The Chariot Horse of the Ancient Britons
No very profound enquiry is needed to furnish us with a starting point in the history of the Great Horse. We need go no farther than our old school friend Cæsar, and examine his account of the forces which resisted his descent upon England in the year 55 B.C.—nearly two thousand years ago. The following familiar passage (from Camden’s translation, Britannia, 4th edition) throws valuable light on the stamp of horse which was employed in warfare by the early Britons:—
“Most of them use chariots in battle. They first scour up and down on every side, throwing their darts; creating disorder among the ranks by the terror of their horses and noise of their chariot wheels. When they have got among the troops of [their enemies’] horse, they leap out of the chariots and fight on foot. Meantime the charioteers retire to a little distance from the field, and place themselves in such a manner that if the others be overpowered by the number of the enemy, they may be secure to make good their retreat. Thus they act with the agility of cavalry; and the steadiness of infantry in battle. They become so expert by constant practice that in declivities and precipices they can stop their horses at full speed; and, on a sudden, check and turn them. They run along the pole, stand on the yoke, and then, as quickly, into their chariots again. They frequently retreat on purpose, and after they have drawn men from the main body, leap from their pole, and wage an unequal war on foot.”
It is obvious from this that the horses used must have possessed strength, substance, courage and docility. The war chariot of our forefathers was not a model of elegance and lightness; it was required to manœuvre over the roughest of ground, carrying several fighting men, and the needful strength could only be obtained as the result of weight and clumsiness. To draw such a vehicle at speed and force a way among disciplined cavalry, horses of substance, power, and courage were required; while the ability of the charioteers to “stop their horses at full speed; and on a sudden, check and turn them,” points not only to strength and weight, but to docility and handiness. Those who saw these animals have recorded their admiration, holding them different from, and superior to, any horses they had seen before; and these witnesses, we must remember, were acquainted with most breeds of horses employed by the nations of their time.