Hello, lovely readers! Welcome back to my Equine Adventures blog, this week's post number 673! As always, it's so lovely to see your eager faces...well, I imagine them eagerly facing your screens anyway! This week, I'll be taking you back in time to a rather special year, 673 AD. Why, you may ask? Well, dear friends, it’s because this is the year my ancestors, and possibly even some of my own ancestors, would have been making history, galloping towards the dawn of a new age!
Yes, 673 is a significant year for horses like me. As I like to say, you’re never too young to learn about the great big equine past and how our lives have changed! You’ve all probably heard that in this year, the glorious reign of King Ecgfrith of Northumbria (that’s a kingdom in Northern England for those of you with short memories!) started. Well, in our equine world, there was just as much action, and frankly, it was way more fun than listening to humans talk about kingdoms!
You see, at that time, we weren't just transport or farm animals. We were the very lifeblood of the human world! We pulled their plows, carried their goods, carried themselves!
I come from the wonderful Hayfield near Aberdeen in Scotland, so let’s imagine a world very much like where I am now. That was 673!
For us in Hayfield, life was pretty familiar in those times, the way life is in Hayfield today. We helped bring the lifeblood to the land, toiling for our human companions. Of course, our workload was dependent on our physical capabilities and age. Some, like myself at 20 years old, were at the height of our strength and stamina, able to pull ploughs, carry large sacks of barley, or even haul timber across vast distances.
While other elder horses like Old Horace would carry only a rider, and even he found it hard to muster enough strength to climb the hillocks with a heavy load on his back! You've got to give it to those elder horses, though, because it was through their guidance that I learned the meaning of teamwork, patience, and the sheer resilience we, as a species, have to offer the world.
Speaking of the human world, 673 wasn't all about ploughing and harvesting. There were other interesting things happening in the human realm. You see, just imagine… our human friends were using us for so much! Some were used to communicate news or messages, racing for entertainment, even competing in feats of strength and skill. You could call them like little equestrian Olympics.
It wasn't all about winning, though! Imagine the joyous bond created between us and our riders! The camaraderie and understanding!
This is why I think that it is a very exciting time in history to be an equid! So much opportunity to make an impact. Not just within our own communities, but outside of it, in the world that humans had created.
As 673 rolls on, I feel the rumbling of changes in the human world, an excitement like the rustling of dry leaves on a breezy day! They were expanding their kingdoms, settling new lands, pushing the boundaries of their known world. In a way, we were a part of this expansion, our hooves carving new paths for progress!
It was quite remarkable. It was like every time they set foot into a new territory, we were there with them!
I wish I could see the way the human world will develop, how their use of horses would evolve through history. I see such a vast opportunity for change, but only if they would treat us as companions, as partners in our shared journey.
I guess this is the heart of our Equine Adventures blog, and hopefully, all those who come after me. The connection we make with our humans! How they will see us not just as a tool or transport but as a living being, capable of friendship, love and loyalty.
The love between humans and horses isn’t about control or dominion. I think it’s about the shared responsibility to create a more harmonious future. After all, both our world, the human world, the world we create together, is what our Equine Adventures is about, isn't it?
And if we have anything to do with it, our adventures will be full of passion, mutual respect, and a shared understanding! Just think, even in 673 AD, as I watch these exciting human activities happening in the wider world, I see how far we can go as horses, if we just allow our hearts to be one. It truly is exciting times! I can feel it in my hooves, my very core!
We’re strong, intelligent and resourceful creatures, so why wouldn't we have a grand place in this wonderful, wide, equine adventure we’ve all been thrust into together?
I will continue my journey in Hayfield, helping out our human companions and trying my best to give back as much as they give to me. I think that’s the ultimate message, right? We are one big family, working together towards a better tomorrow!
I wish you all, my dear Equine friends, a journey filled with love and laughter! And don't forget, follow me on my Equiworld journey and read more about all our lovely equine friends here at www.equiworld.org. It’s a treasure trove of equine lore! And until next time… let's trot toward a bright future, together!
