The
horse’s contribution to Britain’s rich history and culture is
significant. From
the early image of Queen Boudicca in a chariot being drawn by her
two chargers into battle with the Romans, the horse has long been
part of life in Britain. The ancients were so in awe of these
creatures that they carved figures of giant horses into the chalk
hills of southern England.
In
terms of
folklore and superstition the good luck associated with placing a
horseshoe over a door dates from the Middle Ages.
The legend
associated with this tradition has it that one day the Devil came to
a blacksmith’s forge in disguise to have his cloven hooves shod. The
blacksmith named Dunstan at first agreed, but after seeing through
the disguise, he tied the Devil to the anvil and attacked him with
hot tongs. The Devil begged for mercy, but Dunstan only released him
when he promised never to enter a house where a horseshoe hung. The
horseshoe must be placed with the toe down so that it can catch
goodness from heaven. Dunstan did not remain a simple blacksmith for
long; he later became
Archbishop of Canterbury and was made a saint after his death in
988 A.D.
To this day “lucky
horseshoes” remain a common sight at weddings.
The horse may also
have been responsible for influencing Britain’s history when in
October 1066, William the Conqueror of Normandy put his army,
including 3,000 horses, onto 700 small sailing ships and headed
across the channel to England. William had come to secure his right
to the English throne from King Harold. The English and Norman
armies met near Hastings where William's army was victorious largely
due to his cavalry assisted by archers.
One of William's
cavalrymen on that day was his half brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux.
As befits a devout man of the cloth, Odo swung a rather large club
from his horse to avoid drawing English blood. After the battle, Odo
commissioned the Bayeax Tapestry, some 231 feet in length; the
importance of the horse is recorded by the fact that there are a
total of 190 horses depicted on the tapestry itself.
Many English words
and phrases used today derive from the horse. Examples include
“horseplay” (rowdy behaviour), “work like a horse” and “eat like a
horse”. “Straight from the horse’s mouth” signifying that the
information comes directly from the original source is thought to
derive from the practice of gauging a horse’s age by examining the
condition of its teeth. James Watt even based his famous measurement
of power on the workhorse of the day – horsepower – the power
required to lift 33,000 pounds by one foot in one minute.
The horse has
provided names for many of Britain’s plants and insects including
horse chestnut, horseradish, horse-fly and horse-parsley. Whilst the
horse chestnut was once used for treating sick animals, the prefix
“horse” often signifies that a plant is coarse or unrefined.
Many British place
names demonstrate horsey origins such as Horsley which means
a “clearing or pasture for horses”, Horsmonden “woodland pasture
where horses drink” and Horsham, a Saxon name which is thought to
mean “village where horses are kept.”
Nowadays horses
mainly provide sport and entertainment. From show jumping at
Hickstead, eventing at Gatcombe Park and polo at Cirencester Park
through to the major racing events at Cheltenham (Gold Cup), Aintree
(Grand National) and Royal Ascot (Derby), the horse remains a
significant part of life in today’s Britain.