Tag: norse

Who is your favorite horse?

Here’s a guest blog by our friend Kristie at Edgemere equestrian over in the UK. She wants to tell you all about her favorite horses. Which one would you take for a ride?
I’ve always been partial to Bucephalus myself … something to do with a boy and a horse and taming the wild stallion – maybe you know the rest of that story:) Don’t forget you can always find a Bucephalus of your own at the gift shop!

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4_Inspiring_Horses_from_History – PDF

4 Inspiring Horses from History, Myths and Legends

When you are young, you might watch plenty of horse T.V shows and movies, like Disney’s Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, or even My Little Pony! Sometimes it’s the shows like these that lead us starting to love horses, and anything that encourages us to take up riding can only be a good thing! However, people have been telling fantastic stories about horses for millennia, and some of those stories are even more epic tales than the modern feature films of today. Here are 5 of our favourite horse myths and legends to tell your friends.

The Story of the Wind Horse

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The Wind Horse is a story told in Native American culture; it’s about a beautiful wild horse that roams the land. The wind horse is a free horse, and it is his freedom that inspires him to good deeds across the land. Whenever a Native American was injured or in dire need, it is said the Wind Horse would appear and help them.

One day the Wind Horse comes across a young boy who has injured his foot in a bear trap. Selflessly, the horse helps him and they ride home together. During the journey, the horse senses the thoughts of the young boy – he fears for the future as he has injured himself beyond recovery, and he fears that he will be lonely, unable to join in with his friends due to his injury.

The legend says that the Wind Horse knew it’s duty from then on was to protect the boy and be his friend, so the horse gives up his freedom to live out the rest of his days with his new companion. When the new friends reach home, the boy is healed.

The Pegasus

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Pegasus is a beautiful immortal winged horse from Greek Mythology – you might remember him from stories about the great hero Hercules, but he actually belonged to the hero Perseus! He was a brave warrior who wanted to win the hand of a beautiful lady, but a rival also wanted to win her love. Because of this, a challenge was set, and Perseus had to kill the evil Gorgon monster Medusa. Perseus succeeded in his quest, and the beautiful horse Pegasus was born. The horse helped many heroes with their quests, and he can now be seen honoured as a constellation in the sky.

Bucephalus

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You’ve no doubt heard of Alexander the Great; he was one of the most successful conquerors the world has ever known! Bucephalus was the horse of Alexander the Great, when they first met, the horse was wild and un-tamed, and he was a huge horse too, with a face like a bull. At just 12 years old Alexander decided to train this famous horse, and he succeeded with his natural horsemanship. Together they rode into many battles and forged one of the biggest empires ever known.

Sleipnir

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Movies about Thor and Loki have cause a rising interest in Norse culture, and you might have already heard of the Norse god Odin. Well, Sleipnir was Odin’s steed, and he was highly unusual as he has eight legs! Luckily, this made him supremely fast, sure-footed, and able to jump enormous obstacles!

 

Personally, my favourite story of this selection is the story of Alexander the Great and Buccephalus, simply because it’s a classic example of the great things a partnership between human and horse can achieve. Would Alexander have achieved the same success if he didn’t have his loyal steed? I wonder. However, there’s no doubt that trusting your horse and treating it like a partner will likely lead to you becoming an unstoppable team!

Which ancient horse would you have loved to ride?

This article was written by Kirstie, digital editor at Edgemere.

 

Ride on!!
your ol’ friend tim farley