The Majesty of Horses

What is it about horses? People throughout history have loved and used horses for many purposes. Of course the main use has been transportation, from the earliest times. What makes a horse so special? Well, answering that question may be harder than we think. They are not as intelligent as other animals, but not only can they be trained well, but some horses have shown intelligence and loyalty to their respective owners.

I love watching westerns, and I feel that one of the reasons is that I love horses. Horses are powerful, very fast, they have great endurance, and they are just plain beautiful. From their long flowing manes to their powerful legs and long tails, they command attention. Many horses on film seem to have an attitude that suggests they are aware to a good degree of what is going on around them, and in some instances they seem to even show emotions, such as sarcasm! Two movies that come to mind are Hidalgo, and The Mask of Zorro. Both of the horses in those movies are fun to watch and seem to understand that they were acting. Although other animals have been proven more intelligent, dolphins for example, horses do not seem to be too far behind.

The horse can also be symbolic. Sometimes horses can symbolize power. When off in the distance there are a group of horses approaching, and you see the rocks and pebbles begin to slowly move around with the shaking of the ground as the horses draw near, that is power! Horses have also been used to tow and haul heavy loads, like stage-coaches. They are strong enough to pull heavy wagons out of the mud, and fast enough to out-run many predators. Some horses have been known to run at speeds of 40 to 50 mph for short distances! That is power.

Interestingly, our entire automotive industry has derived some attributes from horses. For example, originally roads were designed with horses in mind. The road had to be wide enough for a stage-coach led by two to four horses on one side of the street, and another stage-coach on the other side. When cars came along, they were simply manufactured with those same principles in mind. Perhaps without horses out modern vehicles would be wider, or narrower! Also, the term "Horse power" when referring to a car's engine strength, was also originally derived from how fast one horse would be, versus two or more horses when calculating a vehicle's overall engine power.

Today, with a few exceptions, horses are mainly used for recreation, just going out on the country side and enjoying riding. Having a large ranch with a good number of horses running around is the dream of many people today. Some ranches also breed horses for racing among other things. One big pass time in America is horse racing, which has become very popular in the last century. Some places actually breed horses for food as well, but I cannot see how anyone would want to slaughter a horse for food unless the need were dire. Among all the animals that roam our Earth, I believe horses are among the most majestic. Wild mustangs are a sight to see if you are fortunate to live in one of those areas of the country. All in all, my favorite animal is the horse. I cannot fully explain why, I am just drawn to them. Our history wouldn't have been the same without them.