Art
During medieval times, horses played an essential
role in the daily life of both the rich and the poor. Their function is clearly
illustrated through the art of this period of time. In comparison to
modern horses, horses during this time differed in size, build, and breed.
Additionally, medieval horses were more central to society—essential for war,
agriculture, and transport. The triumph
of Christianity after the fall of Rome, gave rise to a new ideal. Horsemen were
faithful soldiers that followed a code of chivalry. In order to depict this
demeanor, horses were often portrayed in ornate coverings along with their riders.
These artworks showed horses together with knights in armour or lords and ladies
with decorate mantles and other clothing. An example is shown above.
Christendom during this time presented a period of stability which permitted
the growth of learning, art, and sculpture. During the Reformation of the 15th
century, engravings and woodcuts became a popular form of art. Horses were
often included in scenes of fantasy or contemporary life. Many woodcuts and
engraved prints commemorated equestrians among the ruling classes, with both
horses and riders well decked out in finery. Jousting was an aristocratic
pastime, and many forms of artwork illustrated these games. Finally, another theme
often represented in the history of horse art of medieval times was that of death,
time, and the Devil. In these artworks, the horse was portrayed as scrawny or gaunt.
Other art works showed horses and farmers working together in the fields.
The horse appears less frequently in modern art
partly because the horse is no longer significant either as a mode of
transportation or as an implement of war. Most modern representations are of
famous contemporary horses, artwork associated with horse racing, or artwork
associated with the historic cowboy or Native American tradition of the
American west. Above is an example of a piece of artwork emphasizing horses
within the racing industry. Horses today are much less appreciated for their
function, as compared to their historic counterparts. Today’s artists try to
create works of art depicting horses’ personalities, talents, and entertainment
values. These themes align with the mainstream use of horses. Today’s horses
are less practical, but are appreciated as a family member, entertainment, and
sport. Horses are more likely to be the central theme of decorative paintings
where one can just admire their beauty. One can see pictures of horses in
magazines, on the internet, or as decorative wall art.
Literature/Folklore
Horses have frequently appeared in literature. They
appear as main characters, sidekicks and symbols of overarching themes. Horses
are commonly used in children's literature as children usually relate well to
animals, but authors of adult books write about horses as well. The Pippi
Longstocking series by Astrid Lindgren uses Pippi's horse as a companion as
well as a means of demonstrating Pippi's unusual qualities such as strength.
She regularly lifts the horse onto her porch and is unfazed by the horse's
presence in her kitchen. The horse grants her freedom; she can ride the horse
to any destination she pleases. In the original book series, the horse has no
name, but is one of her prized possessions which she purchased with a suitcase
full of gold coins. The setting takes place in a small Swedish village where nine-year-old
unconventional and assertive Pippi shares a home with her monkey and her horse.
She has super strength, which is illustrated by her ability to lift her horse
one-handed without difficulty. She is a rambunctious wild card which is
attractive to young readers. I believe that Astrid Lindgren chose to use a
horse as Pippi’s best friend because during the publication period of the
series horses’ roles were significantly transitioning. Furthermore, horses became
less important as modes of transportation or as useful agricultural animals, and
instead they became a new status symbol. Following this period, led to the
breeding and development of sport horses whose characteristics contrasted quite
differently than their agricultural counterparts. By using these new breeds of
race horses which were gaining rising popularity, Astrid Lindgren would be able
to clearly illustrate Pippi’s superhuman strength. Finally, society started
seeing horses as less practical and important due to their function, and
instead viewed them as something they could relate to. By the end of the 1960s,
the number of horses had risen to 7 million showing a demand for an animal that
has always been there. The resurfacing of the horse correlates to the newly
perceived idea of the horse at that period of time.
Another piece of literature that illustrates this movement is Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. In 1938, Seabiscuit received more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. His success was a surprise to the racing establishment. They deemed him as a crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes: Charles Howard, Tom Smith, and Red Pollard. A bicycle repairman named Charles Howard became an overnight millionaire by introducing the automobile to the western United. He hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains to train his racehorse. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price. Following this Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, was hired as his jockey. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit into an American sports icon. As horses became more popular at this time, writers used them as an attempt to attract audiences to read their books.
Another piece of literature that illustrates this movement is Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. In 1938, Seabiscuit received more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. His success was a surprise to the racing establishment. They deemed him as a crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes: Charles Howard, Tom Smith, and Red Pollard. A bicycle repairman named Charles Howard became an overnight millionaire by introducing the automobile to the western United. He hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains to train his racehorse. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price. Following this Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, was hired as his jockey. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit into an American sports icon. As horses became more popular at this time, writers used them as an attempt to attract audiences to read their books.
Resources:
Film
Two films in which the horse is casted as a starring
role are “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” and “Black Beauty”.
“Spirit:
Stallion of the Cimarron” is a 2002 American animated western film released by
DreamWorks Pictures. The film follows a young Kiger mustang stallion and his adventures
during the 19th century Wild West. The film begins with Spirit’s
birth, and transitions into his role as a leader. He protects the herd which is
demonstrated by his actions in saving two foals from a mountain lion. Spirit is
portrayed as curious and adventurous where he follows a strange light and
eventually is captured by wranglers. Spirit see’s branded docile horses that he
deems as slaves. A Colonel at the US Calvary post tries to tame Spirit with
little success. Spirit’s resistance ignites a force within the other horses
rekindling their personal spirit. At this point in the movie, a new character
is introduced: Little Creek. He is also held capture at the post until he
shares the answers to questions about the land. Together, Little Creek, Spirit,
and an army of horses escape the site. Little Creek tries to tame Spirit with
kindness, while Spirit becomes infatuated with Little Creek’s mare—Rain. After
showing no signs of domestication, Little Creek decides to release spirit back
into the wild. As spirit was one step away from being free, the Colonel from
the post finds the Lakota village. A battle arises and Rain is shot and
seriously injured by Colonel. The Colonel captures Spirit and sells him to be
used for the constructing railroad. Watching Spirit pulled away, Little Creek
arrives, vows to free the mustang once and for all. Eventually, Little Creek
locates Spirit and saves him from a wildfire. The end of the film shows Spirit
and Little Creek trapped by a gorge and forced by the army to summit onto a
cliff. Beyond the cliff is open space and Spirit manages to gain the courage
and strength to leap off the cliff and onto the open land. Spirit's move for
victory amazes the Colonel so much that he stops his men from shooting the two
while exchanging nods of respect and farewell to them both. Spirit returns to
the rebuilt Lakota village with Little Creek and finds Rain still alive, nursed
back to health by the Lakota people. Little Creek decides to name the Kiger
mustang "Spirit-Who-Could-Not-Be-Broken" and sets Spirit and Rain
free. Spirit and Rain travel day and night to his homeland. Eventually, the two
horses joyfully meet up with Spirit's own herd. In contrast to the way
animals are portrayed in an anthropomorphic style in other animated
features, Spirit and his fellow horses communicate with each other through
sounds and body language. Spirit's thoughts are narrated by his voice
actor Matt Damon, but otherwise he has no dialogue.
“Black Beauty”
stars a horse born on a farm in the English who is sent to Birtwick Park to serve
Squire Gordon and his family. The horse receives his trademark name (Black
Beauty) from Lady Gordon, the squire's ill wife. Beauty becomes infatuated with
the squire's bitter chestnut mare, Ginger, who rejects his attempts in reaching
out to her. However, Beauty does befriend Merrylegs, a pony who gives rides to
the squire's daughters, Jessica and Molly. On a stormy night, Beauty is pulling
a carriage holding the squire and his caretaker, John Manly, home from town,
but after coming across a potentially dangerous puddle refuses to move.. John
slips and falls into the river, but hangs on to Beauty's bridle. Beauty and the
squire save John, and they head home. Young Joe Green, who
works in the stable accidently, gives Beauty cold water instead of covering him
in blankets, which makes Beauty ill. John, Joe, and the squire treat Beauty,
and he recovers Further in the film, Joe rescues Ginger and Beauty from a fire
and the squire and his family are forced to move due to Lady Gordon’s poor
health, and bid goodbye to John, Joe, and the horses. Joe takes Beauty and
Ginger taken to Earlshall Park, home of the Lord and Lady of Wexmire where
their job is to pull Lady Wexmire's carriage. After some controversy Beauty is
later sold, and eventually taken to a fair, where he spots Joe, now a grown-up,
but Joe doesn't notice him. Jerry
Barker, a taxi carriage driver from London, buys Beauty and introduces him to
his family, who name him Black. Beauty likes his job as a taxi cab horse, and
Jerry treats him better than his last owner did. One day, Beauty spots Ginger,
now a cab horse, but she is very weak from being abused by her owner. Beauty
begs for her not to give up, but her owner leads her away. Sometime later,
Beauty sees her dead body on a wagon. Jerry becomes ill and
sells Beauty to a grain dealer and pulls heavy loads of flour for two years
until he collapses from exhaustion. He is taken to a fair
to be sold, but he is so weak that no one wants to buy him. Finally, Joe and
Beauty are reunited and Joe promises he will never sell Beauty again.
Both films show the importance of the human-animal
bond. Between hardships, separations, and near death situations both horses are
able to attain true peace, love, and happiness. Although Spirit is animated it
depicts horses in their natural state—with the exception of narrated thoughts.
Likewise, Black Beauty’s thoughts are narrated and he is depicted as a normal.
I believe that this provided viewers with a sense of deep connection and
ultimate reality with the horses. In both films, the horses fall in love with a
mare. This could also be relatable to viewers, as we seek out connections in
everyday life. In conclusion, both films show that no matter the circumstances
one must not give up because there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Resources:
Religion/Mythology
Horses are significant to different mythologies
across cultures. They represent travel, flight, soul journeying and transcendence,
protection, communication, stamina, power, wisdom and faithfulness. In
Shamanism, the Asiatic people found the white horse to be sacred. The horse was
mediator between souls of the living and dead. The shaman’s drum used in ritual
practice in assisting in an altered state of consciousness was oftentimes
referred to as “the horse”. Along with this idea, the peoples also used props in
their rituals that symbolized the white horse, and in some cases horses were
used as a sacrifice. Bronze Age Greek culture attributed the horse with drawing
the sun chariot across the sky. White horses were sacred to Neptune,
and were sacrificed into the sea at Rhodes as an offering to the sun god. The
winged horse, is taken to be the source of poetic inspiration – the Hippocrene
(horse spring) created where he struck the ground with a forefoot gave the gift
of verse to those who partook of its waters. Pegasus also provided
the gods with rapid transport between worlds. Centaurs from the east
may have developed from early contact with the nomadic horsemen of the Asian
steppes. Centaurs were endowed with great wisdom and learning, but also
showed a warlike nature. Celtic peoples developed a horse-based
society, and as such were dependent upon the horse for their success through
Europe. Epona, a triple aspect goddess, was the protectress of the
horse and horse keepers; she was paralleled by the Irish Macha and Welsh
Rhiannon . Epona’s aspects included warfare, fertility, life cycle and
protection and she is also attributed with concern for guidance of the soul to
the afterlife. The “legendary horse” was available for travel to
other realms. The Celtic horse was associated with fertility and
vitality; white, black and red horses were especially sacred to the Celts and
deemed to have supernatural abilities. Under Roman influence, the
Celtic horse became associated with the sun, war, and healing. The gods of the
Gauls are depicted and mounted on horseback. Although little is
known of these deities, their association with the horse has been hypothesized
to be a reflection of the importance of the horse in war, religion and the
economy. The horse was crucial to the Celts for military power, as
well as for prestige, civilian economy and ritual. It is obvious that
horses are shown throughout time in various mythological ideals. Today, people
are less likely to think of horses in the mythological way. I believe that in
today’s society the horse is used less as a form of thinking and ideals, but
pictured realistically through science, and their ordinary lifestyles. We use
horses as model’s to help understand physiological functions. Horses are also
used as a source of sport and entertainment. The roles that horses fulfill
today are much less philosophical and much more ordinary.
Resources:
Controversial Topic
A very controversial issue dealing with horses is
whether or not slaughter houses should be legal in the U.S. A lot of
people believe slaughter houses would reduce abuse and neglect against horses,
and reduce the numbers in the shelters, while others believe that isn't a
proper way to solve these problems. The process of slaughtering horses to
produce meat for consumption is called horse slaughter. Throughout
history horses have been consumed by humans for nutritional value along with
other wild species. Cave arts, paintings, and other historic markers show
horses being hunted for the use of consumption. The initiation of domestication
of the horse probably had human consumption in mind. However, today this is not
the case and horse slaughter has become highly controversial. Society contemplates
the humane management of horses in industrial-scale slaughter. Questions
regarding the meat’s safety and production value are on the rise. Finally, most
people are concerned with whether it is appropriate to consume a creature that
has become a companion animal like cats and dogs. Horses deserve humane
consideration because of the many roles they fulfill in our society as working
animals or for sport. Most importantly, horses are not bred or raised for food
in the U.S. which results in a confused and angry population. I believe this is
a very skeptical topic. The idea of receiving funding from the federal
government so society can produce and consume horsemeat seems pretty far fetch.
Like most people, I consider the horse as a companion animal—and although I
would be able to put that idea aside, I do not believe that I would branch out
my diet and begin consuming horse meat. Most Americans’ diets are stable and it
is often times hard to initiate a change especially when people know what they
like and do not like.
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