The Franks had an infantry-centered army, based on the traditional axe-wielding footman. But the challenge of fighting against horse-borne enemies like the Lombards, Avars, Arabs and Magyars, prompted a gradual change in tactics. Charles Martel appreciated the military value of horses, not only as a weapon in battle but also as a vehicle to move his army swiftly across his vast empire. Horse-breeding farms were set up in the Alpine regions to supply the Frankish army. The Franks also adapted the cantle and the stirrup, two saddle innovations introduced by the Avars which permitted more effective horseback fighting.
