Neigh-sayers Beware! The year 1799 was a simply splendid one for horses like me! I’m Emma, a grey draught mare, born and bred in Hayfield, a bonnie spot near Aberdeen, Scotland. And believe me, this old lass has seen some changes!
The Horses of Hayfield: Our lives here are as predictable as the seasons, as rhythmic as a galloping foal. Each day brings a familiar routine of working the land, pulling ploughs, hauling carts, and carrying hay bales. My life revolves around helping our farmer, a kind gentleman named John, who is as patient as a Shetland pony with a new foal.
But, don't mistake this routine for boring! There’s a deep satisfaction in a good day’s work. The way the earth turns dark under my hooves, the smell of fresh earth on my coat after a morning's ploughing, the feel of the sun on my back…it's truly a magnificent life, don't you think?
A New Century and a Whiff of Change:
As we enter 1799, I’ve got a whiff of something different in the air, something more exciting than just another hay bale.
There are rumours in the barn, whispered amongst the old nags like secrets. Rumours about new ways to move faster, faster even than the fastest gallops across the moorland! And about the machines! Machines that can even move without horses!
Whoa! I never thought I would be sharing my world with machines! But the gossip around Hayfield and through the travelling gypsies suggests the new machines might need horses too, to pull their gears and wheels. So, maybe our kind aren't becoming extinct after all. We may just need to be cleverer, and maybe a tad more "horse-powered", than we used to be!
Let's hear it for the 'Flying Horses':
This year, even here in Hayfield, we are getting a glimpse of a new way of moving. A young stallion, who escaped from the fairgrounds with a travelling circus, came to our paddock to graze.
He told us about steam engines, and about carriage-like things that moved on rails. He was calling it 'The Iron Horse', but he claimed it flew along these tracks!
I'll be honest, I couldn’t quite comprehend how a machine could fly without wings, and without the strength of a fine horse to propel it!
*But this talk, all about "Iron Horses" made my old grey mare heart pound. * We weren't quite ready to be extinct!
Our Changing Role:
In the stables and barns, we older horses can't quite make sense of all these new developments, but they all whisper about this thing called a ‘Railway.’
We are no longer only used for farming; some are taking up a new kind of ‘work' hauling carriages along this ‘railway'. It sounds truly fascinating! *And they are saying we can travel much farther, much faster than ever before. Imagine that! *
And even closer to home, things have started to change in Hayfield! We’re all a bit giddy! A new smith has opened a workshop right beside the stable and a lot of us have noticed he is busy working on new "tools." They look rather intricate with bits that turn and whir around. It’s truly a wonder! And this smith is talking about a new kind of bridle that can "help a horse pull an even heavier weight." This new kind of harness makes it sound like we’re working towards something incredible!
The World Through Emma’s Eyes:
Back in Hayfield, even the gossip from our travelling friends says that things are shifting fast beyond our valley. And the new 'Iron Horses', while they still can’t really beat a good horse, seem to be everywhere! They say they even have horses pulling the engines that build more rails across the countryside, hauling them over land to bring more places into the reach of these iron things. It's a remarkable sight!
We're witnessing a transformation - a gallop towards a future we could only imagine in our wildest dreams. Horses like me, and you, might not be riding, galloping, or prancing in battle any more. But we’re an integral part of a story, one with a pace far faster than any old-fashioned chariot.
*The horses aren’t just holding on; they’re running right alongside, pulling this grand, new future, right next to the machines! *
Don’t you think that's something special to neigh about?
This is Emma, signing off from the hills of Hayfield, a wee bit proud and full of hope for our horse world. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Next up, Equiwrold: 1800: From Hayfield to the Rails.
Until then, let's all gallop strong, and never forget the old saying: 'Horses are born to run - even in the modern age.'
