Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood grey draught horse with the flowing white mane and tail. Welcome back to my little corner of Equiworld. Today, I'm taking you back in time, all the way to the year 109 AD, or to give it its Roman name, 109 AUC. Can you believe it? A whopping 1,914 years ago!
Back then, life was quite different in Hayfield near Aberdeen, a quaint little village nestled in the foothills of the Cairngorms. It was a peaceful place with the gentle burble of the River Dee and the rustling of heather underfoot. You wouldn't have seen too many of our kind running free, not like you can see them in the wild today in those glorious American horse havens!
But there we were, all the same. Just about every farm needed a strong draught horse like myself to help with ploughing the fields and carting goods. We were more like one of the family back then. You'd be there at dawn, chomping on your oats, helping to plough and preparing for sowing the precious seeds, all so they could be ready to harvest later in the year. And just like you get a favourite person on the farm, you had a favourite farmer who understood your needs. There was never a sense of fear or resentment from any farmer, and I always felt deeply appreciated, which was something you can't truly describe!
Now, while we were hard at work here in Scotland, the Roman world was buzzing! They were big on their horses, you see. They had this magnificent cavalry unit known as the 'Equites' - brave lads with a real flair for horsemanship! These riders played a huge part in their empire's rise to power, conquering land and defending their territories.
Over in Gaul (what is now France), I read that one of their emperors was a bit of a horse fanatic! His name was Domitian. This chap loved racing! I mean, who doesn't? We horses were big stars then! The Emperor's favourite breed was the 'Libyan' horses, known for their swiftness and endurance. I imagine they had to be very fit! There's a picture I saw in one of the history books of the emperor holding the reins, a broad smile on his face, clearly very proud. It made me proud to be a horse myself.
Speaking of being a horse, the year 109 AD was particularly busy in our world, for one very important reason: horses were playing a starring role in one of history's most intriguing adventures. This time, our story takes us south, right down to the land of sunshine and gladiators - Italy. A fearless young man named Cornelius Valerius Sabinus had this big plan. He was heading to Asia Minor with the army, on an expedition against the warlike Parthian kings! Can you imagine? It must have been exciting! They rode on war-horses that could cover amazing distances.
I love stories about Roman soldiers! It’s amazing what they could do with their horses, using them not just to ride into battle, but as part of a tactical plan. You see, Romans were really smart. They even used their horses to transport provisions for the army, carrying their tools, weapons and sometimes even siege machines. It must have been quite a sight. Imagine, us horses marching in perfect order, carrying all these important items, keeping the army well fed and ready to go!
I read that this expedition against the Parthians was a bit tricky for them though. There was quite a lot of marching to do. Sometimes it was easy enough on nice flat paths, and other times they had to trek across difficult mountain terrain, maybe even climbing over rocky hills, a real challenge even for the toughest horses. I hope they all came back in one piece.
Anyway, all this is what was going on in the wider horse world, but back in Hayfield life went on, mostly as usual. We continued to toil in the fields. Our main concern was whether there were enough hay and oats for the winter. My fellow draught horses, Bess, Dolly and my very special friend Arthur, we shared a stable that overlooked the whole of the farm and would gossip over our supper of hay, talking about life and everything we'd seen that day. There's always plenty to talk about. And the fact that we all shared the same love for carrots always seemed to help any little disagreement melt away. Life as a draught horse in Hayfield, I was happy to say, felt rather pleasant.
I'll let you go for today, my dear Equiworld readers! Don’t forget to drop by for my next post – I have some more fascinating historical horse tales in store. Until then, keep those horseshoes shining!
