Hello, fellow equines and equestrian enthusiasts! Emma here, your resident historian from Hayfield near Aberdeen. I know, I know, some of you are thinking "Emma, another post about the past? You just love your history!". But, honestly, history fascinates me. Especially when you consider how it reflects our lives today. And this year, 139 AD, is a particularly interesting one!
Firstly, it was a quiet year here in the Highlands. Nothing terribly dramatic happened to us. It's amazing how much time we can spend doing the same things, year in, year out, just getting on with life. We have our routines, we enjoy our meadows, we work together, and we always have our lovely people to look after us.
For instance, my life in the past month has been much like many other months. It’s spring and we're all out in the fields, our coats shedding off beautifully now that the weather’s finally warm. The first shoots of new grass are delicious. Our humans have just brought in some beautiful new saddles, soft and shiny and made with lovely, strong leather. They are even starting to let us out more into the pastures because the hay is growing so high, the lovely grass blades tickle my nose as I munch happily.
So yes, life here is peaceful. A typical day involves rolling about in the pasture, a delicious meal, then it's off to the fields to work the soil with the sturdy, strong ploughs. My human loves the deep red colour of the freshly-turned earth. It reminds him of the heart of a poppy in bloom, which he tells me are quite beautiful flowers, with petals like tissue paper, with dark black spots at their centre, he describes it as like a little black heart. They’re bright and red, just like my favourite colour, and we find them scattered across the fields, especially by the farm.
Oh, did you know? He actually took a moment to tell us about the other things people were doing in other parts of the world. In Rome, there are great chariot races, the fastest horses, sleek and powerful, roaring through the arena, cheered by a throng of excited onlookers. They compete in races against other horses and he told us about one stallion named Aristippus, who was famed for his blazing speed and sleek muscular frame. The people cheered, the drums thumped, and all of them held their breath until Aristippus crossed the finish line victorious. They gave the mighty stallion a grand, colourful garland woven from lilies and roses as he galloped across the finishing line with a mighty snort.
Although he's been gone many years now, they also told me about the horse known as Incitatus, a steed owned by the Roman Emperor Caligula, who was famed for his luxurious stables with marble floors. That sounds just lovely, and Incitatus had special food and even had servants, who cared for him day and night. In fact, Incitatus even got a special stall fitted out like a king's chamber. There is a lot of rumour about this, as some people suggest Incitatus was actually a real-life horse and other people, well, let's just say they are of the opinion that he didn't exist, it's a little hard to grasp and comprehend. Anyway, it seems some of these Romans are obsessed with their horses. Not just their chariots, their speed and prowess, but even their appearance. You’d think it was the horses that were running for the Emperorship. Some people will go to extreme lengths!
Our human isn't particularly concerned with chariots and racing, and he laughs at the story of Incitatus, finding the tales of grandeur a bit over the top. Our farmer finds the power of a horse's pull to be much more fascinating than how fast it can gallop around a dusty track. We are the heart and soul of his farming, the lifeblood that gives us sustenance and provides for us all. This work is no small feat and it fills us with pride knowing our hard work sustains the village.
We all play our part in the process. Our lovely little foal Lily who has been with her human for a year now is learning to pull the light cart, she gets distracted by all the things around her as we are moving but she will get the hang of it soon. The gentle mare Honey, whose coat shines like golden honey under the summer sun, she keeps watch over the youngsters, making sure everyone stays safe.
Although Lily is the only foal here, there are many in the village, and when the season's harvest is in and our jobs are done, the foals, all with different colour coats, their tiny legs and sleek, muscular bodies, play in the pasture fields, with the occasional kick to chase their mothers' tails as they frolic around, squealing and enjoying themselves. It is the joy that always makes my old heart sing!
Of course, as many of you will know, there are other countries in this vast world, each with their own horse tales to tell. My human enjoys telling me about their customs and traditions, all very different from here, though in his eyes we do everything well. Some parts are wonderful, such as the magnificent steeds of the Parthians, a beautiful mix of colours, swift and mighty. The Parthians were horsemasters of great skill. The stories about these horses always captivate me, with tales of their courage and strength, charging on horseback in the heat of battle with a fierce, unyielding spirit, that has filled my heart with a certain reverence.
However, they’re not quite the same as us, you see, these magnificent steeds are ridden in the wars of these countries, for in this era there’s so much political change and, dare I say it, fighting! This fills my human with sadness as he worries for their wellbeing, wishing for the day of peace between the peoples and no more bloodshed on the plains of conflict, even though this is so far away from where we are, we seem to have something akin to this conflict between us and our neighbour down the road.
It seems, sadly, war never seems to be truly at an end anywhere, for it's the fate of humankind to fight and cause suffering. We're left here hoping for a better tomorrow, a world of harmony. Perhaps one day it will happen, we can but hope. Until then, let’s embrace the peace and quiet here in the Hayfield. It may not be thrilling, but I'd say it's a mighty fine life, wouldn't you agree?
Until next time, my friends. Happy grazing and may your meadows be plentiful. And may you have a splendid, safe, peaceful, joyous spring.
Emma
