Miriam A. Bibby is an archaeologist and historian specialising in the history of the horse, particularly the horse in northern England and Scotland. She is currently engaged in specialist research at the University of Glasgow into the history and influence of the Galloway horse. Miriam was formerly a tutor, year convenor and course developer for the University of Manchester's networked learning course in Egyptology. While at Manchester, she gained her M.Phil. on the topic of the horse in ancient Egypt and in 2000 she founded Ancient Egypt magazine. She has presented at numerous conferences and her work has been published in many journals and magazines. Miriam has also worked as a museum curator and in heritage management.Brian G. Scott is the former Keeper of Conservation at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. He has written extensively on early metallurgy, with special emphasis on iron and steel, and is also a specialist on Irish Later Bronze Age equitation, as well as on early artillery, having published the definitive studies of the late-sixteenth and seventeenth centuries cannon in the City of Derry~Londonderry and on the mortar campaign during the 1689 Siege.

The Materiality of the Horse brings life and three dimensions to our understanding of the Medieval horse. Clichés are overturned and new perspectives opened up. We understand the very different case studies from all over the world both at a theoretical level and in details that give us a sense of immediacy."" - Dr. Susanna Forrest, Author of The Age of the Horse: An Equine Journey through Human History""From cover to cover, this book provides a highly readable and riveting account of the horse-human relationship in three contexts. From the breeding and management of horses in a range of time and place, to literary representations, to an exploration of archaeological understanding, each chapter provides well-researched and insightful account on the significance of the horse-human relationship."" - Dr. Sarah Sargent, University of Buckingham

• IntroductionCHAPTER 1. Pony Breeding in the New Forest: A Continuation of Medieval Practice, by Gail BrownriggCHAPTER 2. Practical Advice on Equine Care from Jordanus Rufus, c. 1250 CE, by Jennifer JobstCHAPTER 3. A Tapuya "Equestrian Nation"? Horses and Native Peoples in the Backlands of Colonial Brazil, by Felipe Vander VeldenCHAPTER 4. Counting Your Blessings in Froissart's "Debate of the Horse and the Greyhound", by Anastasija RopaCHAPTER 5. Equids in Late Byzantine Hagiographies: A Comparison with the Middle Byzantine Period, by Alexia-Foteini StamouliCHAPTER 6. Alexander's Arabian: Noble Steed or Fantastic Beast?, by Miriam A. BibbyCHAPTER 7. Hish?m ibn al-Kalbi's Kit?b al-Khayl: A Premodern Arabic Pedigree for the Horse?, by Hylke HettemaCHAPTER 8. Equestrian Military Equipment of the Eastern Roman Armies in the Sixth and Seventh Centuries, by Mattia CaprioliCHAPTER 9. Horse Burials among the Lombards and Avars: Some Differences and Similarities between the Germanic and Nomadic Rituals, by Annamaria FedeleCHAPTER 10. The Irish "Deer" Series of Cheek-Pieces, by Brian G. Scott