The Internal Depth of the Horse

My grandfather grew up raising his young horses in the freedom of the desert where they were fed camel milk and dates. He would recall his childhood saying, “As children we learnt to love the horse, the foal became part of the family in the care that each member took in it’s rearing. And in return, the horse had learnt to become a partner to man, enduring physical hardship and facing any danger for its master. The horse presence was permanent around the tent and camp fire, often sharing the place of sleep. So close did the relationship become that the Arab horse developed an uncanny, almost human intelligence.”  Copyright © 2016 Fatima’s Blog. All Rights Reserved.

 

When God created the horse he said to the magnificent creature: I have made thee as no other. All the treasures of the earth lie between thy eyes. Thou shalt carry my friends upon thy back. Thy saddle shall be the seat of prayers to me. And thou shalt fly without wings, and conquer without any sword. -The Koran.

 

The Arabian is the oldest of all horse breeds. Arabians’ strength, courage, and devotion to humans is legendary. They were the war horses of the ancient Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians. They participated in the Crusades. Napoleon’s famous war horse, Marengo, was an Arabian.

 

According to Bedouin legend, Allah created the horse from the four winds. He endowed the animal with spirit from the North, strength from the South, speed from the East, and intelligence from the West. In other versions of the story, the horse was derived from the South wind.