thedrafthorse home

reference:

draft horse breeds

carriage, harness and driving terms

French-English equine dictionary

horse history

horse quotes

miscellaneous

links

"Civilization as we know it lies in the gap in a horse's teeth." An art instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where my esteemed co-worker, Trump, models put it that way, and I have yet to hear the truth about our civilization--indeed, our humanity--more eloquently put.

The art instructor was, of course, referring to the "bars," the space between the horse's incisors and molars where the bit rests. Dogs and cats don't have that gap. Cows, sheep, deer and goats have the gap, but don't have upper incisors. Horses are unique in this anatomical feature. And it has allowed us to domesticate them for the past five thousand years. Civilization was literally built by the horse.

In honor of that sacred partnership between humans and horses, this section is dedicated to the role horses have played in our history. Like the rest of this site, it is a draft--that is, it is a work in progress.

Horse History from thedrafthorse.com:

An Ordinance for the regulation of the drivers of carriages and horses in and through the streets of the city of Philadelphia (1790).

Pennsylvania law regarding horses and motorists.

The French Braid

(c) 2007, 2008 by Christina Hansen
www.thedrafthorse.com

Do you like this website?
Want one like it?
thedrafthorse web design