One of the things historians or equestrians always say when watching historical dramas is
why do stirrups appear when there were no stirrups in that era?? This is a common question.
It was a frequent comment when watching historical dramas like Three Kingdoms or Jumong.
Both saddles and stirrups are said to have first been used by Central Asian nomads.
While the exact time is unknown, saddles were invented first, and then stirrups were invented and people began using them.
Originally there was only one stirrup, and as both sides began to be used, the birth of mounted cavalry and horsemen began.
Saddles are from around the 8th century BCE, stirrups are usually from around the 4th century BCE, but double stirrups are from the 3rd century onwards.
It is said that they were transmitted to the Korean Peninsula after the 4th century. They were transmitted in the order of Central Asia, China, and the Korean Peninsula.
This is based on Asia, and in Europe, double stirrups are said to have been used from the 8th century onwards.
Riding without saddles or stirrups was incredibly dangerous and often led to falls and even loss of life.
After saddles came into use, stirrups appeared, but initially there was only one. At first, it was used as
a footrest for mounting the horse. Then double stirrups appeared, and from this point on, cavalry began to appear in large numbers.
And horsemen appeared.
After the appearance of double stirrups, learning to ride became much easier.
Without stirrups or with only one stirrup, only highly trained people could ride horses.
They had to build physical strength and had very strong thighs to avoid falling off the horse.
In modern dramas or documentaries, there are occasionally people who ride without saddles or stirrups,
but it's only brief, and if the horse rears up even once, ordinary people fall off immediately.
Only trained people can hold on with thigh strength, and this is said to be very difficult.
Since riding depended solely on thigh strength and having to hold on while on the horse, people without extremely strong thigh muscles
could not ride horses. Once double stirrups were invented and began to be used in earnest,
shooting arrows freely from horseback and shooting arrows backwards while fleeing also began with the appearance of double stirrups.
Before double stirrups were invented, when asked why stirrups are used in historical dramas,
the answer is that it's too dangerous for the actors, so historical accuracy cannot be maintained.
