Previous discussions I’ve seen on the topic (terrain, society, lifestyle, etc.) were more about why European strongmen couldn’t field armies of mounted archers. I’m more curious on the individual level. Even if Western European strongmen couldn’t field an army of mounted archers (or had to operate in terrain where it wouldn’t be conductive to that kind of army), they clearly could muster up some number of mounted troops, and use them in battle despite the terrain. These mounted troops also lived a lifestyle that encouraged hunting on horseback. So why didn’t they fight in battle as mounted archers?
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Without trying to be a smartass, can I ask why you think they should have? Having a few horse archers isn’t a cheatcode for victory, as evidenced by the numerous occasions that they lost to European armies that relied on heavy infantry, archers and shock cavalry. It’s a lot easier for historians to answer why someone did something as opposed to why they did not. As far as we can tell, Europeans just did not do the horse archer thing. It was not part of their culture, and war is an extremely cultural activity.
Medieval hunting sometimes involved bows, but not generally shooting from horseback. Animals would be pursued on horseback, cornered, and then finished on foot with a spear or a bow.