Horses

 

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, close to Eohippus, into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BCE, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BCE. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. These feral populations are not true wild horses, which are horses that never have been domesticated and historically linked to the megafauna category of species. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior.

Horses are adapted to run, allowing them to quickly escape predators, and possess a good sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down, with younger horses tending to sleep significantly more than adults. Female horses, called mares, carry their young for approximately 11 months and a young horse, called a foal, can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under a saddle or in a harness between the ages of two and four. They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years.

Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods", developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today, developed for many different uses.

Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits as well as in working activities such as police work, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water, and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers.

I think of horses as big dogs. They are just comfortable being with others and romping about. They are not predators, but are big enough to do harm. They can be docile enough to have a saddle strapped onto them and a harness with a metal bar stuffed in their mouth used as a guiding mechanism. When mounted and whipped, a horse will run. Left alone with another space to run and frolic and kick up their heels is a wonder to see.

I’ve ridden horses but was never comfortable in the saddle. My first wife was an English rider but never talked about it. My second wife knew horse flesh. We’d go to steeple chase events and she would pick out the winner. I’m not a betting man, but she was always right.

The museum was full of paintings of horses. The pride of horse was beyond a pet. I know people who stable horses and some who ride for ribbons.

The reason I bring up horses is every hero in the movies and on television when I was growing up, rode a horse. Cowboys, ancient knights, desert warriors, civil war cavalry… everyone rode a horse. Indians were chased on horses, wagon trains were pulled by horses, horses were hitched up in every western for the quick getaway. When a rider was shot, he’d pull the rein to the side pulling the head of the horse who would stumble and fall to the grown. The camera would cut to another scene rather than see if the horse got up or not.

Before CGI, masses of horses were ridden into battle scenes without stunt doubles. Hundreds of horses would collide with other horses or people running with sharp sticks. The logistics of these movies to get so many extras dressed alike to ride horses across a field for the camera to follow must have been formattable. People can be shipped by bus, but a horse needs more space to haul. Even the Kentucky Derby has a parade of horse trailers. The equestrian joy associated with watching horses run at full speed beats the pig race at the country fair.

After battle scenes of rifles, cannon craters, soldiers lying still (and mostly intact) and horses. These horses may have been injured in the clashes and had to be put down. There are no scenes of hobbling horses staggering amongst the carnage. Even the wild ponies of Chincoteague are rounded up every year to be auctioned off to a human who may (or may not) treat them humanely but still must be broken.

Jump through rings of fire. Buck cowboys with your testicles tied. Dance on hind legs. Stand pristine posed for a painting.