Editing Hakkapeliitta (section)

==Tactics==
The Hakkapeliitta were well-trained [[Finnish people|Finnish]] light [[cavalry]]men who excelled in [[skirmishing]], [[raid (military)|raiding]] and [[reconnaissance]], as well as in pitched battles. The greatest advantage these lightly armored horsemen had were the speed and ferocity of their [[charge (warfare)|charge]]. They were equipped like the typical [[harquebusier]] light cavalry of their era; armed with a [[broadsword]] and two [[wheellock]] pistols and protected by a [[buff coat]] and a [[lobster-tailed pot helmet|pot helmet]].  A steel [[breastplate]] was often worn as well. They would attack at a full [[Horse gait|gallop]], the troopers on the front rank firing their pistols at near-contact distance and the whole formation crashing through the enemy at sword point. The horses themselves were another weapon, as they were used to trample enemy [[infantrymen]]. The [[horse]]s used by the Hakkapeliitta were the ancestors of the modern [[Finnhorse]]; they were strong and durable.<!--1) they were tiny (130 cm behind the saddle) 2) they were not a breed exactly 3) see [[Finnhorse]] to see why I would not call them Finnhorses either--><ref name="talaskivi"/><ref name=Historiallisia/>