No. Medieval plate armor made for battle did not normally prevent its wearer from mounting a horse. The familiar image of a knight being lowered into the saddle by a crane misrepresents its mobility.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes historical illustrations of armored riders mounting without lifting equipment. Royal Armouries independently explains that plate armor distributed weight across the body and cites an early-fifteenth-century account of an armored man vaulting onto a warhorse.
Some specialized tournament armor was substantially more restrictive than battle armor. Assistance from a squire or a mounting step should not be confused with needing a crane.
Battle armor allowed practical movement. Specialized tournament equipment should not be treated as typical battlefield armor.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The museum identifies crane-assisted mounting as a misconception and describes historical images and practical experiments showing that properly fitted armor permitted mounting without lifting machinery.
Based on: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Royal Armouries
The museum explains how distributed weight preserved mobility and reproduces a historical account associated with Boucicaut describing an armored man vaulting onto a warhorse.
Based on: Royal Armouries
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Certain tournament armors restricted movement considerably. A squire or step could help the rider mount, with some armor pieces fitted afterward.
Based on: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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