Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Aside from canines, horses are perhaps, one of the many animals that have helped shape the success of mankind’s endeavors. When these equids traveled and co-existed alongside humans, it was a sign that they would be crucial to our civilization – and that we would forever be in their debt.
But what makes a bond with horses so special?
History of Humans and Horses
Studies say that humans and horses began to co-exist about 4 million years ago. But we only began domesticating them over 5,000 years ago. Since then, we have relied on them for food, meat, transportation, and nowadays, companionship.
Proof of our long-standing relationship with these equids can be seen through cave paintings and wall carvings. Horses served all kinds of purposes, depending on country and culture. In earlier times for instance, these animals were valued for their meat and their strength. They were strong and could carry humans over long distances.
When wars erupted, horses were held as military assets. They were used to carry not only warriors, but also heavy firearms and ammunitions. Their energy and loyalty was simply unparalleled. When the fighting was over, horses worked in transportation, sports, and even entertainment.
Nowadays, horses are seen as companions. Just like dogs, cats, and rodents, these equids are loved and taken care of all over the world. No longer are they seen as a source of meat or milk.
Can you tame a wild horse?
Of course! But as with domesticated horses, this will take time and patience.
Each horse is different, and you will need special training in order to handle wild horses. You cannot own a wild horse – but you can adopt one (please the rules under Bureau of Land Management). Once you pass the necessary requirements, you can slowly train your equid and form a special bond with it.
A skilled trainer will normally be able to approach a wild horse after several hours, and train it under his/her care after a month or so.
The number one requirement is trust. Animals, especially horses, need to feel that you can be trusted. When approaching one for the first time, never come from the front or from behind; approach from the side so they always have a clear view of you.
Let the animal get accustomed to your smell and touch. Try luring them with apples! Once the horse feels comfortable, you can stroke their shoulder. If you want to train them, make sure to let them see a harness so they know what you plan for them in the future.
This process can take several months, depending on how your equid will respond to you. But bonding with a horse is one of the strongest relationships you will ever make with an animal.
Great Horse Quotes
Horses and humans didn’t always have a mutually beneficial relationship. But things are definitely better today, now that they’re seen more as companions rather than assets. Training and bonding with a horse can be a life-changing experience – and these wonderful horse quotes are proof of that.
- “One of the world’s most important domesticated animals, the horse has acted both a helper and a companion to humans for thousands of years.” – Patricia J. Wynne
- “Horses are exciting pets. They love to graze and gallop. A horse can take you for a ride!” – Colleen Dolphin
- “A clever horse will learn to snatch bites of hay out of your hand or dart into the bucket and grab a mouthful before retreating out of range.” – Iain Coleman
- “Every horse is different, and what works with one doesn’t necessarily work on another.” – Craig Cameron
- “Owning a horse or a pony is a big responsibility. Your horse relies on you to look after him properly.” – Lesley Ward
- “Like us, horses respond to other things in their environment and life, for example, other aggressive horses or animals, noises, solitude, etc.” – Hetty Tapper
- “A social creature who become stressed and lonely when kept on their own, horses thrive on companionship.” – Audrey Pavia
- “Horsemen have always been susceptible to one great foible, and that is the belief that the categories and terms and concepts they apply to their art are ones their horses hold, too.” – Stephen Budiansky
- “This is a new kind a bank – with horses.” – Melville Shavelson
- “In the future, we don’t need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.” – Robert Zemeckis
- “Give me your name, Horse-master, and I shall give you mine.” – R.R. Tolkien
- “A man can’t shoot good when his horse is jumping, and a horse will not step on a man.” – Leigh Brackett
- “The army don’t take very kindly to sergeants shooting their horses.” – Alan Sharp
- “You make fun of horses, and all you’ll be riding is a pogo stick.” – Lou Derman
- “She wasn’t just some race horse. She was ‘our’ horse.” – John Gatins
- “A horse is practical – a horse has got sense – a horse is an animal.” – Darryl F. Zanuck
- “I think he was running the horse to check its wind. I think he thought he was buying the horse.” – Norman Jolley
- “Any horse has a chance in a race.” – Laird Doyle
- “Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.” – C. Fields
- “The horse is a mirror to your soul and sometimes you might not like what you see in the mirror.” – Buck Brannaman
- “Horses make a landscape look beautiful.” – Alice Walker
- “The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and fire.” – Shannon Ralls Lemon
- “Amazing horses Truest Majestic Beauty Running wild and free.” – Jessie Host
- “The horse knows. If you know, he knows. He also knows if you don’t know.” – Ray Hunt
- “Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we’re not capable of filling ourselves.” – Uck Brannaman
- “There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.” – S. Surtees
- “Ride the horse in the direction it’s going.” – Werner Erhard
- “Horses are predictably unpredictable.” – Loretta Gage
- “The horse is God’s gift to mankind.” – Arabian Proverb
- “Whoever said a horse was dumb, was dumb.” – Will Rogers
- “The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.” – Amber Senti
- “A horse is a thing of beauty…none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.” – Xenophon
- “Horses have hoofs to carry them over frost and snow; hair, to protect them from wind and cold. They eat grass and drink water, and fling up their heels…Such is the real nature of horses.” – Chuang Tzu
- “The wildest colts make the best horses.” – Plutarch
- “A horse doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care.” – Pat Parelli
- “A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves – strong, powerful, beautiful – and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.” – Pam Brown
- “In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.” – Helen Thompson
- “A horse gallops with his lungs, Perseveres with his heart, and wins with his character.” – Tesio
- “Horses lend us the wings we lack.” – Pam Brown
- “To ride on a horse is to fly without wings.” – Unknown
- “A pony is a childhood dream. A horse is an adulthood treasure.” – Rebecca Carroll
- “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” – Winston Churchill
- “There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.” – S. Surtees
- “Ride the horse in the direction it’s going.” – Werner Erhard
- “But what truly horsey girls discover in the end is that boyfriends, husbands, children, and careers are the substitute – for horses.” – Jane Smiley
