[Humakty]

Cavalry have not been efficient as a shock force before stirrup. It was mainly use as a mean to outmaneuver the ennemy, and give a support afterward in melee. The only people using horses as a main shock force were europeans, and I cant remember any great battle won by a brutal cavalry charge.
I'm not talking here of the mounted archers, who have a different use and are very deadly to all types of infantry.