There are few sights in Unovan history more terrifying than that of a mounted army riding atop a charging horde of Scolipede. Although these pokemon are lower to the ground than most species used as cavalry, they are large enough to carry a human rider, and their towering necks and heads allow Scolipede to spit poison long distances while shielding their riders from harm.
Scolipede cavalry did not much resemble their Ponyta counterparts, for a Ponyta rider was expected to do most of the fighting, while a Scolipede rider's purpose was to protect their mount. Scolipede are capable of fighting on their own, and their military use in Unova predates the saddle, but a Scolipede without a rider inevitably fell far sooner than one which claimed human protection. Scolipede's long necks constrained the ability of their riders to attack in a forward direction, so their riders typically used archery to attack flying pokemon from a distance and swords to protect their pokemon from flank attacks, while they fed potions to their Scolipede to help them recover from the wounds of battle.
When a Scolipede was too badly injured, the rider's job was also to lead them away from the battle – a task which many soldiers saw as cowardice, but which was often a necessity, for these pokemon were so expensive that no polity could afford to sacrifice too many in war. The many reports of riders returning unmounted to the fight once their Scolipede was safely in its poke ball gave proof to their courage – and given their tendency for uncontrollable rampages, some historians describe riding these pokemon as nearly as courageous an act as fighting them!
Today, war is gone from Unova, but the sight of a Scolipede horde, even unmounted, still fills many with terror.