Cavalry Charges Developed in Stages

A cavalry officer sought to strike a balance. He wanted his men to be as close to full speed as possible at the moment of act. A charge would lose a lot of its force if the horsemen made impact piecemeal, rather than all at once in a single wave. Cavalry officers also had to be on the lookout for rough turrain. An unseen stream or patch of rough ground could spell disaster for charging horsemen if they tried to cross it at full gallop.