Horses have been in Britain for at least 700,000 years and there is evidence that prehistoric Britons were hunting horses for food at least 10,000 years ago.
By 4,500 years ago, horses had been domesticated by ancient British tribes and within a thousand years they were being used in battle.
Throughout the Iron Age, horses and chariots were included in the grave goods of high status individuals. This reflected the significance of horses as symbols of wealth and power.
The Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain 1,600 years ago was attributed to Hengist and Horsa, whose names translate to “Stallion” and “Horse”. Whether these figures were real is uncertain, but their names suggest that the Anglo-Saxon association between horses and status was as well defined as that of the Britons that they displaced.
In Britain horses have played a vital role in farming, transport, recreation and warfare. This only changed after petrol engines became widely used in the 20th Century.
The traditional significance of the horse is not entirely lost today. Many ceremonial occasions use mounted guards or horse-drawn carriages and folk festivals often include a Hobby Horse, such as the Penglaz in the Mazey Day celebrations in Penzance.