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Tyler Michael Howard

November 30, 2013

HIST 390

Dr. James Hastings

Blazing Trails

Horses were vital to many aspects of daily life within Asian societies. For

thousands of years, horses have been integral to economic, militaristic, and globalization

all across Eurasia. People and horses are connected in the process of globalization.

Without horses, humans would not have been able to make the” advancements in

technological innovations and foster trade relations with other empires and kingdoms”

(Olsen, 152). This essay will consist of the domestication of horses, their importance,

and how they have impacted the region today.

Around 3500 B.C, horses were believed to be domesticated around the steppes of

Kazakhstan and Central Asia around the Russian border. At first, they were used for

horse meat and furs; however over time they were used for more menial jobs (Krader,

306). Over time, in-breeding was used to produce different breeds that were better suited

for their selective environments. These horses are thought to be the descendents of

pastoral animals such as llamas. They were believed to be used for herding sheep and

cattle. Horses with their swift speed were able to corral animals together for farming or

herding. While horses could be used for meat, it became more practical to use their

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abilities for more pastoral purposes (Krader, 313-315). The livestock such as pigs, cattle,

and sheep were used for meat and also for clothing such as furs. Horses were used to pull

chariots for military and ceremonial purposes across the regions from China to Rome.

However, it became impractical due to the terrain. Mountainous regions were not ideal

for chariots. With horsemanship being seen from nomads, it was seen that horseback

riding would be more suited than chariots. “Saddles, bridles, and bits were created to

make riding more comfortable for both the rider and horse” (Olsen, 164). Horses were

not easy to domesticate for riding, however over time riding horses became regular.

Horses had evolved from being used as a source of meat, to menial jobs, and to becoming

of great importance for many reasons that the paper will continue to elaborate on.

Horses were used to make communications and other aspects of daily life much

faster. For example, men were able to move their furs and other goods across large areas

quickly. Horses were able to transport goods much quicker than oxen or yak and needed

less upkeep. Horses were able to travel large distances at high rates of speeds without

food or water. There are a few issues with the using horses to transport goods across long

distances. While horses are able to transport goods over long distances, they are not able

to carry many goods in terms of weight. Horses were used for transporting rare

commodities such as silk and spices. These goods were low in weight in high in value

making it profitable to trade a low amount for a high lump sum. In terms of other goods

such as salt, timber, and other less valuable goods, high bulk was needed to make a

substantial profit. This meant that larger animals such as oxen and yak were needed to

transport the heavy weight. Travel would be slowed by the speed of the animals. More

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food was needed for the caravan and time was needed for rest and feeding the animals.

More supplies were used on these long caravan journeys which meant a decrease in

profit. Another negative to using horses was their expenses. Horses needed new shoes in

order to be able to travel and not become lame. Horses were considered to be elegant

creatures and could not just survive in any type of environment.

Geographically, horses need grassy flatlands in order to graze and thrive. There

are very few areas in Asia that were able to sustain and domesticate horses. The steppes

of Mongolia were one of the few areas that were able to successfully domesticate and

raise horses. The climate must be rather temperate. Tropical areas such as those of

Southeast Asia are not ideal locations for raising horses. This made horses valuable for

trade not only for domestication but for wealth and power in the military. Horses were

seen to be a rare commodity just like silk and other spices. Horses could be seen as the

foundation of a growing empire and a sign of impeding wealth. The next section will

discuss the role of horses from a military perspective.

The role of horses within the military have shaped and created empires for

centuries. Horses have revolutionized the way in which war was conducted. The role of

the horse within the military was deemed as the cavalry. Before the role of cavalry,

warfare was conducted by men on foot. These men were primarily formed into regiments

or legions. These legions were formed by hundreds of men with bulky armor and heavy

weaponry. Infantry units such as these made for rather slow, drawn out warfare that

could incur much cost to achieve a victory or suffer a defeat. Warfare was seen to be

simplistic and barbaric before the introduction of cavalry because men would just charge

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at one another and fight hand to hand combat. With the introduction of the horse and

cavalry, battle tactics began to change.

The introduction of raids and swift invasions became possible by use of the horses

to swiftly dismantle infantry units and be able to flank opposing units. The ability to

have a fast moving unit that is able to round out an opponent’s opposing regiment is a

crucial component to achieving victory on the battlefield. With the introduction of the

horse onto the battlefield, generals were able to conduct strategies to take advantage of

their soldiers on horseback. One can see this through the history of the success of the

Mongols led by Genghis Kahn. The Mongols were tribes that were nomadic and pastoral

herders. Mongols were great on horseback and with the bow and arrow. The

combination of a swift attack combining all ranges of distances made for a formidable

unit of attack. Another positive with cavalry is the ability to make quick retreats. Riders

on horseback were able to devise quick and decisive attacks and penetrate the lines.

When the attacks were complete, the cavalry were able to retreat at a safe distance to

regroup for another attack. Cavalry made it possible for long range attacks as well in the

case of archers. Mongols archers had been trained from an early age the skills of

horsemanship. Being able to ride a horse while shooting a bow from any direction made

for a highly reliable unit in battle.

Horses provided flexibility that had not been seen before. While riding, a

horseman was able to use a spear, sword, or bow which meant for a myriad of strategic

opportunities. From the raiding done by Mongols, we see our first example of blitzkrieg

or lightning warfare. This is seen as a type of fast, decisive attacks that are meant to

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cripple and strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. Mongols were seen throughout Asia

as ruthless, barbaric, and fearless. Due to the skills on horseback, the Mongols were able

to navigate Asia with relative quickness and ease. Horses allow the Mongol warriors to

travel quickly across the Silk Roads into Persia and into mainland China. This allowed

ground to be covered quickly and the spread of influence to be covered over thousands of

miles.

The value of the horse as a military asset was seen up through the twentieth

century through World War I. The horse could be seen as a great vehicle that

revolutionized the way that war was conducted. Technology was seen to be the great

innovator of war, but the horse provided the path for this technology. With horseback and

cavalry, new strategies and more tactics could be achieved. The tanks are the new

version of the horse. Horses have played critical roles of decisive military victories for

centuries. Through the legendary cavalry units of the Civil War to the cavalry warfare

that took place in battles during World War I. Horses were seen to be the answer to

quicker and more effective warfare. With the horse, a soldier was able to maneuver

quickly, and take a number of offensive positions.

Horses were quick enough to be able to close the gap of mid-ranged combat, but

also be able to get to a safe distance to use the bow and arrow for long ranged attacks.

Mongols were the first to utilize the horse to its full potential. Units consisting of only a

few hundred to thousand horsemen could easily rout an army consisting of thousands of

infantry troops. Much of this has to do with the ability of the horse being able to retreat

and maneuver. The armies led by Genghis Khan often baited enemies by faking a

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withdrawal from the battlefield. This led to the enemy giving chase to the horseman and

by doing so, causing divisions within the units. Units would get separated from the

commanders and would be flanked by Khan and his men. Horses were able to cover

twice the distances that a man could travel in full armor. For military purposes the

“Horses could, without exaggeration, be referred to as the intercontinental ballistic

missiles of the past” (Rossabi, 114).

The role that the horse played within China was seen as evolutionary. China has

been long considered the dominant player within Asia. The Chinese possessed resources

that were traded and used to fund military and the numerous dynasties. While China had

access to many resources, horses were the one commodity that rested outside of its

borders. The neighboring Xionghu who were along the northern border of China traded

horses to the Chinese in exchange for silk, spices, and other commodities (Creel, 656).

While the two were neighboring rivals and often at odds with one another, it was

necessary that the two sides come together as trading partners with one another. Each

had something the other needed. The Chinese needed horses in order to further expand

and increase their military strength. The horse was seen as the vehicle that moved the

Chinese empire. With horses, the Chinese could continue to strengthen their empire to

conquer that of the neighboring nomadic Xiongnu. Horses played an important role in

the culture of China. Chinese saw the horse as important sign of royalty and importance

to the people. In folklore and literature, the horse was seen as a hero alongside a famous

leader or general. Horses became seen as important within all realms of Chinese society.

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The role of the horse in Persia and Middle East was important due to the climate

and environment of the region. Some of the most elegant thoroughbreds came from this

region. The regions of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran were all areas where horses

were able to successfully prosper. Breeds such as the Arabian and Caspian were desired

by leaders from as far as China. These horses were vital to the trade of the region. The

region consisted of many cities such as Kabul, Kashmir, and Kandahar were prized for

their steeds (Gommans, 229). Along with steppes along the Russian border, this region

was one where horses were primarily domesticated and raised to trade along the Silk

Roads. With many of the towns such as Kashmir and Kabul being located along the

halfway point of the Silk Roads, these thoroughbreds were accessible to those farther east

into China, south into India, and as far west as the Europeans (Beckwith, 154). The Silk

Roads connected the Middle East together with China and Southeast Asia. While sea

trade was a way of connecting the two together, it was the horse as well as other animals

such as the camel that made the trip along the Silk Roads (Beckwith, 171). Persian horse

breeds were some of the most sought after in Asia. As with China, horses were important

in all aspects of society. In literature, poets would depict the horse as great, mythical

creatures that were hard to tame.

The role of the horse within South Asia was much like that of the other regions of

Asia. Horses were primarily imported for herding as well as the use of “war-horses”

(Gommans, 230). While India was highly inaccessible by land from routes to the north

due to the mountainous landscape, traders and caravans traveled “through the Khyber

Pass into Hindustan to graze at tributaries and sold at markets in Punjab, Awadh,

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Benares, and Bihar” (Gommans, 235). While the climate of Southeast Asia was

considered to be tropical and not suitable for horses to be domesticated, breeding over a

period of generations allowed for the horses to be able to better adapt to their

environment. Horse fairs were held to examine the stock of the horses to determine

value. The fairs would bring in thousands of horses at once with the major fair held in

Rajasthan could bring in more than 5000 horses at once (Heidorn, 168). The fairs were

held at times during the season such as fall that were the best suited for traders to migrate.

Horses based upon their physical attributes could go for a hefty price. The price of feed

and local crops could also affect the asking price for horses. If the upkeep of horses by

merchants was expensive, it was transcended down to buyers. In the case of many areas

around Rajasthan, if the cost of feed for horses such as grain and hay were high, and then

horses would become more expensive. The increase in expenses attributed to the cost of

transport and breeding (Mishra, 119). Transport into India from Central Asia was long

and arduous. The landscape was hard on caravans for transport and access through the

Khyber Pass was the most accessible way into India.

Horses were seen to be heavenly by the people as depicted through artwork and

other forms of literature. The horse is seen to be an elegant animal that possesses powers

not of the human kind. Horses were depicted as wild spirits that were untamable. Heroes

were seen as riding horses into battle. The horse symbolized aggression and omnipotence

that horses represented. The national emblem of Mongolia represents a horse flying

through the sky as a symbol of eternity. The horse embodied the spirit of travel, trade,

and adventure. With the horse, anything was seen to be possible. Stories of great

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adventure and traders along the Silk Roads show the horse a creature of great resilience.

The horse was seen as a thoroughbred of great strength being able to travel swiftly and

without halt. Through the great military stories, cavalry units are show to strike fear into

the hearts of the enemy. The horse encompassed all the qualities of a great story into one

package.

The value of the horse to globalization is immense. The horse was seen as the

great vehicle that carried the influence of cultures across continents. Horses evolved the

way in which man lived. Horses traveled across territories carrying among their backs

the commodities and rarities of their previous destination (Buell, 4). A case can be made

for horses spreading globalization across Asia. Horses brought together cultures from

Guangdong in Eastern China down to the Bay of Bengal in India. To nomads, the horse

was a vital part of everyday life. Nomads used the horse for herding purposes and to get

swiftly from location to location. Horses were able to connect different cultures in ways

that were not possible before domestication began. While camels, yaks, and oxen were

able to transport more goods to markets and traders, the amount of time to transport

goods was double that of horses. Horses could be seen as an early version of the light rail

train system in that travel was made faster by leaps and bounds. Globalization also

contributed to the development of the horse. With different breeds being purchased and

transported to different areas, it allowed for cross-breeding. By cross-breeding different

horses, this allowed for new breeds to be discovered. These new breeds could be better

suited to different environments causing new adaptations in the different breeds. These

adaptations occurred in the form of physiological makeup. While taller, more masculine

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breeds such as the Fergana, Arabian, Caspian, and Turkoman were desired for military

and role cavalry use, the shorter and stocker builds were desired for herding domesticated

animals and tending to menial jobs such as plows and cart pulling. Horses were a vital

component to the globalization and modernization of the Asian continent.

Throughout the course of this research, it is apparent how the role of the horse

shaped the history of Eurasia and its path to development. The horse was vital to a

myriad of different sectors of everyday life from the use of meat to the herding of animals

and transportation of goods. Horses played key roles in military allowing vast empires

such as the Chinese and the Mongols to expand their sphere of influence westward. Their

impact upon different regions and travel along the Silk Road helped to connect different

cultures and bring new customs to regions. The horse has affected the way in which

history has been written and forever changed the concept of globalization across cultures.