: : So surely this means Orcs weren't as good as men when it came to fighting - or maybe it was just sarumans Orcs - perhaps he got them at a Baradur second hand troop sale...

: While I have no numbers at my fingertips, keep in mind that the Riders of Rohan were on horseback, which tends to be a major advantage over foot troops.

: -RobRoy

I disagree. The main slaughter came at night, when the horses would have been a hinderance, since they cannot fight well in the dark. Even well trained horses will be scared to gallop in the dark (and it WAS very dark, since there was not enough light to shoot by). Once night settled, I doubt if the horses would have made a huge difference. Maybe they still helped, but to what degree? It seems in most part of the history of Middle Earth, the orcs were depicted as fairly unruly and useless.

Sure, I concede that they won some really big battles, but it seems that they win only with the help of strong allies (e.g balrogs, will of Sauron etc.) Maybe I'm wrong, but I always got the impression that they were pretty incompetent

Gandalf