A horse is the best friend you can have in your home. A horse is a partner in adventure and hunting. Whether you are a farmer or not, horses have a lot to offer.
So where did horses originate? Horses are traced to plains of North America more than 60 million years ago. They are originally wild animals but over time, people in Ukraine began the domestication idea. The culture of owning horses spread to Kazakhstan and Southwest Russia and later influencing the wilds of North America.
Horses are labeled as exotic species by federal administration in the North, there is a lot to be considered with respect to choices in society. The fact that they were first discovered in the region and associated with the wild, locals in the North are more associated with horses. They are more friendly and accommodating to horses.
Domesticating horses began in Ukraine but quickly spread to this part of America. The wild idea gradually fade hence building of stables in almost every countryside home. It was then that farmers realized the importance of owning a horse. Managing a ranch was now easier for the merchants because of quick traversing of a horse.
Why first domestication in Ukraine?
Ukraine’s original economic activity was in farming and mining. Both of these activities require significant energy levels for a consistent time. While people were the main source of labor for most part of the first centuries, there was dire need for extra effort for consistency as it was crucial to the communities and country at large.
The structure of a horse depicts its energy. The muscle on legs and rigidity not only demonstrate its ability to run fats but also handle heavy tasks. Of course, it was discovered in the wild. Attempts to catch it at first were futile because of the speed; even on surprise captures, the wild horses could easily escape because of the excess energy.
Additionally, horses are of different colors. Structure of the tail and fur on the neck are distinguishing characteristics of the animal’s beauty. It was obviously a unique sight in the wild. While horses are sensitive to danger and that is why it is not advisable to walk behind them, they are hardly harmful.
The beauty and potential benefit of a horse from its body structure and speed motivated the locals to go after them. It was not an easy task to capture the first horse but after several capture attempts, it worked.
How did horses end up in coal mines?
Mining was also a major economic activity in the early days. Coal in its raw form from the pits is indescribably heavy. Yes, people were working at the mines but the process took long because only few kilograms would come out in a day. After successfully domesticating a horse while feeding it on wild pasture, it was a time to test its strength as suspected before the hunting attempts.
The horses were locked most of the time because of uncertainty. Ukrainian locals had an idea of the strength and would not let any horse out for several weeks. The mine was the first test, which was surprisingly easy. Engineers at coal mines were amazed by the discovery and power of horses in lifting tones of coals in minutes. Actually, this is the history of “horsepower” as a unit of measurement.
The incredible performance at the coal mine triggered the engineers to measure the capability of horses with respect to weight against time. Lifting coal was probably the most difficult task at the time. This is how we ended up with horsepower as a unit of measurement that is in use to date. The domestication idea was uncertain and seemed weird until later when they realized the benefits and politeness of the animal. Horses revolutionized human’s lifestyle.
How about the North?
North America is renowned as the origin of horses but has nothing to do with domestication. However, the great discovery in Ukraine could not be contained for long. The news spread quickly to other nations including countries in North America who only new horses as wild animals. Today, most locals in the region own horses.
What about Europe?
Perception on this side of the world was different. To natives in Europe, there was more potential in a horse than domestic use. Owning a horse in the continent had significant value than any other property. In the UK, a horse was more of a locomotive; the power was perceived in terms of speed. A horse was the first car. Several tests were taken and it became an official unit of measurement. Even today, car speeds and power are define don basis of horsepower.
Summary
How horses ended up in homes was by chance. No one was out with a specific mission of finding a horse. There was no history or idea of the power and speeds associated with these animals. The Ukraine risk to accommodate the attractive and seemingly fast animal was a great discovery that has changed the world to date. Owning a horse is still a prestigious idea in most parts of the world. It is no longer for work only; most people today use it for adventure and pride of ownership.
