They were used by European knights, but the use of lances was spread over the Old World wherever horses were available. The use of the lance was made possible by the use of the stirrup added to saddles. It allowed the knight to control the horse and stand in the saddle. As a backup weapon, lancers (one who used a lance) of that period also carried swords, maces (a type of club) or something else suited to hand-to-hand (or close) combat, since the lance was often used only once during an event. It could not be used once the combatants were close to each other. 