Of Horses and Horsemen

Human history is full of highlights. Great men have done great deeds, which have resulted in other matters, which in turn have affected something. We tend to ignore the human element in most of it. Victory or defeat in wars is usually attributed to the top tiers, as if the generals themselves slew thousands of the ‘enemy’. It is the faceless millions throughout time, who have laid their lives, forever putting the cause ahead of themselves, who deserve accolades and plaques. Now, here I want to express my views on a unique animal, whose presence has altered human history in an unfathomable way. Indeed, let’s pay our tribute to the quadruped called horse.

It is incredible to think now, but horses almost didn’t make it. The modern animal had its beginnings in what is now North America. Fossils discovered show that North America was their stomping ground till well past the figure of 30,000 years ago when man first reached the continent. This led to an enormous struggle over the next millennia and over time, over-hunting meant that the horse was extinct in its homeland. Miraculously some survived the genocide and reached Eurasia and the rest is history.

A number of human races lay claim to the idea of being the first ones to tame horses. The Middle East says so about its own people, so do central Asians and others. Wherever it was done, it heralded the quicker evolution of history. Humans were now able to work much quicker. Much larger distances could be covered in a shorter time. Techniques of breeding horses were constantly devised, improved and re-interpreted. Imagine a world without horses! The Roman army could never have crossed its boundaries, and created their world empire. The Carthaginians could never have threatened Rome. Northern Europe may not have been colonized so quickly and indeed a lot more. No other animal could have quite substituted. Yes the donkey would have done some local work, but they never had the pace to run miles at a blistering pace. Neither do they possess the loyalty to a master so crucial to humans. Camels would still have done their work in Arabia and Central Asia, but never outside their own regions. Alexander’s men would never have reached India. And as a result of all this, human civilization would have halted, it would have been a very slow evolution between different ages.

It is ironic to say, but it is also true that to a large extent, wars have fostered the growth of human culture. For war and plunder, men have traveled afar (needless to say, on horseback), and come into contact with different groups of people. Thus science and technology have been exchanged, cultures have mixed and genealogies changed due to different wars. Without quick means of travel, different discoveries in different parts of the world could never have been exchanged between one another leading to the discovery of something else in turn. Maybe, we would still be in the Bronze Age in the 21st century without them!

Without horses the Turks would never have been able to secure Constantinople as back as 1453, thus Europe would not have ventured towards the New World back then. And so America’s discovery would have had to wait for many more centuries. The slave trade on Africa may also never have taken place, as the Eurasians wouldn’t have had the head start. A reason why Africa has remained backward over time, is not the people’s fault, but unlike Eurasia full of resources, Africa has never had tame-able animals. The Zebra and the Giraffe could never help humans in spite of their natural abilities, not because the black man wasn’t intelligent enough but because of the animal’s system which could never accept authority.

Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves this question, that is it humans who have tamed horses, or is it them who have tamed us? Without human help, the population of this animal would never have soared to such numbers as today. Their close relatives, Zebras, Gazelles, and Giraffe struggle for habitation, while horses are given full honour among humans. In religion, sport, military and transport, these have a haloed image.

Whether horses are our companions, or we for them will always be a matter of debate, but one thing is certain, human culture so rich presently, would not have anything resembling like wise without them. Thus, horses are here to stay forever in our life and culture.