Phil in SF quoted Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, #2)
Young Fitz, the illegitimate son of the noble Prince Chivalry, is ignored by all royalty …
But the other figure had caught the horse's headstall, and as he tried to drag the beast to a halt, two other pursuers burst from the trees to converge on the struggling horse and rider.
— Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, #2) (20%)
new vocabulary: headstall
A head collar or halter.