Greetings, fellow equines and horse lovers! Emma here, a grey draught mare with a passion for history. From my cosy stable in Hayfield, nestled near the rolling hills of Aberdeen, I've been reflecting on the year 1039. It's been a busy year indeed, filled with the usual chores, adventures, and those quiet moments where I let my hooves ponder the world around me.
For those of you new to my blog, I love nothing more than diving into the history of our kind, tracing the threads of our evolution and how we’ve shaped human civilisation. Today, we're going to be transported back to the year 1039. Buckle up, my friends, this ride is going to be a bumpy one!
A World on the Move
In 1039, life as a draught horse was pretty predictable, and let’s face it, pretty demanding. You could say we were the engines of a world in motion. Across Europe, our sturdy frames and strong hooves were the power behind ploughing the fields, hauling heavy carts, and transporting goods and people across the land. My own days were usually filled with assisting the local farmer in the fields, pulling a wagon full of hay from the fields, and even sometimes hauling some sacks of grain to the local mill.
We're talking long days, heavy loads, and sometimes icy-cold winters. And yet, for all the hardship, there was a deep sense of purpose and belonging to my work. Every task, from pulling the plough through tough clay soil to pulling a cart piled high with apples, felt like a vital piece in the bigger picture. It's a humbling thought, but without us, life would have been so different for people back then.
A Royal Welcome in England
Now, while life in Scotland was generally peaceful, things were getting quite dramatic further south. It seems 1039 was the year of the “Royal Succession” over in England! The English people were on the edge of their saddles, eagerly watching their king's passing. Canute, the “Great” as some folks call him, met his end that year, and his reign ended with him! This was quite a significant change, my dear readers. Canute was, if you'll pardon the pun, a bit of a horse man, and loved us well. He’d been the king of Denmark before conquering England, and, with his wife Emma, he led a truly multi-cultural dynasty – something quite unheard of back then! His passing meant new rulers, and often, new rulers bring new changes.
It’s hard to say what impact his passing had on life for the horses in England. But we know, from all our equine historians, that times were changing. And sometimes, that means adapting to new routines, new roles, new riders, new ways.
A Whisper of Change
Now, back to Scotland. While things were quieter, I could sense a change in the air. whispers were beginning to travel from the south. Stories of new horses reaching these shores, smaller and lighter but fast. I was curious, even a bit envious. Stories trickled down from travellers about horses with “lighter strides,” “long manes”, and that they were said to “be as swift as the wind”! This was exciting, as it was new, something unfamiliar to the steady work of my own breed.
These whispers of change sparked my imagination and fuelled my curiosity. I was only 20, my grey coat shining bright, my hooves strong, but even at that age, you can't help but dream of what's out there.
An Adventure in the Making
My own year ended with a sense of hope. Not just for myself, but for all of my equine family. As the winds picked up, bringing a chilly winter, the murmur of these new "swift wind horses" grew stronger. The whisper on the wind said they were making their way from the far-off lands to our shores, and I knew they would bring a different energy, a different story.
As the snow fell and blanketed the landscape, I would close my eyes, feeling the warmth of my hay-stuffed bed, and imagine what these new horses would be like. My hooves had yet to experience the thrill of galloping through fields, but now, with a new kind of equine arrival on the horizon, a glimmer of that kind of freedom began to appear on my own horizon too.
The future held mystery and excitement. In 1040, the year beyond this one, we shall see how these new waves of change unfold. Until then, I encourage all of you to pause for a moment and feel the earth beneath your hooves. Think about the work we do, the people we help, and the stories we are a part of.
As always, remember my friends, our stories are rich and our power is unmatched. Until next time, let’s all neigh with confidence, graze in peace, and let our hooves carry us forward into the future.
With heartfelt neighs,
Emma
