PET ARTICLES BLOG

Horses have an extremely long and varied history. Horses are beautiful animals and seem to have a spiritual presence. Their ability to pick up on our emotions and their sensitivity to our moods imbues them with something of a mysticism. Perhaps this is why horses throughout the ages have been a focal point of many myths and legends.

The Magical Unicorn.

One of the most well known mythical horses is the Unicorn, which has long captured the heart of the young and the old. The unicorn has inspired a wide range of legends and imagary according to different cultural interpretations. It was a unicorn by the name of Ki Lin which showed Chinese Emperor Fu His, over five thousand years ago, the first characters of written Chinese, so legend has it. The legend states that the Emperor traced into the dirt on the ground the symbols in which the unicorn was covered. This was the beginning of the Chinese written language.

The Karkadaan is the name by which the unicorn is referred to in Arabia. It is a ferocious war like creature that can appear in different forms. It is from India as far back as 416 BC that we get the first written accounts of a unicorn. They were described as being white in colour, with dark blue eyes, a dark red head and a horn on their forehead that was about a foot and a half long.

At around three feet tall and a mere one hundred pounds, the European unicorn of folklore is like a smaller version of a horse in every way excepting its horn. A white or cream colour is attributed to the unicorn in Northern Europe. Yet Southern European accounts tell of a golden creature, or else one which is almost black. Magical healing powers are attributed to the horn of a unicorn.

The unicorn as it is depicted today is similar to the European description, but larger and more closely resebling a horse. Unicorns are commonly depicted as being identical to a horse, with the exception of a long horn on his forehead. It is usually depicted as being pure white, however it has even been described as being colours like pink, purple and blue.

People of all ages, particularly children, remain fascinated with the mythical representation of the unicorn. Unicorns can be seen in many toys, movies and written about in books. In reality unicorns do not exist, however, in our hearts and minds they will always have a special place.

The Magical Flying Horse.

Another horse type creature that has been written about in mythology and other stories is Pegasus. Pegasus - offspring of Posiedon and Medusa in Greek mythology - was a magnificent white winged horse that was ridden by Bellerophon and had mystic powers. Zeus gave Pegasus the honoured task of carrying his thunderbolts. Pegasus mated with Euippe and produced Celeris and Melanippe. The legend goes that on the last day of Pegasus's life Zeus changed him into a constellation that can still be seen today.

A Good Luck Symbol.

In many countries and to many people the horseshoe is a symbol of good luck. How exactly this came to be is unclear, yet it is one of the most famous superstitions relating to horses. The crescent shape of the horse shoe is symbolic of protection, and some say that this is the source of the luck. Others believe that the luck emanates from the animal itself. An old belief in the magical properties of iron had blacksmiths therefore as magicians wielding powers of the supernatural. For this reason you could hang an iron horseshoe above your do to keep witches and demons away.

The seven nail holes in each shoe are also a signifier of good luck. The number seven is believed to hold powers of good luck in some cultures. One belief held that a horse wearing shoes fashioned from the sword which had spilled the blood of a warrior would be speedy and never tire.

Horses and donkeys seem to have attracted more than their fair share of superstitions and old wives tales over the course of time. Some of the strangest and most interesting superstitions surrounding horses are listed below.

•  A horse would become crippled if it stepped in a wolf paw print.
•  Changing the name of a horse is said to bring bad luck to the horse's owner.
•  If you wanted to cure whooping cough, the patient should inhale the breath of a horse.
•  Both toothache and snakebites can apparently be cured by riding backwards on a donkey.
•  Leading a horse through your house is said to reverse the bad luck bestowed upon you by the breaking of a mirror.
•  By carrying a rowan wood whip you could prevent a witch from casting a spell on your horse.
•  Circling a wart with horse hair would cure it.
•  To protect yourself from witches you take the tail hair from a black stallion and wear it on your wrist.
•  Putting pennies into your water tank would stop a mare being irritable.
•  Putting a horse's skull under the floor where the piano is situated was said to improve the tone of the instrument.

Horses are amazing animals and do seem to have an elusive air of mystical presence. Most people who spend time around horses talk of their special awe-inspiring qualities. Perhaps this is why they have become such an intricate part of the history of so many varying cultures and civilisations. As such an integral part of our folklore and legend, horses have and always will be part of the stories we tell our children.

This article has been published for the millions of horse enthusiasts all over the world by Animal Friends Equine Insurance - the UK's only not-for-profit horse insurance provider. You can buy horse rider insurance today online or by phone, and all net profits go towards helping animals in crisis around the globe.