[ericthered]

Every time I've tried to build troops especially for killing monsters, they've come off as exceptionally unknightly.

For most large monsters, you want a great big pole arm for 1) keeping it at arm's reach and 2) doing enough damage to kill it quickly. Its also worth remembering that a shield doesn't do much good against something like a charging rhinoceros.

Trips and traps tend to be exceptionally useful against monsters, as they won't have the intelligence of a human foe. Pits, nets, and herding tactics (even if its the equivalent of waving a cap at a bull) stand out here, as do walls, fences, and other advantageous terrain.

Horses are useful for mobility rather than shock in most cases, allowing the slayers to keep pace with or outrun their foes.

Ironically, almost none of this is true with a dragon: its faster than the horse, breathes fire so you need the shield, and a pit trap is really hard to pull off against it.