Greetings, fellow equines!
It's Emma here, your trusty correspondent from the rolling hills of Hayfield, near Aberdeen, Scotland. A chilly spring breeze has settled in this morning, just the kind that sends shivers down a mare's spine. Makes you appreciate the warmth of the hayloft all the more, especially when there's a pile of fresh straw beneath your nose.
Speaking of haylofts, I have a lovely one, and that's because our kind master, a man called Angus MacPherson, is a real gem of a man. You see, my family, we’ve been in Angus’ care since before I could walk, which makes us exceptionally lucky, indeed!
But where were we? Oh yes, today I thought I would share a glimpse of horse-life in Hayfield, Scotland, in this most fascinating year of 731 AD. I know you’re probably saying to yourselves “Emma, dear girl, why on earth would anyone want to know what went on in 731?”. I know you think you're far too clever for all that, but it is history, and horses were around back then and so were their riders and it’s my business to be the historian here at Equiworld, so you just have to listen. We were just as important then as now, maybe more so. So come along with me to the misty plains of Hayfield in 731 AD and hear about the goings on, because this is a fascinating year in the story of horse-kind!
In the early days of spring in 731 AD, we horses woke to a fresh, crisp scent in the air - a smell of awakening and new life. That is of course what is coming. This is the year the hay grows and then gets harvested by men and then piled up to dry in huge piles that give the best, soft, sweetest scent imaginable. We knew it wouldn’t be too long before we were pulled along by a strong yoke through those long grass fields for many hours, day after day to collect enough for all our winter meals and I for one knew how important a job it would be. The first cut, which is the greenest and most succulent is called “early hay” and we loved to get out to the meadows where our strong teeth could bite through the delicate green shoots with a crisp ‘snap, snap’ sound.
Our hay fields are, as always, some of the finest meadows in the land and that is because, well, I’m not a scientist but the soil, its colour and texture is one thing that does have an effect on how the hay tastes and how well we grow. That was Angus, the Master’s view and we just couldn't agree with him more.
Hayfield sits on the fertile banks of the River Dee. Now, don’t you get confused, because you may think of the Dee down near Chester in England. Well, ours is much bigger and runs deeper and we have the wild brown trout swimming around in it. Now, you know the little salmon, we think, that humans think taste rather good! It's true that salmon doesn’t look quite as tasty as our hay, and no, it is no use comparing.
A lot of folk from far away use our hay as a bit of an ‘investment’, for the hay here really does make you grow stronger and have more muscle. It’s what makes the famous Aberdeen Angus cattle so renowned for their thick rich black coat and all their luscious juicy flesh - those Aberdeen Angus wouldn't get a very thick juicy steak without our lovely Hayfield meadows.
But it isn’t just the cattle, mind you, because the people who own horses here like to buy a bale of our Hayfield hay, because it makes them, our sort, much stronger, faster and better bred to gallop faster than anything you could ever imagine!
Just an aside before I get to the races, a lot of the big, muscular, heavy draught horses here work in the logging industry up the hills and valleys, all the way up to the North Sea Coast. This is because all the forests, with the fir and pine trees, have thick timbers that the lumbermen use for the ship yards at the port, and this work requires massive horses with enormous power. You see our masters really know what a fine quality draught horse looks like and they really value a strong back to pull and a set of shoulders to make the big heavy wagons and carts move easily! That is what makes a horse a very useful beast indeed.
Back to the races.
We’re just down the road, 2 days march, to Aberdeen where the big summer races are in 731. This was the year they introduced a new event for horses with the white mane and tail like me – that is the White Horse Sprint. Well you can’t see them, these new rules are what gets horses and their owners, those who ride and look after them, talking around the water troughs in the stables. You can always tell, if the men have had a pint of beer they love to exaggerate just how good their horses are going to do! It’s good fun but I try to stay out of it, as horses shouldn't get mixed up in human disagreements.
The first event on the list, though, is the regular Grand Prix for the faster, racing type of horses – these are always great to watch, because their owners spend days making their steeds eat and sleep properly beforehand and their riders go to lengths to keep the muscles supple and ready to go. It is a real thing of beauty to watch and there's no question that it does require great strength, courage, agility and speed from both rider and horse and no wonder that they say ‘it takes a brave man and his even braver horse’ to race a Grand Prix! But then that is something of a statement they often use to describe all sorts of things - but let's not get too far from what our real subject is here - we're looking at horses this time around!
Let’s just say that I am far too sturdy, stocky and too big to participate in these horse races. In fact, when they see my huge, powerful neck and legs, they say “Emma, that is one of the best heavy draught horses in the land - I’ve never seen a more splendid grey”! Then the man who has been looking me over says “she would be very good at hauling a cart loaded to the top! And with a load of oak timber she could move at speed, and make it to the dock for a good price”! But we never discuss what makes my colour. We all know, it makes my colour and this is something no one talks about – my white mane and tail, which is something to be respected as part of a beautiful breed of horses that are not too far away, even if my stable friends do tease me for it and give me a bit of ‘taunt’. Oh well, horses do not give much importance to all that, but these are all small events to me and just an interesting side note for the time being. I can see, already, you know where I'm going to go with this – but we will have more time for those thoughts later!
Back to the main focus here – this year 731 has a lot for us horses.
We, the working horses here at Hayfield have all had our annual checkup, from a ‘vet’ he is called! In fact, they don't come around very often, we horses are used to taking our own medication when needed and we have very good skills for this – we get it wrong less often than humans! They like to make us do their tasks, so I thought that you'd appreciate me reminding them that we're quite able to look after ourselves! They really did appreciate this time in the year and they are the ones, actually, who take care of the little, little foal’s - we've had quite a lot of young’uns born this year.
Then, there’s something about the human history, about this year, and a terrible plague they call the “bubonic” - oh, the stories humans tell. But even these men cannot say where it originated - as if they are the cause of all ills, which you can see, are all part of life – and some would say it was in the years that followed 731 but in Hayfield, at least, we are spared any such terrible events, for the time being. I have no doubt, and this is what I tell everyone here at Hayfield, there’s much more going on than we might imagine and I reckon we should spend our lives living and thriving for what is here today and just accept all that which is beyond our control. But let’s hope this human plague doesn't reach Aberdeen as we love to gather in the large marketplace when we are free. We get together with those from all the neighboring areas – you might even find horses that came from afar!
But this is what we horses are good at, for us - there are always better things to concentrate on – the weather, the rain, the quality of hay, whether we’ve been working too hard or too little, the oats in our breakfast or supper and who knows that one horse who has the greatest and thickest mane? Well, I will say no more - it will be hard for some horses to swallow, when they see this post and see just how long mine is and its whiteness – some are a little too much like ‘peacock' for my liking – you have to keep your nose to the ground and keep moving. It's true what people say about horses. If we don't do it we don't eat.
Now, my friends, I am sorry, I must leave you to your busy, busy lives. You have lots of things to do but maybe take just a little time and reflect on the way life was here in Hayfield in 731, that long, long, long time ago! I’ll be back next week with more news on life in our little community.
