History of Horses

History of Horses:

They have been around serving and being mans constant companion since the earliest of times.

Believed to having first been domesticated in the steppes of the eastern Ukraine and central Russia, as people started to lead a more nomadic lifestyle. Historians debate over whether in the

Two general groups have developed from the small and stocky animals that were first domesticated: The 'hot-blooded' southerly Arab-Barb types (from the Barbary coast) and the northerly, 'cold-blooded' types.

All modern breeds are derived from these two types, including the light, fast, spirited breeds typified by the modern Arabian, and the heavier, slower, and calmer working breeds such as the English shire horse. Ponies are a breed of horse that stand less than 14.2 hands (56.8 inches/144.3 cm) high.

The horse (Equus caballus) has had a bigger impact on human societies than any other animal. Without them, man could not have achieved as much as he has thought the years, indeed, more than any other animal, man has depended on; they have carried him on their backs for great distances, pulled his loads, and taken man into battles to win a country.

Much has been written about these animals and its nobility,the history of horses have been portrayed in art thought the years.

A swift hand has shown many a horses pride and constant companionship to man, that we would not be where we are now if it was not for this noble beast.

They have been, in turn revered, exploited, and loved by men and woman throughout history. It has accompanied humans at times of war, hunting, working, and playing. Appearing in myths from around the word as mystic symbols of wild, untamed nature, avenging charges, hybrid performers and trusted companions.

In the history of horses in art, they have been a constant subject, explored and presented in with endless variation and invention. From the earliest evidence of primitive art on the cave walls of Lascaux in France (c. 15,000 B.C), to the sophistication of the Renaissance drawings of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and the abstracted forms of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), they remained a powerful subject.

Likewise in the world of literature, writers from Jeffrey Chaucer (1795-1821) and Anna Sewell (1820-1878) have celebrated the horse in prose and verse.

From the time they were captured and tamed, the horse has played an integral role in the development of civilisation.

Without them, human history might have taken many different course; without horsepower, great battles, invasions, conquests, and explorations would have been severely impeded. The overland transportation of goods and people, weapons and food, was quicker and easier with the use of the adaptable and agile equine.

The Bhutia and spiti ponies found in the Himilayas of India, thrive at a high altitude and are ideally suited for this mountainous region, though would find the greater humidity and height temperatures of the lowlands hard to cope with.

The Akhal-Teke horse from the Karahum Desert in Turkmenistan is able to withstand the extreme heat and the cold of the desert climate. There is a famous story of how some Akhal-Teke horses were ridden from Ashkhabad to Moscow in 1935.

They covered the distance two thousand five hundred miles in

The history of horses over the centuries, in the different breeds have evolved, they have each in their own right, become highly adapted to their own particular environment, which in pat, explains why their evolution has been successful.

Consider what a huge impact it must have been, when they were first domesticated and were able to be ridden and driven. It has often been thought that the myth of the Centaur, a half-human and half-horse creature, was inspired by original sightings of the first man on horse back.

The early horseman like Ganghis Khan, (1162-1227) is perhaps one of the most recognized early horseman. He was an indomitable warrior, conquering Northern China and then moving westwards, always on horse back, with his highly trained nomadic solders, also being skilled horseman.

Man and equine have had a seemingly endless relationship, that has been forged thought history, and still continues today. Indeed, in a few cultures, such as the Kazak people of Eurasia, the horse is still an intricate part of life.

In some other countries, they are still used in agriculture and for transport, as there will always be areas where they can work.

Whichever way we look at it, the romance with this animal is set to continue. And the sound of the hooves on tarmac or earthen ground, or the laboured breath of a horse being ridden past you in a seemingly quite town, will always draw a look from the passers by, as they view the beauty, power and strength of the horse that has walked beside us through the ages.

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