Dogs may be man’s best friend, but horses run a close second. No other animal has done so much to change the course of history, but it took a long time for humans to gain the whip hand over equines. Horses had been on Earth for 50 million years before humans first managed to control them, about 5,000 years ago. The powerful, fast, graceful wild animals that roamed the plains of Europe and Asia were first hunted for their meat and hide, then hitched to carts and driven and, eventually, in about 1,000BC, ridden.

Europeans colonised North and South America on their backs, Genghis Khan’s hordes couldn’t have gone marauding without horses, and they were the deciding factor in Harold’s defeat at Hastings. They have led cavalry charges, pulled buses and barges, stagecoaches and carriages. A horse’s power is legendary and it remains the industrial standard measurement of force. They have been faithful steeds and public servants to both the mounted police and the pony express. They have been raced and jumped, paraded and preened.

And, after all that hard work, they like nothing better than to put their hooves up, kick back and relax with the telly. That’s evolution for you. Like dogs, horses were once prized above all else for their usefulness, which declined as the tasks they used to perform were mechanised. They became more domesticated and subject to the whims of humans who, in their idleness and wealth, began seeking animals as companions or playthings. People called these creatures pets, and would sometimes attempt to subsume their animal-ness by dressing them in clothes and pampering them with luxuries such as fancy haircuts or holidays.

This horse is a Falabella, the smallest horse in the world. It stands no more than 34 inches high, comes from Argentina and is named after the family that established it as a distinctive breed. Of unclear parentage, it is thought to have originated around 150 years ago, probably as a result of interbreeding between Andalusian horses and short-legged Criollo and Petizo horses. They can’t be ridden, except by small children, and are not strong enough to work. Apart from a sideline as guide horses for the blind, these miniature horses are kept almost exclusively as pets - which is how this curious scene in 1984 in a Californian living room came to pass.

Judging by her hat, cowboy boots and choice of pet, Joan Raymund likes to be thought of as an eccentric lady, and keeping a horse in the house won’t have done her image any harm. But it’s debatable whether you could say the same about Georgi Girl, the horse. It’s hard to tell because, while Joan can’t hide her delight, horses cannot smile. Then again, they can’t normally sit down, unless they are hurt or forced to.

Funnily enough, the television programme they are watching is called Black Stallion. But the scene could be something straight out of Only Fools and Horses. And it’s easy to see which is which.

HARVEY McGAVIN

Weblinks

Horse history: www.imh.orgimhexh1.html Miniature guide horses for the blind, including good pictures: www.guidehorse.orgfaq_horses.htm

American theme park: www.landoflittlehorses.commain.html

History of Falabella horses: www.falabellahorse.com