Horses
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There is an animal whose image has long symbolized power, wealth, privilege, and even royalty. For thousands of years this species has carried us through battles and dazzled us with displays of speed and agility; it has also plowed our fields, transported us around the world, and served as cherished partners and companions. I speak, of course, of the horse (Equus caballus).
The first ancestor of the horse appeared around 55 million years ago: tiny, leaf-eating, 14-toed Hyracotherium, who made its solitary way through the dense forests it called home.
Hyracotherium Eohippus. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
THE STORY OF THE HORSE
Over millions of years, these forests gave way to open grasslands, and the descendants of Hyracotherium, the Equids, had to adapt to a whole new world. They did so by becoming social animals, living in herds for protection. Their teeth and digestive systems adapted to a grass-based diet. Large eyes on the side of their heads gave them almost 360-degree vision. Most importantly, they developed long legs and a single-toed foot (the hoof), which—combined with a robust cardiovascular system and powerful lungs—allowed them to run at high speeds over great distances: in other words, they became finely tuned flight animals. This speed, athleticism, and keen awareness of their surroundings is the legacy inherited by our domestic horses today.
The Marvels of Milk
But how, and when, did domestication happen? Many people are surprised to discover that the horse was one of the last animals we humans domesticated. Archaeological finds suggest that the process took place around 5500 years ago on the steppes of Central Asia.
Map of Kazakhstan showing Botai Culture Sites. Public Domain
Archaeologists working at the site of Botai, in Kazakhstan, ran protein analyses on the residue found inside pottery vessels from about 3500 bce: it was a residue of mare’s milk. It seems fairly safe to state that a person isn’t going to be able to milk a wild horse, so this milk must have been from domesticated mares. This may also mean that the horse was first domesticated not as a riding or driving animal, but rather as a food source for both its meat and milk. Horse milk may seem an odd choice of beverage for many of us, but it remains a staple part of the diet for Central Asian nomads today. It is very high in vitamin C, and since a nomadic life means you don’t get to eat a lot of fruit or veggies, this is a pretty useful thing!
Horses being milked in Kyrgyzstan, courtesy of Carolyn Willekes.
Unfortunately, it is a bit more difficult to pinpoint when exactly someone swung him- or her- self onto a horse’s back for the first time—though again, archaeology provides some great clues. Researchers can look at horse teeth for signs of wear produced by a bit, which would indicate that the animal has been ridden or driven. Without a doubt, the discovery that we could ride horses changed the course of human history forever.
The Warhorse
For thousands of years we drove and rode horses into battle. The earliest visual representations of warhorses come from the Ancient Near East. At first, we drove them into war, riding behind them in chariots. Spectacular scenes of chariot combat gallop across the art of the Egyptians, Hittites, and Assyrians.
Relief of an Assyrian Chariot from the palace of Ashurbanipal, at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Homer’s Iliad sings of famous warriors and their splendid horses. The spectacular terracotta army at Xian, China, with 130 horse-drawn chariots, shows how far this equine technology spread, and how essential it became to warfare in the ancient world.
Museum of the grave of Qin Shi Huang. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The earliest examples of mounted cavalry emerge out of Assyria, perhaps as early as the 10th century bc, and the horse remained central to warfare well into the 20th century.
Assyrian Cavalry. Neo-Assyrian Period. Courtesy of The British Museum.
Being mounted became an attribute of the victorious conqueror, particularly when armies moved into such horseless regions as the Americas. But indigenous groups, most of whom had never seen a horse before, quickly realized the significance of this animal and embraced it within their own societies, creating new cultural traditions based around their equines. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Plains tribes of North America, who became famed hunters and feared warriors on horseback, as well as pre-eminent horse breeders, creating one of the most iconic horse breeds in the world: the Appaloosa.
Toby Quanah, Appaloosa. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Sport Horse
The speed and power of the horse also turned it into a professional athlete. Chariot racing was one of the first events added to the ancient Olympic Games, later followed by mounted racing. In the Roman world, chariot racing becomes an obsession, as fanatical supporters cheered for their teams—the Blues, Greens, Reds, or Whites—in the circuses of the Roman Empire. (There were also incidents of “chariot hooliganism,” as fans of opposing teams fought, and sometimes killed, each other.) Charioteers risked their lives in those often-deadly races, but if they were successful and lucky, could become wealthy celebrities. The horses too were celebrated, and monuments to famous chariot horses have been found across the Roman world.
Roman chariot-race mosaic uncovered at Horkstow in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Usher Gallery of Lincoln. Great Britain.
In fact, equestrian sports become a central aspect of every horse culture’s tradition. Polo emerged out of Central Asia over 2000 years ago, with the first recorded games held in Persia, possibly between 600 and 500 BCE. This game spread across the world, and exquisite Tang Dynasty statues from China show women playing as well as men.
Female Polo Player, China, Tang Dynasty. Courtesy of Detroit Institute of the Arts.
A more rough-and-tumble version of polo, called buzkashi, involves tough Central Asian tribesmen fighting it out on horseback over a goat or sheep carcass. Games like jareed (traditional in Turkey) and pasola (played in Sumba, Indonesia) pay homage to the use of spears and javelins on the battlefield. Jousting, of course, was the iconic sport of Europe’s medieval world, as fully armored knights charged at one another with long lances, mounted on horses specially bred to carry their great weight.
Competition of Pasola. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The modern Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, and show jumping all have ties back to military training—in fact, only military officers were allowed to compete in these events until 1952 (although “gentlemen” were sometimes permitted as well). 1952 marked a turning point, as women were now allowed to compete, bringing us to one of the most unusual aspects of horse sports—men and women competing against one another. Back in the fourth century bce, the Spartan woman Cynisca won the four-horse chariot race at Olympia, and images of female polo players can be found in China, Persia, and India. Today, female jockeys are making a name for themselves on the racetracks of the world, and men and women can be seen battling it out in riding arenas around the world.
Charlotte Dujardin, 2012 Olympic Dressage Competition. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Our Companions
Although the horse has a storied history in combat and war games, and in many places still fulfills necessary roles in day-to-day life, the primary role these animals play in the 21st century is that of companion. You could call today’s horses expensive lawn ornaments, but they bring comfort and joy to people in all walks of life. Hippotherapy helps many people of all ages who face physical, mental, and emotional disabilities and illnesses. Most recently, the role that horses can play in helping veterans with PTSD has come to the forefront.
Horse Therapy, US_Army. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Riding programs in the inner cities of London, Detroit, and Compton, California (to name a few), give kids opportunities to direct their attention away from the streets and onto riding, with its discipline and emotional bonding. Horses have also come to play an iconic role in the current Black Lives Matters movement, as horsemen and horsewomen of color mount up and make their voices heard: riding a horse always lends authority and presence, and today also calls attention to one of the most overlooked communities in North American history—that of the Black cowboys, who are finally getting their place in the history books.
- Dr. Carolyn Willekes
Black Lives Matter Protest, Houston Texas. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.