Horses Changed History

The close relationship between horses and humans has changed us both. People have remade horses, creating dozens of breeds in our efforts to make horses faster, stronger, bigger or smaller. But horses have also changed us. The ways we fight wars, work, travel, trade and play, have all been profoundly shaped by our use of horses. The galleries that follow provide a glimpse into the countless ways that horses have transformed human societies around the world.

Warfare

For more than 3,000 years, a warrior on horseback or horse-drawn chariot was the ultimate weapon. Time after time, from Asia to Europe to the Americas, the use of horses in war has changed the balance of power between civilizations. When people with horses clashed with those without, horses provided a huge advantage. When both sides had horses, battles turned on the strength and strategy of their mounted horsemen, or cavalry. Horses continued to define military tactics well into the 1900s, until they finally became outmoded by machine guns, tanks, airplanes and other modern weapons.