Horses and horsemanship in the Rigveda

Abstract

Few animals have had such a profound effect on the course of history as the horse. It still finds a use today despite mankind's unsurpassed involvement with and reliance upon machines. The horse may continue to be even more popular simply because of this. Thus what may seem a setback to the horse's continued involvement with mankind could well turn to the horse's favour. Fortunately, there still remains among nearly all peoples a certain fascination for this creature. Books about horses are readily available today. They cover nearly every imaginable point on the subject from breeds to management and from the horse mind to dressage. What most have in common is that they concern horses and horse management of today: the present. Few consider the horses of yesterday: extending back to humanity's first association with the horse. There is a wealth of information about horses in mankind's early history. Perhaps the only hindrance is a lack of interest or inability to find it, search through it, and then present the information. It is perhaps true to say that each age steps on the shoulders of the ages that have gone before. Thus the value of what we have today in large measure reflects our debt to our forerunners. Certainly each age has a different weight to bear, but if we can in any way show our appreciation of the labours of the peoples of antiquity who have bequeathed much to us, it is in the least to record what they did. How they used the horse and the developments revolving around it, including the revolution in land transport and its numerous results, is only a small but singly important development in mankind's attempts to improve both himself and those around him.