National Geographic: The Noble Horse Page #3

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are promising.

Mongolia's preservation

of the takhi

seems a fitting tribute

to an animal who has given us

so much.

Domesticated, the horse

revolutionized our world

but in the process,

he was also transformed.

The legendary Arab is just one

of more than 150 breeds

some honed for work,

some for sport,

others for sheer show.

The Spanish horse

boasts one of

the oldest pedigrees.

His speed and stamina were

praised by the Romans.

The famous Spanish Riding

School in Vienna

was founded in his name.

A dancer's grace made him

a favorite of monarchs,

and earned him the title:

"Royal Horse of Europe."

Today, he inspires

a new generation

at the Royal Andulusian School

of Equestrian Art

in the town of Jerez,

in southern Spain.

Few gain admission here:

only first-rate horses,

trainers and students.

A strict curriculum has produced

several Olympic competitors.

The school also keeps

tradition alive.

Once a week,

the public is invited in,

to enjoy the splendors

of another age.

In 18th century costume,

riders recreate the height of

classical horsemanship,

as it was practiced throughout

the courts of Europe.

Most spectacular

are the

"airs above the ground."

Horses naturally leap and kick

when fighting.

Centuries ago,

cavalry mounts were trained to

perform these moves in battle.

Eventually

each gesture became an end

in itself

as formal as ballet.

A supreme effort,

virtually in place

Few can perform

this exacting dance

with the power and precision

of the Spanish horse.

The purity of the breed is

proudly protected in Spain,

yet his bloodlines extend

far and wide

for this

was the horse

who once conquered a new world.

Some 500 years ago,

Spanish explorers rode upon

the shores of the Americas.

Some native people

mistook man and mount

for a single fearsome creature

But soon,

they would make the horse

their own.

Through stealth and trade,

Native Americans embraced

the horse.

It was said

"they came to each other

like long lost brothers."

Some called him "Sky Dog."

He opened vast horizons

in this life,

and haunted their visions

of the afterlife.

But this cult of the horse

would not last.

By the 19th century,

Native Americans

had been robbed of land

and livelihood.

Their beloved Sky Dogs

were shot,

or simply set loose.

Scores of Indian ponies

joined strays and runaways

already thriving

in the wilderness.

By 1900,

over a million horses

roamed the American West.

But not for long.

To make way for cattle

and sheep,

public lands were cleared

of animals

considered worthless pests.

They were slaughtered

by the thousands

for pet food, fertilizer,

and mere sport.

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