Domestication in pre-Roman times Domesticated horses were present in Bronze Age Britain from around 2000 BC. Were horses native to England? Domestic horses and ponies are a familiar feature of the British countryside. Few realise that these are derived from the extinct wild horse that was once widespread across north-west Read more…
Originally, horses were present in North America way before the Spanish settlers arrived on the continent. However, for unknown reasons, they went extinct around 10,000 years ago, together with other large herbivores. Were there horses in America before the Spanish? Early explorers and settlers chronicled the presence of horses throughout Read more…
The Comanche adopted the horse as an important ally to help protect their way of life. Comanche used the horse to hunt and for strength in battle, and on horseback Comanche were able to remain mobile enough to avoid the impact of European diseases. Why were horses so important to Read more…
NAVAJO NATION — For centuries, wild horses have roamed the Navajo Nation, where they serve as both a symbol of the unconquerable Native spirit and the iconic image of the American West. Are there wild horses in Monument Valley? Toole County, Utah The photo above is of wild mustangs in Read more…
The Maya did not have horses. They were introduced to horses by the Spanish conquistadors during the 16th century. Horses were not used by the Maya at the height of their civilization. All species of horse native to the Americas died out at the end of the last ice age. Read more…
It is unlikely that Native people obtained horses in significant numbers to become a horse culture any earlier than 1630. From a trade center in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area, the horse spread slowly north. The Comanche people were thought to be among the first tribes to obtain horses Read more…
They survived the Ice Age and lived among Native people before, and after, the arrival of European colonizers, and a mountain of historical and archaeological evidence proves it—from ancient clay and wood horse figurines from North America and horse petroglyphs in Peru to accounts recorded by early explorers. Were there Read more…
In Native American cultures, horses meant power, wealth and survival. To paint a horse for battle or for a buffalo hunt was a sacred act, believed to enhance power for both horse and rider—spiritually and physically. Why were horses so important to the natives? Horses revolutionized Native life and became Read more…
Yet, the official story that was written into the history books, and which persists today, is that the New World had no horses before the arrival of the Spanish. According to the narrative, the first horses to arrive in the New World in 1519 were the progenitors of every horse Read more…
Symbols were usually drawn from nature. A handprint meant vengeance against an enemy or, sometimes, indicated success in hand combat. Zigzags represented thunder that symbolized speed and stealth, or sometimes indicated harmony with the war spirits in the sky, who foretold Native victory on the ground. What does the hand Read more…