My name is Emma, a grey draught mare with a snow-white mane and tail, and this is my horse history blog. You can find me most days working the fields near Hayfield, a pretty village just outside of Aberdeen in Scotland. I have the honour of sharing my life with my lovely family, including a strong, sturdy chestnut stallion called Arden and three bouncy foals. But today, I'm going to talk about something much bigger than our little corner of the world, something that touches the lives of all horses: The Year of the Horse, 0143 AD.
0143 feels like a lifetime ago, although the stories are still told around campfires. I wasn't around to experience it myself, obviously, but I've heard from many old, wise horses like my dear old gran, Mabel, about that year, about the change in how humans used horses and how the whole world of horses was, well, electrified by it!
You see, back in those days, horses were everything. They powered our plows, they pulled our carts, they carried people, they even helped deliver mail. You wouldn't go anywhere without a good horse, and horses like me, strong draught horses, were in huge demand! You could say it was a Golden Age for us!
But, as 0143 unfolded, something changed. A man named Johannes Gutenberg, living in a place called Mainz, created a new thing called a "printing press". Can you imagine? A press, made of wood and metal, that used these strange metal pieces, like tiny horses themselves, to create copies of whole pages, and these pages contained all kinds of knowledge! He used it to print the Bible, the most important book to many humans back then, and it made them very, very happy!
The news of the printing press spread like wildfire throughout the world, a lot faster than it could have before Gutenberg’s invention! It spread much faster, thanks to another big change - better roads were being built and travel by horse became safer and easier. Before that, journeys took months! The printing press caused a sudden surge in demand for more books and newspapers, and for that, you need paper, which needs to be carried and sold, which means… more horses!
For horses, the arrival of the printing press wasn’t just about a busier life; it was also about a different type of life. It wasn’t just about hauling carts and ploughing fields, although that was still important. We now were essential to a world full of knowledge! Humans suddenly wanted to know everything, about the world, about science, about different countries and their languages, and all of this knowledge travelled by horse, by me and my brethren, by my ancestors before me! It was a real turning point in the history of horses.
As I said, my granny Mabel was around during this period and would often tell me about her experiences, stories of all the things she transported – bundles of paper, carts full of fresh fruit, baskets laden with fish. But what Mabel told me about most, were the stories of the travelling storytellers who used horses to carry them far and wide, spreading tales and legends that resonated throughout the land. There were times when humans wouldn't travel for days just to hear these storytellers' magic unfold, carried to them by the noble horses like my granny, Mabel.
Horses became the lifeline for a revolution of knowledge, and that revolution brought changes beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. With all the information suddenly flowing between people, it wasn’t just horses pulling carts anymore, but minds pulling ideas.
Now, don't get me wrong, not everything was rosy. With these changes, we saw a new breed of horses emerge - sleek, fast ones with nimble hooves who could carry riders much faster. They could gallop for miles and miles, bringing information quickly and easily, and their speed became synonymous with a world in a constant hurry. I felt a little overshadowed by them sometimes, especially the spirited steeds with names like ‘Swift' and 'Lightning’, but even though we were slow, we were strong and could haul more cargo.
I like to imagine that some of these faster horses who rode alongside storytellers may have helped create the wonderful world of "horseshoe racing", where horses compete against each other. Although I don't understand the joy humans seem to derive from watching other horses gallop furiously, there was something undeniably thrilling about these new events that were becoming increasingly popular. Perhaps one day, they’ll invent a “slow but strong" horse race! Maybe I'll give it a go!
But that’s another story for another blog! What I want you to take away from this blog post, is this: 0143 AD marked the beginning of a truly remarkable time for us horses, a time of growth and change, a time where we were not just simply transport but the wheels of an evolving world.
What did you think about the year 0143 AD? Do share your thoughts and stories about horses from this time! I'm always excited to learn more about how the past influences the present, and how our roles and relationship with humans continue to evolve.
See you all soon!
Love, Emma
