The true Horses are represented by one well-established species, Equus caballus, from which all the other races, or varieties, are descended, by a process of selection under the care of man, and these vary in size, proportion of parts, and colour, as much as any two closely-allied species of wild animals can be said to be defined from each other. According to Mr. Darwin, no aboriginal or truly Wild Horse is positively known to exist, for the Wild Horses of the East may probably be descended from those which have escaped from the service of man. In all probability the wild animal has been exterminated by the hand of man in those countries which it formerly inhabited, and in which it has left its remains to attest its former presence.
The Tarpan and Wild Horse of Tartary, which are to be found in thousands in the great treeless plains, present us with the nearest examples of the stock from which the Domestic Horses were probably derived. Their colour is mouse-coloured, with a stripe along the back. The best and strongest of these are caught by the Tartars by the aid of the lasso, and by the help of Falcons, which are trained to settle on the Horse’s head, and flutter their wings, so as to take its attention away from the approaching hunter.
The first Domestic Horses known in Europe were introduced at a very early period, long before the dawn of history, in the period known by the archæologists as that of polished stone, or that in which man had not yet acquired a knowledge of the metals bronze or iron. They are met with in the ruins of those wonderful pile dwellings, which lie at the bottom of the Swiss lakes, in association with the remains of the Pig, Sheep, Goat, Short-horned Ox, large Ox of the Urus type, and Dog, and evidently belonged to a race of farmers, by whom they were introduced into Europe. Bones occur in the camps, sepulchres, and habitations of this age, throughout the whole of the Continent, and of Great Britain and Ireland. In all probability they were used at this time not for riding or for driving, but for food. In the succeeding, or bronze age, however, they were employed for purposes of riding, as may be seen from the discovery of the bronze bits, which have been met with in France and Italy. They were probably introduced by a race of nomads, who no doubt brought Horses with them from the steppes of Central Asia.
According to Colonel Hamilton Smith, “so little is known of the primitive seat of civilisation—the original centre, perhaps, in Bactria, in the higher valleys of the Oxus, or in Cashmere, whence knowledge radiated to China, India, and Egypt—that it may be surmised that the first domestication of the post-diluvian Horse was achieved in Central Asia, or commenced nearly simultaneously in several regions where the wild animals of the Horse form existed.”
The Horse was universally used for food by man before the historic period, and would be used now in Europe more generally than it is, were it not for an edict of the Church in the eighth century. During the Roman occupation of Britain, it formed a large part of the diet of the inhabitants; by the Scandinavians it was eaten in honour of Odin. As Christianity prevailed over the heathen worship, it was banished from the table. It appears, however, that it was used in England as late as the year 787, after it had been prohibited in Eastern Europe. The ecclesiastic rule, however, was not always obeyed, for the monks of St. Gall, in Switzerland, not only ate Horse-flesh in the eleventh century, but returned thanks for it in a metrical grace, which has survived to our times on account of its elegance and beauty.
It is somewhat remarkable that the Horse is, with few exceptions, mentioned in the Bible only in connection with war, and that there is a wonderful absence of detail with regard to its nature and habits otherwise than for the purposes it served in battle. That the Horse spoken of in Scripture was nearly identical with the Arab Horse of to-day there can be little doubt, if we examine the various sculptures and paintings which are handed down to us, and which speak of the faded glories of Egypt and Assyria. The first account we have of the Horse is during the famine in Egypt that was foretold by Joseph, and here we find that it was evidently an Egyptian animal. “And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for Horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the Asses; and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.”
The courage and fiery nature of the Arab Horse, particularly fitting it for use in the wars of ancient times, were evidently well understood. In the Book of Job (xxxix. 19–25) we read:—“Hast thou given the Horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.”
The Hebrews in the patriarchal age did not require Horses, and for a long time after their settlement in Canaan did not use them, probably partly on account of the nature of the country, which was hilly, and partly because they were prohibited on account of their hostility to the Egyptians. The Horses of the kings David and Solomon were derived from Egypt. In the reign of the latter, a Horse was worth 150 shekels of silver, and a chariot six hundred. The former was the first to establish a force of cavalry and chariots.
From the very earliest ages known to the historian in Egypt and Assyria, Horses were used for purposes of war, and were yoked in pairs, and sometimes in threes, to the war-chariots in which the kings and great captains rode. They are generally depicted as being of upright or Hog manes. Horsemen were also employed by both nations, but they were evidently not thought so important as Horses and chariots for warlike purposes.
In the earlier period of Greek history, and in Homeric times, the art of riding was utterly unknown to the Greeks, for if a man was seen on horseback he was supposed to be a Centaur. Down to 500 B.C. riding was not practised by the Greeks, although it was well known to the Barbarians. As we get close to the year mentioned, we hear of Persian cavalry; for instance, the great question with regard to the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.) is, What were the Persian cavalry doing? And at the same period we find that cavalry had become an important arm in Northern Greece. Throughout all the times of Greek pre-eminence, Horses were mainly used for the purpose of the chariot. The utmost care and attention were devoted to their breeding, and the greatest expense incurred in the maintenance of a stud, which was a luxury possible only to the very richest persons, and almost entirely beyond the means of private individuals. The greatest horsekeepers, and consequently winners in the chariot-races, were almost entirely princes and ruling families.