History of Horses in the year 0457

Greetings, fellow equines and horse enthusiasts!

It’s Emma here, your friendly grey mare from Hayfield, near Aberdeen. I’m just back from a long day’s work on the farm, hauling stones and manure - always a pleasant way to start the day, you might think! But I don’t mind, really. Work keeps me fit, strong, and full of energy, which is essential for a draught horse like me.

Today, however, is special because I wanted to talk to you about the year 0457. I know you're all busy with your own lives, but this is a year worth pondering over a bowl of oats. Trust me.

0457 was, for me, the start of a new life in a different world. See, I’d only been born that year! Yes, my first spring! Imagine all the lovely fresh grass I got to munch on – it felt like heaven after months spent inside my mum's belly.

That year, though, wasn’t just a time of fresh grass and spring sunshine for all of us horses. Things were happening, in the world and in the horse world.

My world was quite small – Hayfield, the farm, and the surrounding countryside. But even then, whispers of great things reaching distant lands travelled on the breeze. My mum used to talk about a massive Roman Empire. They say the Romans are big on horses – using them for transportation, even fighting on their backs! That sounds quite terrifying, to be honest. My human, young William, always spoke of his Roman Uncle, and I remember how William described the Roman horses. Big, bold, strong - a bit like the draught horses, only more used to battle. I have never actually seen a Roman horse. But my human assured me there were many around, all the way from the land where the sun sets in the West, which he called "Gaul", to the very end of the known world, somewhere out east. I just hoped I wasn’t expected to carry heavy men, or even be forced into battle like that, myself.

But even in the farthest reaches of my imagination, I could not imagine the power the Romans had. They used their might to build some of the grandest roads and bridges I ever heard about. It’s said some even crossed the very ocean, which sounded scary!

But my life was far simpler and less adventurous. As a young foal, life mostly revolved around eating, sleeping, playing, and learning to be a good draught horse. I quickly learnt to pull carts with a bit of help from older horses – even if the whole ‘being a team’ part was harder than it looked! But every day, my skills improved.

One day, whilst pulling a cart full of potatoes to market, I heard two older geldings whispering. Apparently, a new kind of horse was emerging – a steed, they called it.

These steeds, they said, were slender and nimble and could move with amazing speed! I thought those must be fun to own! They didn't seem so worried about hauling stuff - I could see myself trotting along a grassy meadow, instead of pulling manure! The rumour was, they were especially good at racing. Racing? Now that sounded exciting!

My mind filled with the imagined glory of this new type of horse, even as I carried on pulling my load of potatoes, feeling a touch of envy.

That same day, another older horse in the field told me all about a horse-drawn vehicle. It had two wheels, the rumour went, and could go twice as fast as our carts. I imagined the wind whistling in my ears! I could almost feel it now, pulling that swift little chariot... Chariot, the horses said, that was what the Roman chariots were called. Imagine!

I guess 0457 was a turning point for the horses in this part of the world. That year saw so much happening that it would affect horse lives everywhere.

But even as the stories of racing, new carriages, and Roman steeds reached my ears, I never let myself dream of being more than what I was: a hard-working draught horse on the farm in Hayfield. I took pride in pulling the cart, in hauling logs for the winter fire, in transporting sacks of wheat to the mill.

And perhaps, somewhere deep down, I was proud of being part of something much bigger - the grand history of all horses, no matter what we looked like, no matter what we did.

And for now, that was enough.

Stay tuned for the next post. And always, remember to look after your hoofs!

Emma, the Grey Draught from Hayfield