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When a formed line of cavalry comes opposite an enemy formed line of cavalry, they would eye each other, and the terrain between them, for 'a certain time' (shorter for a leader with coup d'oeil; longer for most others).
Then there is a possibility that one side or the other will advance. Normally, however, this will not happen. The 'average' cavalry melee will be just two lots of cavalry eying each other.
When one side starts to advance the other may retreat, if it doesn't feel happy, or stand if it does, or start a counter- advance if it feels even better.
The manner or each advance is important -- it may be very slow, or fairly fast, or very fast; it may be with good, medium or poor cohesion. The better the quality of the cavalry, the faster they can go without losing their cohesion, and the slower they will WANT to go.
When the two sides come close to each other, either of them may halt and try to make a static front (if they hadn't had one all along), or they may think better of the whole thing and turn back. Or they may continue steadily, or they may accelerate. There are thus many different possible structures for the clash.
The best result for a cavalryman entering a melee is when the enemy run off at pretty close range, presenting lots of stragglers to stab in the back at minimum risk to self.
After that it's still pretty good if the enemy runs at sufficient range to avoid contact. At least he's run. If he doesn't run, then you in turn will have to run a certain risk of death. Obviously you want to minimize this as much as possible, so you will have to hope that the clash, when it comes, will last as short a time as possible. It would be ideal if both sides are in loose order cantering through each other, exchanging a few dulsatory slashes as they go -- but NO MORE THAN THAT. In this case you will get two ragged lines moving through each other doing little damage, then re-forming to repeat the whole thing.
If things are pretty serious then one side or the other will have a tighly-closed frontage, and that means a serious frontal battle with some genuine casualties and genuine winners and losers. You can tell the degree of seriousness by the time the actual hand to hand melee lasts. If it lasts a short time before one side gives up and runs, then that is normal. If it lasts a long time it shows exceptional quality on both sides: it is a rare and long-remembered event!
Usually it is to the advantage of your side not to mix it too closely. However if the front line squadrons do, for some reason, get into a melee, then the expectation must be that the result will be a toss-up. To gain certainty of a favorable result, you must have reserves in depth -- 'sabres in hand'. This second (and third, fourth, etc.) line will go through all the same cavorting and hesitancy as the first, and may never get involved at all. But ideally it will come crashing into the first line melee at just the right psychological moment to sway the balance. It is a powerful way for the men (and horses) at the front to multiply their fighting power by x2 or x3 at the moment they need it most. IF, that is, the second line can arrive at the right moment... which of course in most real scenarios it will not. The command and control problems (including terrain, morale, etc.) will normally prevent the exactly right timing of such a stroke.
In general cavalry casualties in melee are few. More than for infantry melees, perhaps, but then the superior speed of cavalry allows faster disengagement if things go wrong, and the inferior missile-weaponry of cavalry allow the preliminary 'eyeing' process to be almost bloodless, whereas for the infantry this is often the most deadly part.
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© Copyright 1986 by The Courier Publishing Company.
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