Nate, I wouldn't look to Kingdom of Heaven for examples of Templar cavalry tactics, especially since the double horseshoe move would've been ineffective against that many opposing horsemen, as it was in the movie. I'm assuming you're referring to Kerak, where he hoped to hold off the Muslims long enough for Jerusalem to arrive. He only survived that because Imad knew who he was beforehand. Remember, Balian slew his servant in the desert over a horse- Imad seemed confused when he translated that Balian was the baron of Ibelin (al'huakim Ibelin is the line); Balian could've taken him as a slave but he released him. Imad returned the favor at Kerak.
Much of the depiction of the sequence events at Reynald of Chatillon’s stronghold of Kerak is not true to history. Saladin did besiege Kerak unsuccessfully, but in 1183, well before the time frame of the movie. According to legend, there was a wedding going on during the Muslim bombardment of the walls. Saladin found out which tower the newlyweds were in, and instructed his soldiers not to bombard it. When King Baldwin IV brought his army down from Jerusalem to contest the siege, Saladin withdrew before they arrived. The desperate ploy by Balian and his men-at-arms never occurred during the siege of Kerak and was something of a rare event for that period in time. Muslim commanders tended to avoid such engagements as the heavily armored Western knights were feared for their devastating massed charges.
