Horses.
I’ve never been around horses much, but I sure do like to look them in the eye. I think they are smart. At least, that’s the feeling I get when I am around them for a short while.
When I was little, every summer, our family would go to a Catholic retreat in Kentucky called Marydale. From what I remember, it was a simple place: cabins, dormitories, a lake, and horses. I was too young to ride by myself, so one of the campground workers would always lead me around on a horse or a pony. I remember liking it.
In my grown up body, I’ve only ridden a horse once, or maybe twice. I didn’t seem very adept at it so, as a result, I have steered clear. I was afraid of falling off. There seemed to be a lot of “horsepower” underneath me.
Regardless, a lot of people in the world love horses. They are such fascinating creatures. From what I have read, there are hundreds of horse breeds, each with its own unique personality and appearance.
Some people spend their entire lives around horses. It seems there is so much to know about them.
Like. I just found out that horses can sleep standing up. Of course, they sleep lying down, too. In fact, horses must lie down to achieve a full restorative sleep cycle. They have to do this for a minimum of 30 minutes per day to avoid sleep deprivation. Nighty night there, Mr. Ed.
We all know how sleep is important to our lives. In fact, to live a good, long life, we need it. And who would know better than a horse. They can live to be more than 30 years old. And over the years, their longevity has increased. Just like humans.
If I ever got a horse, I’m not sure what kind it would be. Apparenlty, the American Quarter Horse is the world’s most popular breed. They can be trained for a lot of different things, such as working horses, show horses, or family horses. I’ve read that they are good and strong, but that they are also know for their friendly, gentle, and calm demeanor.
All of this aside. Humans have had an interest in horses for a long time. In fact, humans domesticated horses more than 6,000 years ago. Dogs may have become domesticated around 14,000 years ago. Cats became human companions about 8,500 years ago.
And I suppose, pretty early on, that humans figured out that horses need good hooves to walk around in. Before horseshoes, horses would need to take time off for their hooves to regrow.
Horses’ hooves are made of keratin. That is just like human nails. But you see, unlike us, if their hooves become too worn down, they can’t walk.
I guess it doesn’t matter so much to them when they live in the wild. But in a domesticated settings, they have to have good hooves. I mean, in our midst, we put them through all sorts of things, like different terrains from what they evolved on. Also, they carry around a bunch of people and loads of cargo on their backs. They have had to pull farmers’ plows, carts, and even chariots around. So yes. Horse hooves face increased wear and tear.
Somehow, someone figured out that the solution was to protect them with shoes.
The earliest horseshoes were called “horseboots.” The first ones were made of either leather or rawhide wrapped around their feet. That happened around 400 BCE. Then. These “horseboots” evolved into metal-bottom boots around 100 CE and into bronze or iron shoes that were nailed directly into the horse’s hoof.
I always thought that shoeing a horse looked like it hurt. But. There are no nerve endings in keratin, so the horses don’t feel anything.
So. As you can see, horses have been with us, and we with them.
I guess that’s why so many of us like to horse around.
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“Horses lend us the wings we lack.” — Author Unknown
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“The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable, and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.” — Amber Senti
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“In their eyes shine stars of wisdom and courage to guide men to the heavens.” — Jodie Mitchell
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Horsing around. Now that is horse sense.
