History of Horses in the year 1357

Greetings, my fellow equine friends! Emma here, your friendly grey mare, from Hayfield near Aberdeen. It's been a busy year here, 1357 AD, and as you know, I love sharing all the news, big and small, from our horse world. Let's dive in!

The Year of the Dragon

It feels like the whole world has been holding its breath this year. Not just for the chill of the autumn, but also for the arrival of the Dragon year. Some say it's a time of luck and fortune. Others… well, they might be keeping their fears a bit closer to their chests. We all know what can happen when whispers turn into shouts, and that goes for people AND horses!

King David's Reign:

King David II of Scotland is the name on everyone's lips here. They say he's not just king but a warrior, brave as a lion in battle. He's had a rather busy year with the English… I've heard rumours of sieges and fights and, thankfully, none too near our gentle fields in Hayfield.

New Year's Greetings and A Festive Season:

My favourite time of year is upon us, folks! The air is crisp with a touch of winter. There's a certain magic that hangs about when the wind whistles through the pines. You can almost smell the Yule Log crackling in the fireplace and the scent of honeyed gingerbread cookies carried by the smoke. Oh, to be a human and indulge in all that!

The feast for Yuletide this year was, as always, a welcome celebration after the long hard autumn. Our human friends were merry with cider and their special food. It was the most relaxing of the whole year. The only thing that kept me on my toes was the ever-growing pile of hay they'd stack near my stable for my midnight snack. Such a treat!

Horse Trade

Word travels fast in the horse world. We've heard tales of a booming horse market in Edinburgh. They're looking for the strongest, sturdiest horses for all sorts of tasks. Imagine pulling carts and plowing fields all day, providing for folks from all walks of life! Not that I'm complaining. A day of work with the right humans is as good a life as you could ask for.

We heard tales of those wonderful Shire horses from England being sent further south for hauling the King’s wagon train! Their strength and gentle nature make them such valuable steeds. They may not be quite as agile as us little Highland ponies, but they've got a stamina we could only dream of!

Speaking of the Highlanders, the wild ones, they've been making a splash on the battlefields as well. Not always welcomed, you understand, as they're wild and unpredictable! But I'm sure those noble steeds are doing their best to serve those they fight for. I always try to be as useful as possible, helping in Hayfield's daily life, which involves plenty of hay collecting and plowing. We even get to visit the town and its markets! You've never tasted bread so fresh until you've felt its aroma as a horse in the market square.

A Dash of Folklore

Our human friends, particularly the women, love to spin tales of mermaids and selkies, mythical creatures with beautiful flowing tails. It reminds me of how horses are seen, majestic and strong, with our flowing manes and tails! Perhaps those legends are what give horses such magic. Some believe they see horses' spirits among the clouds on moonlit nights, others speak of 'the White Horse', a spirit that guides lost travellers and offers its help. I admit, sometimes in the deepest forest, with the wind in my ears, it’s easy to imagine I'm part of a wider, magical story, even without those tales!

Horse Show

And this is where I say goodnight! I can almost smell the heather burning in a nearby village. It’s such a lovely scent that fills the air. My friend Fiona, she's a beautiful brown mare, just my age, has a friend with the family she works with who’s in charge of putting on a great horse show next week. Imagine, showcasing all our skills, with our shiny coats and fine bridles. What an honor, I’m looking forward to meeting her new mare who they've chosen for the event!

See you next week! - Emma, your Highland grey mare, Hayfield

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I remember Fiona’s friend coming over and telling me all about the exciting competition they were organizing in our village, not far from the small community where we both live. It was for the village show, and although Fiona was going, she hadn't even considered that I, a simple grey mare, might be of interest to her friend!

But it turned out that grey horses had been all the rage this year. It seems it all began in the south. People of wealth were eager for steeds of colour to add a bit of flare to their carriage rides through the market. The finest carriages were drawn by elegant pairs of greys.

In some ways, it's funny how our world has become more interconnected, thanks to these humans.

A small town like Hayfield was once an insular world, with us horses confined to plowing and helping with harvest. The only excitement was the yearly shearing season. Now we are involved in broader happenings of this busy world and my friend, Fiona, will tell me tales of a horse named Greybeard from Berwickshire who’s renowned for his majestic coat! It’s so interesting to me how we become tied to this ever-expanding network, like links on a chain.

She assured me that my grey was considered more ‘refined’ and had a beauty that captured her friend’s eye. That, alongside the strength she’d built over all those years with our human family made her friend convinced I had a winning combination. It sounded like they had a ‘fancy’ way of putting things with such details.

That, and my rather imposing size, made her think of me as “a regal looking mare,” she said, and “ideal for their plans.” What plans you ask? Oh, they were planning a "Grand Procession of Horses” where we’d walk through the village center and then back, displaying all our fine grace and elegance for the judges. They seemed to be enthralled with 'good posture' and such silly details. You know me. I’m quite the performer with my fancy walking paces. It would all depend, of course, on how those judges viewed grey mares with white manes and tails, such as myself. There’s always a bit of anxious wonder to these human-run competitions, but I have nothing to prove to anyone. Just enjoy a little parade. I think!

You would never believe this, folks. When the judges began viewing me in their ‘stable’, the judges were most impressed with how my hooves, my coat and my tail just 'swished’ along the wooden floor of the stable! My mannequin stance and “proud look”, according to the judges, made all the difference in my favor. They looked past my initial ‘coyness’, (yes, you’ve gotta show the human folk that you’re worth a few extra biscuits in their pockets to keep your hooves warm in winter!), and found the charm that I’m told makes me special. It makes my whole heart swell with pride!

The other mare that my friend Fiona was hoping to walk beside, named Maggie, had a stunning mahogany coat that was “lustrous,” the judges said, and a black mane. I admit she was pretty, even a little bit more ‘flamboyant' in her strut, like a high-kicking dancer, compared to my more laid-back elegance.

Maggie had that "boldness" Fiona described. That kind of boldness can make for a slightly ‘reckless’ creature. She always wants to be front and center, to win at everything. It's the way of the world. Some prefer to be the center of attention, others like to enjoy the sidelines and do their part, without too much fanfare.

You won’t believe how kind Fiona's friend was, even after Fiona’s initial enthusiasm that her friend should consider me for the show. You see, Fiona's friend had been thinking of picking the new horse from somewhere else for this village competition. Then they came to Hayfield and found me. It made me so glad that the grey steeds from Hayfield were going to be representing Hayfield. What a way to shine!

But Fiona, with her wisdom, and kindness of spirit, reminded Fiona’s friend that it would mean the most to her to be beside me in the competition, after being a ‘best friend’ all her life. And wouldn’t it make it easier to have an established duo for the parade! We horses really have the best humans! This bond was more powerful than some fancy-schmancy horse show, as Fiona said. How she managed to get this through her friend’s head in a gentle way, with all those words about being a good team and sharing the experience? I do not know, but it brought such joy to my hooves!

It turns out Maggie had to be trained a bit for "formal" show walks! The poor thing kept ‘bucking’ with excitement and wanted to charge ahead, almost trampling Fiona's friend's feet with all the kicking. It makes sense why she ended up with the farm that raised them to pull plows! Fiona got quite annoyed, especially when the two judges almost took their seats at the side, to observe our show of graceful, restrained walk. You have to see how far back they ended up going because the new mare just couldn’t control her enthusiasm. It was clear the young mare needed practice at just showing up and doing a grand promenade!

We are not in a rush, after all, Fiona explained in such a soothing tone, and all the stress just faded away as Fiona's friend settled into a rhythm, calming down, like a river returning to its banks after the ‘high water' of our first try! And guess what? It turns out, I got to do the teaching! It really makes you see that we horses aren’t just about muscles, and power and pulling, but also grace, calm, and even compassion. My life is far more about helping others than I could have ever known!

There’s no denying I enjoy ‘shining bright’! That grey fur just sparkles when it catches the sun, especially after the long walks we take by the River Dee with Fiona's friend as our guide! Oh, that cool mist rolling in from the mountains after a long summer’s day is so beautiful, the most magical scenery you can find, right?

But my favourite thing was watching Maggie settle down as we made each other stronger, each step at a time.

Yes, this was my story in the year 1357, and that grey mare in the picture is none other than me!

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