The Horse
Ah, the horse! An animal that has captured the imagination of man for thousands of years.
A very Useful Animal
Researchers have traced the origins of horse domestication back to the Botai Culture of Kazakhstan circa 5,500 years ago. This is about 2,000 years earlier than domestic horses are known to have been in Europe. The horse has been many things to many people, a source of food, a means of transportation, a method of power from plows to factories, a source of pride, a source of barter, a means of recreation, and a companion. Many Indian maidens would have never been married if it wasn’t for the horse.
The Horse as Inspiration
The horse has inspired paintings, photographs, poems, songs, and more curse words that could fill a dictionary. There are few animals that could invoke or inspire as many thoughts as the horse.
The Horse as a Tool for the Cowboy
Of course, the horse was indispensable to the cowboy. It provided the ability to travel large distances, gather huge herds of cattle, transport goods, and cultivate the land. From Thornton Chisholm’s first cattle drive of 1866, the horse allowed 30 men to round up and move 1800 long horn cattle up the Chisholm trail, a trip lasting about 7 months and 10 days, and making the cowboy a legend.
Today the horse is still a working animal at many farms and ranches in the U.S. In these parts, horses and horseback riding are essential to our way of life. We feed’em, groom’em, ride’em and sometimes cuss’em…but we can’t get along without’em!
Western Riding has Spanish Roots
The western style of riding (an evolution of the early Spanish vaqueros) uses comfortable, functional equipment. For example, the horn on a western saddle is used to control roped cattle and the tree is very strong to withstand having cattle tied to the saddle horn. During cattle gatherings and brandings, inevitably contests were held between ranches to determine who was the best at various ranch skills. Many cowboys would compete to see who was the best at capturing and riding wild horses, roping cattle, and sorting cows from a herd. These contests became rodeos and other horse competitions today. (The term “rodeo” comes from the Spanish word, “Rodear”, meaning “roundup” in Spanish.)
Seeking Understanding and Truth about Horses
It seems that after thousands of years of riding, man would know everything there is about a horse. But the old saying that “he forgot more than you ever knew about a horse” is true. There is a lot of needed information (and some misinformation) out about horses, their care, equipment and handling. This category will try and provide information that may be helpful to, and focus upon, western riders. Some of the information will be controversial, like horse slaughter. I will try and keep the topic as factual and substantiated as possible. However, each person has their own reality. Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction…that’s cowboy logic.