OK, I loved the movie. But one bone of contention that I have with westerns is the poor job that is generally done of understanding basics, like how people dressed and acted.
Indians didn't use saddles, let alone stirrups. That's a Greek invention, used by Europeans and white Americans. Not by American Indians. They bother to paint the horses, and then pull something stupid like that!
I just watched this movie again last night for the first time in a very long time. The use of stirrups on the Indian horses bothers me as well. They didn't use saddles or stirrups and a detail so small stands out horribly bad, I think.
I generally enjoy the movie. The story line is good, I like the Grayeagle character a lot and I have long been a big Ben Johnson fan. Some of the actors didn't really give what I feel is a top notch performance but I think the biggest flaws with the film are the inaccuracies like those stirrups. I can overlook bad acting or overacting but overlooking simple historical details is too much.