Horses and chariots would have been utterly devastating to an enemy that can only fight on foot.1 They were the most advanced military technology available at the time.2 and would have given the Canaanites a very clear and significant advantage. Chariots functioned as mobile fighting platforms, enabling the movement of archers across the battlefield. They had to be light so that they could be easily drawn by horses. As a result they were built of wood making it easy to burn them.3
4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.