Horse and Turks’ Domestication of the Horse
Horse skeletons found in the remains of other cultural environments have no functional value. Take today’s Turkish society and the cat as an example. Thousands of years from now, if an archaeological survey is carried out in the lands where today’s Turks lived, many cat skeletons will be found. But these skeletons do not prove that the cat was domesticated by the Turks, or that the cat was a social and/or economic element in Turkish life. What is important is whether the cat acquired a functional value in Turkish life. It is only in the “Steppe Culture”, the original and self-created culture of the Turks, that the horse acquires a functional value. The main factor that plays a role in the Steppe Culture is horseback riding. It is clear that the need for horsemanship is not felt in settled-village cultures, but in Steppe Culture, which has to travel rapidly across vast pastures and distant waterheads. In the Steppe Culture, horseback riding, which was at first a tool for guarding crowded herds, soon gained a military value and became the basis of steppe warriorism, and the horse was developed into a war horse type. The warrior Proto-Turks, the creators of the Andronovo Culture, began to dominate the environment, opening the 3500-year “War Horse Age” in the history of world warfare. When the Hun Turks appeared in China with their own unique culture at a time when horseback warfare was unknown, they brought their war horses with them. Thus, the war horse spread eastward and war horse breeders in Central Asia and East Asia.
The Domestication of the Horse is a Leap in World History
The use of the horse as a riding animal is a very important stage in the history of the world and is a cultural breakthrough far above agriculture-dependent animal husbandry. Turks were the first race to switch from hunting to domesticating animals. The horse was domesticated by the Turks and they were the first people to ride horses. During excavations in the Kapanda-Yüs region (Afanasyevo-Andronovo cultural environment), horse skeletons with iron gem marks in their mouths were found in graves dated to the 3rd millennium BC. The horse did not have an important place in the history of Asia Minor and the Indo-Germanic tribes, and it was not introduced to the Mongols until later. Mongols were originally a forest tribe, not a steppe tribe. However, they later joined the Steppe Culture and became the practitioners of this culture together with the Turks. Therefore, the introduction of the horse into Mongolian life began with their transition to the Turkish Cultural Environment, that is, to the Steppe Culture. On the other hand, the horse has played a central role in the political, religious, economic and social life of the Turks since the earliest times. The Turks ate the meat of the horse they raised, made their national drink, kımız, from its milk, offered it as a sacrifice, and earned income by exporting it to foreign countries. Especially China used to procure horses from Turkic countries. The Chinese mentioned 11 breeds of Turkish horses with different names only in the Gok Turk era.
Turkish Horses in Historical Chinese Documents
According to Chinese documents, before the Hun Turks, the northern tribes of China did not know the equestrian method of warfare. The Chinese also used horses only in chariots and did not know the Equestrian Steppe Culture until the 4th century BC when they first encountered the Turks. According to Chinese chronicles, the Turks would organize horse wrestling every year, and the first-place horse would be bred. The Chinese admired the beauty and strength of Turkish horses. The most beautiful Turkish horses were called “Blood Sweating Horses”.
Steppe Turks considered the horse, which had a very important place in their lives, which they gave special names and honors, and which they buried ceremoniously, as an intelligent and sacred animal descended from the sky. The oldest horse burial in Asia is found in the Andronovo Culture. Horse burial ceremonies spread from Andronovo Culture to the world, and were taught to Germanic and Slavic tribes by the Hun and Avar Turks, the descendants of this culture. In lines 32-40 of the eastern side and lines 2-9 of the northern side of the Köl Tigin Inscription, the horses ridden by Kül Tigin, the commander-in-chief of the Gok-Turk armies, are mentioned by name. The word “at”, which has been spoken as “horse” in Turkish since that time, is mentioned as k’utti, k’uai-t’i – adapted to the Chinese dialect – in the Chinese source Shi-Ch’i of BC, which mentions the animals domesticated by the Asian Huns. The Chinese source explained the meaning of this Hun word as “always willing to leap with great strength”. The same meaning is preserved today in Turkish words derived from the word “at” such as atım, atlamak, atılmak, atat, etc.
Horse Culture in Anatolia
When Turks migrated to Asia Minor and Anatolia, they brought their horse culture with them. Esb-i Türk (Turkish Horse) was famous in the early Islamic period. The horse maintained its exceptional place in Turkish culture during the Seljuks and Ottomans. The horses bred by the Principality of Kastamonu were world famous and were sold for a thousand gold coins each because they were superior to Arab horses. Along with the Turkish horse culture, Turkish words such as iğdiş, ulak, yam, yamçı, yağız, yılkı etc. passed into Arabic and Persian.
A mammal of the equine family of the ungulate order. The male is called a stallion, the female a mare, the foal a colt, and the one whose eggs have been removed and castrated is called a horse. All of them are usually called horses. In Arabic, the horse, which is a riding and beast of burden, is called dabbe, matiyye, semend, tusen-i sütur. The war horse is also called rahsh. They are all grass-fed. They do not ruminate. Their breasts are close to their hind legs in the groin area. Their third toes are surrounded by a large hoof and called hoof. They walk by stepping on it. They are the most capable and valuable of the animals that serve humans. They are people’s helpers in old battlefields, their servants in carrying loads, their partners in joy and pleasure in racing, javelin, fence jumping and hunting sports. It easily gets used to the noise of guns and the sound of bands. The horse is brave and dashing and extremely obedient to its owner. If its owner wishes, it gallops at full rein, if he wishes, it walks at a walk, if he wishes, it stops. He is careful to please his owner in every situation. Regardless of fatigue, at the cost of cracking itself.
Known Wild Horses in the World
The European wild horse (E. caballus gmelini), known as the tarpan, has been extinct since 1876. Today there is only one wild horse still extant in the old world. This horse lives in the cold and desolate plains of Central Asian Mongolia. It is called the Asian wild horse or Prezevalski, as well as the Mongolian wild horse. It lives on both sides of the Altai mountains. They differ from domestic horses with their short and erect black manes, heavy and large heads, small ears and long hairy tails. Their color is reddish brown and they have an attractive appearance. Their nose is white. Their hair grows long in winter to protect them from the cold.
Domestic horses They have been serving humans for an estimated 4,000 years. It is doubtful that today’s modern horses are descended from the Asian wild horse. Some zoologists suggest that they descended from the European wild horse. There are many breeds of domesticated horses. Today the pedigree of the small pony and Thoroughbred Arabian horses is not known for sure. Horses live for 20-30 years, some mares give birth up to 15 years old. They are pregnant for eleven months and usually give birth to one foal. The foal is born with its eyes open and after a few minutes it stands up and follows its mother. Hauling and transportation horses have thick legs and large bodies. Riding and racing horses have long thin legs. Although there is no envy among horses, they have a habit of envying each other. This manifests itself in racing, ditch and fence jumping. They envy each other and want to run faster and get ahead. There are some that run 60-70 km per hour. The feather colors of horses are various and they get various names according to their colors. The most well-known ones are: White, white, gray, gray, red, al, alakı, deer gray, freckle green, molasses foam, doru, palm doru, etc. If a male donkey is paired with a mare, a mule is obtained. The combination of a stallion (male horse) and a female donkey produces a type of mule called barda. Both hybrids do not breed. The mule is more durable than the barda.
Horse Types
Arabian horse: It is a very durable and excellent riding and racing horse. It is derived from Central Asian and Anatolian Turkish horses that crossed over to Arabia. They are more hardy than English horses and can go 24-28 hours without drinking any water.
English horse:It is a good riding and racing horse. It is especially bred for racing. It is a breed derived from the mating of the Arabian stallion and English domestic mares. It has longer legs than the Arab horse.
Akhal Teke:It has features that are not seen in any other horse breed, strong and durable, large almond eyes, long neck, erect ears and a color change that is not seen in any other horse.
Pony horse: It is a small, calm and durable horse. It is the size of a goat or ram. It is a good riding animal for children. It can be used in light travel carriages as well as in mines. Shetland, Icelandic and Norwegian ponies are famous.
Horse breeding: Herds of wild horses still live in the vast steppes of Asia, Australia and America. Domestic horses are bred in hares. The first harbor in our country was established in Aziziye in 1913. Turkey’s first modern hara is the Karacabey hara, which opened in 1924. Domestication of the horse The Mongolian kirtag, known as the Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), is the only wild horse alive today.
What would have happened if the horse had not been domesticated?
