“Wherever a man has left his footprints in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoof print of a horse beside it”

– John Trotwood Moore

As is implied in the quote above, the bond between man and horse can be traced back through centuries of human history; wherever you look, there is evidence of the influence of horses.  For example, before modern transportation was invented, horses served as the only way to get from point A to point B in a relatively short amount of time.  During wars, they were an essential resource, pulling heavy guns, carrying the wounded and dying to hospitals, and for mounted cavalry charges.  Both of these relationships, however, are only examples of how horses benefitted the human race, not of how fulfilling the emotional connection between a horse and its owner can be.  There is nothing more exciting than building a trusting and loving relationship with a horse through rigorous training and care.  They can see how much energy and care is put into that relationship, and they reciprocate it tenfold.  This is why throughout history, despite the enormous time and financial commitment involved, so many people have owned and trained horses, and why humans and horses have the relationship that they have today.

It is believed that horses were domesticated about 7000 years ago in the western part of the Eurasian Steppe, which is now known as Ukraine and West Kazakhstan.  During this time, they were primarily used as a source of food or as a method of transportation.  It wasn’t until around 4200 BC that people began to ride horses, began to try to control them and bond with them by developing tack that would help them to direct and train their horses.  It became more common that horses were kept as assets instead of slaughtered for their meat, and as time went on, the connection between horse and human grew.

In the time between that first ride and now, horses were used as assets in war, typically pulling heavy equipment or serving as mounts for the soldiers skilled enough to fight and ride at the same time.  During this time, horsemanship extended to a whole new level, since it was necessary to work closely with the animals in order to train and condition them for their role in wars.  As time went on, new technology and equipment was developed that removed the need for horses in war altogether, and this led to keeping horses as companions rather than as war machines.

This leads to the relationship between horses and humans today.  Numerous people own or lease horses, and even more participate in the sport of horseback riding.  I have worked closely with people that own horses, and know that there is nothing that compares to the joy that they feel while caring for their horses, and nothing worse than the pain that is felt when a horse is lost, whether it dies or must be sold because it is no longer financially sensible to retain ownership.  However, people often find ways to work around financial obstacles in order to maintain ownership of their horse, simply because the love they feel for that animal is so strong.  It is similar to owning and training a cat or dog, but on a larger scale; you fed the dog or cat, trained it, loved and cared for it; you wouldn’t simply give that up.

Now, I feel as though it seems like I have simply been writing a bunch of nonsense about how the relationship between humans and horses has developed, and how it is important, but my information is not completely unfounded.  I do have personal experiences that I can provide as evidence of how these bonds work.  For the past two years, I worked on a farm and had the opportunity to work closely with quite a few horses.  There was one in particular that I especially loved, and I would like to think that there was proof that he loved me back.  His name is Desmond, and he’s a Dales pony that has trouble standing still.  I found him endearing when I first met him and worked with him as often as I could.  I soon noticed that he would follow me around while I worked and came when I called him.  We built up a certain level of trust, and it was extremely difficult to leave him behind when I moved here for college.  I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be to leave behind a horse that I actually owned and trained.  It would break my heart.

Desmond the Dales Pony

To summarize, it has taken a lot to get to the point where we can build a bond with these animals. but it has all been completely worth it.  Nothing compares to the relationship between horse and owner.