A FALL LAND
ADVENTURE
There are plenty of activities to do in the fall on land, especially if
you’re willing to get creative. Hiking, biking, and rock climbing are
some of the most popular pastimes, but if you’re up for a bit of challenge this season, try horseback riding. Horseback riding, or equestrianism, has long been around and noted to be one of the oldest
methods of transportation. Horses have been used by people
across the world for carrying workloads, racing for sport, and in
everyday activities, such as hunting and traveling.
There is much controversy as to the exact date when horses were first domesticated, because the human-horse relationship has so much history, it is hard
to differentiate the evidence. According
to various credible sources, the use of
horses dates back to as early as 3500
BC. This date is only effective for the
evidence that shows the horses themselves being saddled, having bits in
their mouths, and the presence of other
tools that we know as being essential
for riding horses to this day.
90 Fall 2016 Adventure Outdoors
However, horses were our friends long before
then, and there is no physical evidence to show
when the first human being jumped on a horse
“bareback” - without any saddle or reins - and
simply held onto its mane to ride it. Somewhere
along the timeline, it has even been thought
that early Native Americans use to hunt horses
for meat before they realized what a great companion the horses would become. Once light
was shed on the magnificence and regality of
these creatures, they would have been used in
the frontlines ever since, and their role in work
and transportation duties would prove to be of
major importance throughout early history and
even still today.