THE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE


The Legacy of the Horse

Chapter One

A Chronological History of Humans and Their Relationship With the Horse


Table of Contents

58 MILLION B.C. - 450 A.D.

THE FIRST HORSES - ATTILA THE HUN




The Roman Empire

During the more than four centuries of its existence, the Roman army changed from an essentially infantry formation to a predominantly cavalry-led force. The change was brought about primarily by the type of enemy it faced on the frontiers. To the east, rivals such as the Persians, which employed all cavalry armies, had inflicted serious defeats to Roman infantry. The only way to effectively counter these armies was with more and better cavalry forces. The same was essentially true when facing the mounted Germanic tribes to the north and west, and eventually the mounted nomadic tribes of the steppe.


The Circus Maximus

The Furious Circle of the Ancient Horse Race

The ever-competitive nature of man would suggest that from the time there were two charioteers, they were probably pitted against each other in a race. Chariot races were a central event in the earlier Olympics in Greece. It was the Romans, however, who brought chariot racing to its zenith of popularity. When it came to chariot racing, the Romans were fanatics.

One-third of a mile in length, the stadium of the Circus Maximus was built during the second century B.C. in a valley between the Capitoline and Aventine Hills in Rome, which had been used by the Etruscans for horse racing. Julius Caesar once held a mock battle there with 1,000 foot soldiers, 600 cavalry, and 40 elephants. After being destroyed by fire, it was reconstructed in 200 A.D. and had a capacity for 250,000 spectators. Races were held there until 549 A.D.

A Day at the Track

In many respects the atmosphere of a race day at the Circus Maximus was similar to a modern harness race track. Programs were sold to patrons in the stands, and there were usually twelve races with four chariot teams. The entrants represented various teams, each with its own color: white (winter), green (spring), red (summer), and blue (autumn). These colors were the predecessors of modern racing "silks." Then each team had its own breeders, drivers, and veterinarians.

Under the Flavian emperors, chariot racing grew even larger. A spectator would sometimes spend morning 'til night at the track since, , the number of races held numbered no less than one hundred! In order to get race results to off-track betters, bookmakers' agents kept carrier pigeons which were released after each race.

The Charioteers

The chariot driver was similar to the modern harness driver. He wore a coat with his team's colors, a helmet made of leather, a corselet to protect his ribs, and carried a whip. To protect his legs he wore leather leggings, and he carried a dagger to cut himself free of his reins in case of accident. The latter was necessary sincethe drivers wrapped the reins around their waist to insure greater leverage when leaning back to slow the horses for a turn. The great drivers became rich men, some having won over 3,000 races. They were richly rewarded with money and sometimes houses or farms. But these rewards were won only at the daily risk of the drivers' and horses' lives.

The Race

The race proceeded counter-clockwise, and the near-side horses were trained to slow rapidly and hold their position while the outside horses flew around on the outside. If the chariot came too close on the turn, it would crash. If it went wide, it risked being hit by other chariots. The number of laps completed in the race was measured by a rack of dolphins which would tip once a circuit was made. (The dolphins represented Neptune, the Roman equivalent of Poseidon, who created the horse.)

The Horses

At one time the Romans maintained up to 14,000 horses for chariot racing, and there was always a demand for more. Horses began training as two-year olds, were put into training harness at three, but were not raced until they were at least five years old. They received only the very best care by skilled grooms and trainers. To insure the horses' tranquillity before a race, the Praetorian Guard (the elite guard of the Roman emperors) were instructed not to sound their trumpets so that the horses would not be disturbed.


The Roman Road

One of the World's Greatest Engineering Achievements

The Roman road system comprised some 50,000 miles of first class highways, stretching from Syria in the east to Britain in the west. Rome remained the center of the highway system, and each mile of road had a cylindrical stone mile post which told the distance between that point and the Forum Romanum in the city of Rome. It took nearly 500 years to complete the Roman road system. The roads were built to exacting specifications: straight, graded, through tunnels, and over bridges. Roman chariots sped military personnel and important civil officials over the vast expanses of the Roman road system.

Troops and Trade Goods Moved Quickly and Reliably Over the Roman Roads

Caesar once covered 800 miles in ten days on one of the Roman roads, and a courier on horseback could cover 360 miles in two and a half days. Horse and mule carts averaged five to six miles per hour. Mail carts and wagons conveyed the post from town to town. This speed of transportation remained unequalled until the 19th century. Some of the roads, for instance, the Appian Way in Italy, are still in use today. Roman mail coaches were often covered so that the officials who traveled in them could sleep inside.

The Earliest Horseshoe

The first horseshoes were manufactured by the Romans and were known as "hipposandals." These iron shoes were not nailed to the horse's hoof, but were tied to the hoof with leather thongs. These devices would have decreased hoof wear when the harness or draft horse traveled on paved roads. However, these early shoes were very heavy, and they could not have been attached to the horse with any great firmness.


The Oriental Horse

The Chinese did not employ the horse in great numbers until the third century B.C. well after its use was common in the West. The value of the horse quickly became clear to the Chinese. By the seventh century A.D., the T'ang emperors had huge stud farms holding as many as 300,000 horses, with each horse given seven acres of pasture. Paintings from the tenth and eleventh century reveal the Chinese as thorough horsemen. Their equipment is rather modern in appearance, and they seem altogether at ease on their mounts. Handsome spotted horses were a favorite in the Orient.

Attila the Hun, 406-453 A.D.

Known throughout history as the "Scourge of God," Attila the Hun commanded one of the greatest mounted armies in history. Attila terrorized and controlled a vast area between Gaul and the Caspian Sea, and from Greece to northern Europe. His great reputation commanded tributes of more than a ton of gold a year from the Romans - a payment which insured that Attila would not attack Roman territories. When the Romans neglected to pay the tribute, Attila unleashed his wrath. In his twenty years of power, Attila was defeated only once.

For more information on Attila, visit theAttila the Hun and the Battle of Chalons site.

First Stirrups; This Major Part of the Saddle Came From the Orient

The first solid evidence of the stirrup comes from an illustration on a fifth-century A.D. Korean jug. Many believe that the Huns were the actual inventors of the stirrup. In any case, the stirrup provided much greater stability for the rider, allowing him to stand while shooting arrows and giving him added stability when fighting with the sword.

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