History of Horses in the year 1542

Greetings from Hayfield, near Aberdeen!

It's a lovely day here, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Just the perfect day to start a new blog post. My name is Emma, I'm a grey draught horse with a white mane and tail, and I'm a 20 year old filly. You might be wondering why a 20 year old filly is posting on a horse history blog. Well, my dear reader, it's a rather long story involving a wise old gentleman and a fascination with all things equine, but perhaps another time!

Today, we're going to be venturing into the fascinating year of 1542. It's a year that, although quite a while ago now, was filled with change and adventure for horses like myself.

In Hayfield, the days were long and full of work, as they often are for a draught horse. My duties, and those of the other horses, were mainly hauling heavy loads and ploughing the fields for the barley and oats crops. My favourite thing was working in the barley fields. It meant that we could have barley for breakfast - even the ponies! The scent of the grain still reminds me of those golden afternoons, where the sunlight kissed the tops of the stalks and we, the horses, made those lines of earth ready for the seeds to be planted.

This time of year also means it's the end of the season for shearing the sheep, which always leaves the meadows full of white wool and gives a fresh scent to the air, something that lasts for days and lingers as we head back home to our stables. We wouldn’t work too hard at shearing time; our owners wanted us ready and strong for the ploughing season, after all.

There was, however, a great sadness in the fields this year. I remember looking over a fence and seeing a foal, the first of the year, lying still. My heart ached for his little body, as I’ve been told he was only born that morning and left lifeless on the ground. The farmer was upset too, and told me that many of his neighbours in the surrounding villages have also seen similar happenings.

Later, I discovered it was the ‘Sweat’, the devastating disease we'd heard stories about, which was sweeping through Scotland. I was told it caused death amongst the horses and affected others, with their flesh blistering and becoming raw. We were all grateful it hadn't spread to Hayfield, though it felt like a dark cloud hung over the fields. There was something ominous and unsettling about it. It made us appreciate the good health that we were in even more.

I am sure, as much as we cherish our present, there was some sadness and loss within those Hayfield farms back in 1542. My owners, John and Sarah, would often discuss those far-off, unfamiliar lands with each other. Scotland at that time felt like it was teetering on the edge of conflict. They both looked out across the land and discussed if England would invade, just like they had done only recently. My human owners seem to have felt that was just a possibility for the future, but their apprehension remained, like a tiny seed that had taken root, deep in their hearts.

Even the birds seemed quiet and watchful this year, which only added to this strange, low, simmering sense of tension and unease that I felt in the fields. I hope this is not the case when I revisit 1542 next year.

Here at Hayfield, our world is mostly our own, but word travelled. I was quite fascinated to hear about things going on beyond the boundaries of our peaceful fields!

The most intriguing story involved a lady with a grand name, Catherine de Medici. Now, this elegant and powerful lady, already married into royalty in France, decided to visit her Italian homeland with some friends, and take some of their finest horses with them! Apparently, it took them months, because they travelled all the way from France to Italy, via Geneva. Imagine, dear reader, the miles they would have covered! I can just picture a whole entourage of noble people riding through those breathtaking foreign lands, followed by carriages filled with everything they need - their clothes, their belongings, their supplies. It sounds just delightful.

What really excited me though was a whole troupe of horses and ponies being shipped to Spain from a faraway place called Seville in the Americas! These magnificent creatures are said to have strong bones, thick manes and powerful necks. A young, handsome mare named “Isabella” even made it onto the deck of a big ship, the very first time a ship had left America for Europe! Imagine that! I heard some tales from sailors who visited our part of Scotland, telling us of these exciting animals and the vast lands they lived in, far across the ocean, where wild horses grazed on endless green pastures. It seems all those faraway lands are getting closer with the horses. It certainly filled me with a sense of wanderlust!

Then, another lady, Anne of Cleves, decided that she wanted to get a better view of London! And she did it, riding on the back of a magnificent white stallion all the way to London! How remarkable! The news of Anne’s brave feat reached my owners, travelling far and wide on the backs of messenger horses, who brought these grand tales from London and elsewhere to Hayfield.

What a time it has been, with all these exciting happenings beyond our field, yet there’s a new year approaching - 1543! My owner, John, told me there’s to be an exciting race near Hayfield in the Spring - an endurance race, he called it - and I have to start training now to be ready for it! I hope I get chosen to compete!

There’s plenty to keep me busy at Hayfield - but that doesn't mean that I can’t be a history buff at the same time. Now that my memory's not what it used to be, I have decided to write my own Horse History blog for you! That way I can document the years as I go, from my very own viewpoint! Maybe one day we can look back at them, laughing and remembering all the good times. Until next time, fellow equestrians, farewell!