Horses, historians, and early modern England
Two new volumes offer an insight into Britain’s social history through horse racing and the breeding ventures of a famous aristocratic.
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History
Articles on the history of horses and more.
Geochemical analysis of fossils shows Florida’s ancient horses were homebodies
Teeth analysis suggests they had no need for migrations, with everything available for them in the southern American state.
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Ancients may have portrayed the constellation Leo as a horse
Researchers find that paleolithic humans had a relatively advanced understanding of astronomy.
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Answer sought to century-old mystery of missing Munnings horse painting
An exhibition which recreates a 1919 show of Sir Alfred Munnings’ paintings is one work short. Where is it?
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Racing artist’s war horses return to UK for special show
Wartime works by Alfred Munning displayed together in England for the first time in a century,
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Military equitation still informs the modern rider
Combined volume offers new insights into 18th-century equitation and its timeless application.
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Cave art depicting a horse dates back 12,000 years, say researchers
Work in eastern France had been obscured by centuries-old graffiti.
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Animals from crucial trade route leave faintest of signatures
Important animal species present in an important corridor of the ancient Silk Road are revealed.
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The migrant horse-owning community where no-one lived beyond 50
“They had been buried with the full cycle of rituals, including funerary equipment and sacrifice of livestock, sheep. Adults were mainly buried with cows, horses and dogs.”
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Medicinal cannabis: There was a time when horses had a high old time on dope
A product called Cannabis Americana was once the go-to substance for treating colic, with even the US War Department recommending its use.
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The Franco-German (dressage) war
French and German master equestrians clashed in mid to late-century over the proper theory and practice of dressage and equitation, particularly as they pertained to the training of military horses and riders.
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Genetic links to Siberian and Eastern Asian horses found in wild herd in North Dakota
Study findings lead to an exciting hypothesis about a link between Siberian—East Asian and part of North American horses and a new route of exporting horses to North America.
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Horse dentistry goes back more than 3000 years, study concludes
As herders began to use metal bits, they also developed a method for extracting troublesome teeth, similar to the way most veterinary dentists would remove them today.
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Pompeii excavations allows plaster cast to be taken of long-dead horse
The horse was among the many victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79AD.
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Earliest evidence of bit use found, dating back 4700 years
The authors propose that the wear on the tooth of the equid was made with a soft bit, likely made from rope or wood.
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Fresh research shows how horse domestication helped shape humanity
Several waves of migration were behind this crucial population shift, much of it driven by humankind’s emerging relationship with the horse.
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New recognition for mighty war horse Reckless
Larger-than-life, 1000-pound statue of Sergeant Reckless to be unveiled at the Kentucky Horse Park.
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Even tufts of hair remained from ancient African horse burial
“It was clear that the horse was an intentional burial, which was super fascinating,” said anthropologist Michele Buzon.
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Classic whodunnit: First domestic horses might have arisen outside Central Asia
Researchers are not ruling out the possibility that modern domesticates originated outside Central Asia.
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Why it’s so hard to unravel the mysterious origins of domestic horses
Findings published this week challenge what we thought we knew about one of the only “wild” horse species left today: the Przewalski’s horse.
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