throughout the kingdom. The basic unit of Riders was called an éored, comprised from a particular lord's household or settlement and sworn to his service and led by a noble or distinguished warrior. Further afield, an éored would be drawn from the settlement. Their size would vary depending on the nature of the settlement: if it possessed more herders than farmers it would only be able to form a smaller éored from its widely spread Riders, unlike the more sedentary agricultural community. Possessed of the finest horses in Middle-earth, and with riders who were fully their match, the Rohirrim were the greatest mounted warriors of any Age, and there were no infantry units who could withstand them. For this reason, their alliance was greatly prized by Gondor, whose army comprised mainly infantry units. The Rohirrim would be skilled in both light and heavy cavalry attacks and would have adopted a strategy depending on the size of the opposing force. Against a raiding party of Orcs, they would have likely used a hit and run approach, riding close and firing arrows into the ranks, to try to break morale and force them to flee; there would be no point in an infantry unit trying to chase them, as the Riders would have just outrun them, turn and then repeat the attack. Once the demoralised force chose to retreat, the Riders would chase and harry them, attacking their unprotected backs until all were dead. Of course, on the wide open plains the approaching Rohirrim would have been visible for a long time, so in most instances a show of force would have been enough to drive off bandits or outlaws: all they would need do is ride up on to a crest, line up with their spears held aloft, and rely on their reputation to drive them off. A physical confrontation would have been the last resort, in order not to risk their horses or themselves. Although they fought as one unit they were able to disband and still perform at their best without the need to be commanded. Against a more determined or more numerous foe, the Rohirrim would still use the bow as a principal weapon - with every race, the range weapon formed the first stage of the combat strategy - to try to thin the enemy ranks and create gaps in their line. (The horses weren't stupid, and would have shied away from charging into a solid line of defenders. Also, no sensible commander would have ordered a charge into a solid line of spears, unless the enemy was disordered.) Once a breach had been made, the Rohirrim would have formed a tight phalanx and charged in using their heavy ash spears: these would be held as lances until they broke through the front ranks, then thrown at short range once in their midst. Some commanders may have held a separate unit of archers off to the side to continue peppering the enemy while the lancers rode towards them. The combination of the thunderous noise and the sight of these powerful beasts and their riders bearing down upon an infantry defence would have struck fear into their hearts - the Rohirrim would have towered above them, out of reach of enemy blows but perfectly equipped to drive their spear into their flesh. This charge would have punched through the defensive ranks, splitting them to create a big gap: an enemy divided in this way would lose its sense of security of being part of a larger whole, further weakening their resolve to fight. In the meantime, the Riders would have passed through the ranks of defenders, wheeled around and be riding into their unprotected rear with swords and axes ready to chop down upon enemy heads. So, the training for every one of the Rohirrim of bow first, then lance, throw the lance, then draw the sword and start cleaving would have been ingrained into them from the start; it was a strategy that had worked for centuries and would serve them well in the greatest battle of the War of the Ring, when they rode onto the Pelennor Fields. The above is an except from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WEAPONS AND WARFARE book by Chris Smith, available from Houghton Mifflin (USA) and HarperCollins Publishers (international)