The ride of our lives: why the horse is crucial to human history

A new book, Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History, explores the unique bond between humans and horses. The author, William T Taylor, notes that horses are deeply embedded in modern culture due to their historical roles in transport, communication, and agriculture. This bond was recently highlighted by two incidents in London where horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment bolted and caused chaos in the city. On April 24, the horses were startled by loud noises from a building site and galloped through rush-hour traffic, injuring six people. All the horses survived the incident, which was described as a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, a similar incident occurred on July 1, where three horses fled a London bus and bolted through Knightsbridge. Taylor acknowledges the curiousness of these events and notes that they serve as a reminder of the powerful symbol of power and authority that horses represent. The horses' escape was a rare glimpse into the enduring relationship between humans and horses. Taylor's book explores this relationship and how horses have shaped human history. The author believes that the bond between humans and horses is often overlooked until incidents like these bring it to the forefront.