Contributing Author:Susan Brown
"For one to fly, one needs only to take the reins.” ~ Melissa James
One of the very cool things about horses, is how thoroughly they’re embedded in our consciousness. All a person needs to do is take a cruise through world mythology and history. From the prehistoric White Horse carved into the chalk hills at Uffington in Great Britain, to the records of Alexander the Great’s horse, Bucephalus, to the tales of the Mongol hordes in Asia, we’ve been shoulder to shoulder with horses.
It's not hard to understand why. They have carried us, worked for us, even in some cultures fed us on their milk. The scent of a sun-warmed horse shoulder, the look in their liquid eyes, and the snort and whinny of a happy animal touch ancient memories that have remained strong even in modern times.
The gods and heroes in almost every culture rode favorite horses whose names are recorded along with the deeds of their partners. Chinese monuments included life-sized statues of horses, representing the ideals of beauty, freedom, and endurance. We dream of Pegasus flying across the sky, of unicorns that can find hidden virtue and cure all illnesses. When we are weak and frightened, no matter our culture, a horse is a symbol and giver of strength.
We have inherited dreams of horses. Despite our busy urban lives, it takes only an instant to pause and imagine the tossing mane, the thunder of hooves across the earth, the thousands of years when horses have symbolized the best of what we aspire to.
I am endlessly drawn to the magnificence of horses…and so grateful that they are still here patiently waiting for us to reach out to them.
Wikipedia has a great list of famous horses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_horses_in_mythology_and_folklore