Earthly Equine Evolution

[labelwench]

The evolution of the horse, and the evolution of mankind has been a shared journey.

Despite it's gentle nature, the horse has been our willing ally in many ventures, including our battles. Many horses have given their lives in service for mankind, yet perhaps one of the better known is a horse of presumed mustang/Morgan background, owned by Captain Myles Keogh.

http://custerlives.com/custer4.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcWevSHrbiA

[RascalPuff]

Dear LW:
As you may know, there are many different variations on what happened in Montana at the little Big Horn a few days before the nation's hundredth anniversary.
Anyway, here's some of the information that's been released, though there were many more tribes than are usually listed that (understandably) participated. My understanding is that Sitting Bull was in a nearby encampment but did not engage the enemy, though he had a pre incidental vision of Custer's impending defeat.

He (Custer) was warned, many times, by his scouts that there were about 1,500 combatant Native Americans (not counting the women and children) and that they were armed with Winchester repeating rifles, as compared to most of Custer's men being armed with .50 caliber Sharps single shot rifles and six guns with no spare ammunition. The Sharps rifles were overheating and jamming.

The entire tribal council of Hunkpapa, Teton, Lakota and Dakota tribes were there, representing the Sioux Nation. There were also Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Nez Perz and Sans Arc tribal warriors. They were particularly bellicose, because Custer was intruding on a religious pilgrimage.

Custer had the option of including two different wheeled Gatling guns with his troopers, but rejected the opportunity 'because they'll slow me down'.


Image results for custer's last stand


www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm


www.historynet.com/battle-of-little-bighorn-coverup.htm


custer and the battle of the little bighorn

little bighorn river

little bighorn battlefield

myles keogh little big horn

Best regards,
- RP

[labelwench]

Image results for custer's last stand


www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm


http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-...rn-coverup.htm


custer and the battle of the little bighorn

little bighorn river

little bighorn battlefield

myles keogh little big horn

Best regards,
- RP

Thank you for the links, Rascal.

Yes, one could be busy for many a day, reviewing the accounts of most any event in history, as every individual will have a unique perspective, depending on their experiencing. That is the beautiful diversity of the human condition, the interweaving of our stories and history, the sensation of pleasure and pain and the point at which the two become indistinguishable.

Horses are equally unique, and while one may have a working or professional relationship with many (even as with people), it can be a rare thing to find a horse that blends intimately with one's own personality.

From an evolutionary perspective, I am fascinated to contemplate the great 'leap of faith' that had to be made by the horse, in accepting the conditions of domestication by a predator over a life of freedom, albeit precarious.

The patience and tolerance shown by the horse, even as we are learning to be better horsemen and teachers, truly humbles me.

"Wherever 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

[labelwench]

The irony of my connection with the equine, living near the city of Whitehorse, and the symbolism of the White Horse of Uffington, England, has only just now occurred to me, as my Grandparents hail from that country.

It has long been debated whether the chalk figure was intended to represent a horse or some other animal. However, it has been called a horse since the eleventh century at least. An Abingdon cartulary, written by monks on vellum, between 1072 and 1084, refers to "mons albi equi" at Uffington ("the White Horse Hill").[3]

The horse is thought to represent a tribal symbol perhaps connected with the builders of Uffington Castle.

White Horse Hill and Dragon Hill (right)

It is quite similar to horses depicted on pre-Roman British coinage and the Marlborough bucket.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse

http://www.google.ca/images?client=o...ed=0CB0QsAQwAw

[RascalPuff]

Dear LW:
Your latest pensive post inspirationally reminded me of 'the Celtic Horse Goddess, Epona'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona

Also, please Google ' Epona Celtic Horse Goddess '.

Best regards,
- RP

[labelwench]

Dear LW:
Your latest pensive post inspirationally reminded me of 'the Celtic Horse Goddess, Epona'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona

Also, please Google ' Epona Celtic Horse Goddess '.

Best regards,
- RP

Indeed, I have done a bit of research on Epona, as horses and things of their association are of interest to me....

The horse was a very important animal to the Celts, and this explains the popularity and the expansiveness of the cult of Epona and other aspects of the Horse Goddess. The horse Goddess was known and worshiped under many different names, each tribe having its own special title for Her. She is Rhiannon to the Welsh Celts, Macha to the Irish, and Edain to the Gaelic Celts. There is even evidence of the existence of specific horse cults, such as the 'Epidii', a horse tribe in Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidii

Epona was variously depicted with, seated on, or as a horse (most often a white mare) and her influence was widespread, even crossing into non-Celtic peoples. She was mainly believed to have been seen as the protector of horses, animals and stables, and was linked with fertility and maternal concerns as well - one of her early symbols was the cornucopia. Epona also represented freedom and creativity to the Celts, two elements that were greatly prized by Celtic culture which had nomadic roots. Epona could be seen in carvings and statuettes in barns, stables, and even estuaries. Besides the horse, Epona is often associated with birds.

[labelwench]

Without doubt, the pedigree of the Arabian horse can be traced farther back in history, both oral and written, than any other breed. It is considered to be the only true 'hot blooded' horse, although some persons also include Thoroughbreds in this classification. Most other light horses are considered 'warm bloods',( not to be confused with the Warmblood breeds, which are another designation), cold bloods or draft breeds, and the pony breeds.

I have owned a Morab mare, which is a Morgan/Arab cross, a QH/Arab mare, and I bred my pinto mare to an Arab stallion and had a lovely colored colt as a result, which won top honors in the weanling class, finishing second to an Arab stallion overall in halter at our Annual Horse Show. He was gelded and later sold and used as a lesson horse by a fellow equine instructor. LW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warmblood

The Darley Arabian, a foundation sire of the Thoroughbred.

Because of the genetic strength of the desert-bred Arabian horse, Arabian bloodlines have played a part in the development of nearly every modern light horse breed, including the Thoroughbred,[110] Orlov Trotter,[188] Morgan,[189] American Saddlebred,[190] American Quarter Horse,[189] and Warmblood breeds such as the Trakehner.[191] Arabian bloodlines have also influenced the development of the Welsh Pony,[189] the Australian Stock Horse,[189] Percheron draft horse,[192] Appaloosa,[193] and the Colorado Ranger Horse.[194]

Today, people cross Arabians with other breeds to add refinement, endurance, agility and beauty. In the USA, Half-Arabians have their own registry within the Arabian Horse Association, which includes a special section for Anglo-Arabians (Arabian-Thoroughbred crosses).[195] Some crosses originally registered only as Half-Arabians became popular enough to have their own breed registry, including the National Show Horse (an Arabian-Saddlebred cross),[196] the Quarab (Arabian-Quarter Horse),[197] the Welara (Arabian-Welsh Pony),[198] and the Morab (Arabian-Morgan).[199] In addition, some Arabians and Half Arabians have been approved for breeding by some Warmblood registries, particularly the Trakehner registry.[200]

There is intense debate over the role the Arabian played in the development of other light horse breeds. Before DNA-based research developed, one hypothesis, based on body types and conformation, suggested the light, "dry", oriental horse adapted to the desert climate had developed prior to domestication.[201] However, DNA studies of multiple horse breeds suggest that while domesticated horses arose from multiple mare lines, there is very little variability in the Y-chromosome between breeds.[202] Nonetheless, following domestication of the horse, due to the location of the Middle East as a crossroads of the ancient world, and relatively near the earliest locations of domestication,[203] oriental horses spread throughout Europe and Asia both in ancient and modern times. Thus, there is little doubt that humans crossed "oriental" blood on that of other types to create light riding horses; the only actual question is at what point the "oriental" prototype could be called an "Arabian", how much Arabian blood was mixed with local animals, and at what point in history.[91][204]

For some breeds, such as the Thoroughbred, Arabian influence of specific animals is documented in written stud books.[205] For older breeds, dating the influx of Arabian ancestry is more difficult. For example, while outside cultures, and the horses they brought with them, influenced the predecessor to the Iberian horse in both the time of Ancient Rome and again with the Islamic invasions of the 8th century, it is difficult to precisely trace the details of the journeys taken by waves of conquerors and their horses as they traveled from the Middle East to North Africa and across Gibraltar to southern Europe. Mitochondrial DNA studies of modern Andalusian horses of the Iberian peninsula and Barb horses of North Africa, present convincing evidence that both breeds crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and influenced one another.[206] Though these studies did not compare Andalusian and Barb mtDNA to that of Arabian horses, there is evidence that horses resembling Arabians, whether before or after the breed was called an "Arabian", were part of this genetic mix. Arabians and Barbs, though probably related to one another, are quite different in appearance,[207] and horses of both Arabian and Barb type were present in the Muslim armies that occupied Europe.[113] There is also historical documentation that Islamic invaders raised Arabian horses in Spain prior to the Reconquista.[208] Furthermore, the Spanish documented imports of Arabian horses in 1847, 1884 and 1885 that were used to improve existing Spanish stock and revive declining equine populations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmCcfXduUZM

[RascalPuff]

Thank you very much, LW, for sharing your interests on the subject of horses.

The term 'horse latitudes' seems to be divided in what researches I've bounced around google...

An excerpt from Wikipedia follows...


A diagram showing the relative positions of the Horse latitudes

Horse latitudes or Subtropical High are subtropic latitudes between 30 and 35 degrees both north and south. This region, under a ridge of high pressure called the subtropical high, is an area which receives little precipitation and has variable winds mixed with calm.
The consistently warm, dry conditions of the horse latitudes also contribute to the existence of temperate deserts, such as the Sahara Desert in Africa, the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and parts of the Middle East in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Atacama Desert, the Kalahari Desert, and the Australian Desert in the Southern Hemisphere.
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• <LI class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1">1 Etymology <LI class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2">2 See also <LI class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3">3 References
• 4 Sources

[edit] Etymology

One theory, of sufficient popularity as to be an example of folk etymology, is that the term horse latitudes originates from when Spanish sailing vessels transported horses to the West Indies. Ships would often become becalmed in mid-ocean in this latitude, thus severely prolonging the voyage; the resulting water shortages would make it necessary for crews to throw their horses overboard.

A more likely and better documented explanation is that the term is derived from the "dead horse" ritual, a practice in which the seaman would parade a straw-stuffed effigy of a horse around the deck before throwing it overboard. Seamen were often paid partly in advance before a long voyage (see Beating a dead horse). They would often spend their advance pay all at once, resulting in a period of time in which they would not have any income. This time was called the "dead horse" period, and it usually lasted a month or two. The ceremony was to celebrate having worked off the "dead horse" debt. As European west bound shipping would reach the subtropics at about the time the "dead horse" was worked off, the region became associated with the ceremony.[1]

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An anthology of horse phrases and usages of the word horse is an interesting and historical study.

www.ultimatehorsesite.com/articles/olsen_horsesense.html

[labelwench]

LOL, you have no idea what forces you have unleashed with the starting of this thread, Rascal.

Very interesting post regarding the Horse Latitudes and the rituals of Seamen.

Here is another tidbit for you, on the Wind Horse.

The wind horse is an allegory for the human soul in the shamanistic tradition of Central Asia. In Tibetan Buddhism, it was included as the pivotal element in the center of the four animals symbolizing the cardinal directions and a symbol of the idea of well-being or good fortune. It has also given the name to a type of prayer flag that has the five animals printed on it.

Heraldry

The wind horse is a rare element in Heraldry. It is shown as a strongly stylized flying horse with wings. The most common example is the coat of arms of Mongolia. In Europe, the equivalent symbol is the Pegasus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_Horse

The history of mankind is interwoven with that of the horse. It has carried our dreams upon it's back, and knows our hearts and minds perhaps better than we do .......

[labelwench]

Do you remember the following parable, often told as a nursery rhyme?

It is used as a teaching tale and a reminder to attend to the small things before they lead to larger challenges or greater consequence.

Perhaps, having been taught this parable by my grandparents, somewhat explains my suitability to the somewhat obsessive/compulsive task of retail labels.

Details, details, ever those devilish details.

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.