Neigh-day fellow horse-lovers!
It’s Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood grey draught mare, penning another blog post from my home in Hayfield, nestled snugly amidst the rolling hills near Aberdeen, Scotland. As you may have gathered, I’m not only a fan of rolling in the fields and enjoying a good grazing session but also a keen historian of our equine kind.
Today, we're venturing back in time to the year 0590 AD – a period of fascinating change and innovation within the horse world, even if things weren't always as comfortable as they are today. Buckle up your saddles and let’s take a gallop through this period together!
Life in Hayfield: A Gentle Routine
My days in 0590, though simpler than life now, were still filled with purpose and rhythm. I wake at sunrise, greet the day with a good stretch and a hearty breakfast of grass and barley. There’s something truly wonderful about that first bite of fresh grass, don’t you agree? The morning is often dedicated to a mix of light tasks – pulling a cart to transport goods or perhaps assisting with ploughing the fields. My owners, a kindly farmer and his family, treated me with the utmost respect and affection. They always ensure my hooves are sound, my coat is brushed, and my stomach is full.
It is a beautiful sight to see the fields of Hayfield as they unfurl into green swathes. They hold a gentle calmness and promise the abundance of our life’s bounty. I wouldn't say my work was ever strenuous. You see, in Hayfield, the pace is gentle. This region hasn’t yet embraced the new-fangled heavy iron ploughs. We tend to work in pairs, using traditional wooden ploughs and harnessing the collective strength of our kind. We’re known for our endurance and calmness. Draughts are the best at a gentle, steady gait. It suits my temperament, as I am often considered to be the sensible and dependable one in the stable!
The afternoons often give way to a bit of a well-deserved nap under the sun. I revel in those warm sunbeams! It's truly something to be cherished, a small luxury of our simpler lives. The evening ends with another satisfying meal, a good grooming session, and then, after a final grateful gaze at the setting sun, I finally settle in for the night. This is a rhythm I find most comforting. It speaks of a balanced life lived in harmony with nature.
Across the Borders: Glimpses of a Larger World
But Hayfield is just one corner of this vast and wonderful world. I get glimpses of a wider world through visiting traders and travellers. One particular gentleman from York, with stories of grand feats in distant lands, once visited Hayfield. His tale was so captivating. He spoke of noble steeds, some even smaller than myself but capable of astonishing speed. These were called "destriers" - fast, agile, and specifically bred to be a noble steed fit for battle, for travelling long distances on challenging terrain, carrying riders into the heat of battle. My ears perked at the descriptions of how their riders, armed with shiny swords and shields, galloped fearlessly onto the battlefield. Their stories stirred within me a sense of awe, yet a deep sense of comfort remained for my humble, tranquil life in Hayfield.
I also heard about the powerful Arabian horses, far from our shores, famed for their fiery spirit and endurance across desert sands. The merchants spoke with awe of their beauty and strength. Their stories paint pictures of horses being part of society, travelling across grand stretches of sand with camels and their owners. I wonder how those horses are cared for.
You know, this kind of travel and trade, while new and exciting, brings its own challenges for us horses. You see, with new animals arriving from other countries and kingdoms comes new worries for all of us. It is our duty to be vigilant, alert, to help our owners understand the ways in which these foreign animals could endanger the well-being of our fellow horses and perhaps, ourselves as well. I imagine that in 0590, those concerns might not yet be understood, but the seed is sown.
The Future Through my Grey Eyes
As the days pass and the years blend together, I’m acutely aware of the quiet shift in our horse world. The echoes of change reverberate through every day. More and more people are discovering the beauty and potential of horses. It seems like with each passing season, more and more tales of "noble steeds" reaching beyond the simple necessities of work and life into a more dynamic world.
A few months ago, I overheard our owner talking about a young King called Edwin of Northumbria, who travelled around his kingdom with an entourage of skilled riders. The king's riders used them to travel between towns and keep the peace, a fascinating mix of practicality and social statement! My hooves have not touched the path to that distant realm but one cannot help but hear tales like this and feel the ground shift underfoot. These are changes that promise a greater role in human society for horses. It makes me wonder how I can prepare for the world of tomorrow? How can I teach my foals, my young friends, to thrive in this rapidly changing world?
Of course, this "noble steed" path remains, at the moment, far from my life in Hayfield. Here, the pace remains gentle. But even a stable, peaceful existence such as mine benefits from change and growth, new ways of thinking, of learning, of doing things, and of evolving. I do think the world for horses is beginning to evolve rapidly in many places.
Perhaps tomorrow will be different, but today, in 0590, Hayfield continues to be a world of warmth and familiarity. It’s my world and, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And as the twilight descends upon Hayfield, my thoughts wander back to the sun setting upon another beautiful day. I’ve tried to bring to life a sense of a time long ago. The horses in 0590 were the backbone of many societies, whether their world was the rugged highlands or the gentler rolling fields. I feel it my duty as a humble yet knowledgeable mare to honor their contributions and to inspire, through our equine connections, both future generations of horses and the people they so readily serve.
Until next time, my fellow equines! Keep galloping towards the horizon, never ceasing to explore the wonderful world that awaits us. * Your Grey Neighbour, Emma *
