Horses In History: It All Began With Domestication
Horses in history have had a profound effect on mankind's own development, which is especially noticeable when one compares various civilizations and finds that in the case of Eurasia, history would have been considerably different if it were not for the presence and use of the horse in our history. Take the example of the Western Hemisphere that for about forty thousand years did not know the horse, the reasons for which are as yet not known, which led to human populations being scattered in different geographical areas.
Consolidating Populations
Thus, horses in history have been known to play a major role in consolidating populations in one place. And if one considers the more successful civilizations such as the Incas and Mayans and Aztecs, these cultures were not able to spread their culture because they lacked for adequate resources to travel beyond the confines of their own living areas.
In fact, horses in history have also played an important role in warfare and more particularly in conquering new territories. When one also looks at horse breed history one will be impressed with (as in the case of Arabian horse) a wealth of information that extols the beauty of the breed and which also extols the virtues of this breed's ability (unique) to form a close bond with his masters.
In Phases
There are several distinct phases with regard to horses in history that include a period of domestication, a classical period, the Middle Ages and modern times. The first aspect regarding horses in history has to do with its domestication that is believed to have taken place approximately five thousand years ago, and much later the horse was known to have been used for agricultural purposes.
In fact, horses in history have been known to man for only five thousand years as compared to the approximate nine thousand years in the case of dogs. To be sure, in the beginning, horses in history were used primarily as a source of food, especially by hunters from the Stone Age. Thus, by the time the Bronze Age began, mankind had used horses for quite some time. In fact, the earliest evidence of domestication of horses has been traced to places such as east Ukraine, north Caucasus and also central parts of Russia and even Kazakhstan.
In fact, there is also sufficient evidence to suggest that horses in history were first tamed and hitched to a cart and it was only later that they were mounted. It also seems that the earliest instance of horse riding took place about three thousand years ago in the Himalayas. The impact of training and domestication of horses in history has of course radically influenced various cultures, especially those of Eurasia as it enabled these peoples to travel way beyond visible horizons and to unknown territories and that in turn led to new explorations as well as new conquests.
