Horses have been human companions for thousands of years, and throughout these years, they have not only been a huge part of society and civilisations, but they have also formed bonds and left their mark on many people emotionally, inspiring works of art like these bronze horse sculptures gillparker.com/bronze-horse-sculptures-limited-edition-to-buy as well as many stories and poems.
In the past, horses were used by humans to enable people to cover larger distances. Our ancestors who lived thousands of years ago would have used horses to help them hunt, as well as for exploration. You can see from cave paintings the fact that horses played an important role in these early civilisations.
Another reason why horses were kept was for battle. Civilisations like the Romans were very successful in conquering most of Europe, and their soldiers were able to travel great distances on horseback, enabling them to conquer new lands and expand the Roman Empire. Horses have been a big part in many battles throughout history and were bred during these times for that purpose. However, many horses inevitably suffered, and you can see the memorial to animals in battle in London, which is an emotional experience for many, paying tribute to the many animals that were lost in war.
Horses also played a huge part in the way that humans were able to do certain jobs. Farming is something that we all rely on for food, and before the industrial revolution, horses were needed to do a lot of the heavy work on the farms. Certain breeds were selected for this purpose, such as the Shire Horse and the Clydesdale, both having an even temperament as well as being immensely strong, they were perfect for these jobs.
As canals were built to transport supplies around the country, these strong horses were also utilised to tow the barges all over, allowing the vital supplies to reach different areas.
Nowadays, many of the jobs that we formerly needed horses to carry out are now able to be done by machines – we have cars to travel around in, and on the battlefield high tech machinery is used. However, people still have a love for horses and many people keep them, care for them and love them, which goes to show that despite the fact that we no longer need them to help us physically, the emotional bond between human and horse is as strong as ever.
