Horseshoes exist to protect horse hooves. But along the way, someone must have told themselves, "I'm pretty lucky I have these horseshoes," because over time, horseshoes became associated with luck. Although really, it was quite lucky, as it took a while for metal horseshoes to exist, and they[...]
Catherine the Great, famous for her "love" of horses. Of course, she's famous for lots of other things as well, but it's mainly the horse thing that people are interested in. It's deliciously scandalous, naturally people are interested in it. The Great has created renewed interest in Catherine, a[...]
In modern days, it's unthinkable that women wouldn't be allowed to compete at the Olympics. But at one point, they weren't, and it was actually punishable by death for them to just attend. Luckily we are long past those days, but it wasn't without women breaking the ranks and paving the way for oth[...]
Hunter classes have come under scrutiny. Shows have changed format over time, and with it, the style of riding. There has been criticism of today's riders, claiming they are laying on the neck, perching, too far forward, trying to hard to look "pretty," and this is what it takes to earn a ribbon.[...]
Horses were first domesticated over 6,000 years ago, but it took quite a while for someone to get brave enough to take a piece of metal and use a nail to attach it to an animal's hoof. First they tied on woven grass or leather, and then it was metal, but still tied on. The Romans used the hipposand[...]
There was a time when people didn't know how horses moved. They knew they had four legs, and they moved all of those legs somehow, but those legs moved much too fast at the trot and gallop for people to full understand what they were seeing. People had different theories. Some believed that t[...]
In the years following the 1986 disaster, Chernobyl became a dead zone. The 1,017 square miles around the plant had been evacuated, and with the exception of the remaining power plant workers and a few that refused to leave their homes, the area was devoid of humans. It wasn't safe to be there and[...]
The Romans were not a horse based culture (notice how their armies were primarily infantry), but they use horses for a variety of purposes including transportation, farming, and warfare (yes, even after I just said that other thing). They were great scouts, when ridden by a person. On their own, th[...]
In 400 BC, in Corneto, modern day Italy, a tomb was being filled. The walls were decorated with frescoes of banquet scenes, dancers, and musicians. It contained a number of funerary objects, including vases, jewelry, and bronze objects. For over two millennia, it lay in silence. When it was finally[...]
Everyone knows what a horse shoe is. They have been decorations, good luck charms, the subject of legends and stories, and of course, protection for horse hooves. For the most part, we've just kind of taken for granted that horse shoes exist. But for such a basic looking piece of metal, it actually[...]