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The most comprehensive study of medieval warhorses ever undertaken will be released in the form of a radical new book this week.

Based upon extensive archaeological and historical research, including the study of bones and DNA, armor and art, the "Medieval Warhorse: Equestrian Landscapes, Material Culture and Zooarchaeology in Britain, AD 800–1550" presents a complete picture of the development of the iconic animal through the Middle Ages.

From debunking assumptions that steeds were Shire horse-sized, to mapping the royal stud network of the Kings of England and how they traded warhorses like "supercar status symbols," the book breaks new ground in placing archaeological evidence within historical, cultural and social contexts.

It has been written by a team of archaeologists at the University of Exeter, with colleagues at East Anglia (UEA), University College Dublin, and other leading institutions who were involved with the groundbreaking Warhorse research project.

"The image of the armored knight mounted on his charging warhorse is one of the most evocative of the Middle Ages," says Professor Oliver Creighton, the project lead and one of the book's editors, and an archaeologist at Exeter.

"As distinctive symbols of social status, horses were central to the medieval aristocratic image and closely bound up with concepts of knighthood and chivalry, while as weapons of war bred for size, strength and stamina, they changed the face of battle.

"Drawing upon new interdisciplinary research, this volume presents a fresh perspective on warhorses, and medieval horses generally, in Britain, understood within its wider European context."