The Earth Walkers: Horses & Humans – Our Journey Together on Planet Earth

By Helen Goldstein

The Earth Walkers is a story of the relationship of horses, humans, and planet earth. It is a simple story that over time we, as humans, have complicated. Once, all three lived in harmony, but humans viewed this as primitive, savage, or wild. And so we began to make our existence together more civilized. In our interference, we began to lose respect for our planet and all that lived upon it, including ourselves. One of the three, though, remained steadfast throughout the story. Horses, except in their physical appearance, have neither changed nor tried to change anything, just being themselves, constantly at our sides. Tracing the story of the relationship from the beginning of time, the unique bond between humans and horses is explored through different civilizations and cultures up to present day. It tracks the journey of the two species and the effect they had on earth as they walked around it. It also tells the story of how—when in times of disruption, chaos, and imbalance—earth has spoken to us, giving us signs; and horses have always been there, guiding us to a path back home. It is a path to a home on earth where all can live in harmony and at peace—a path that we will hopefully choose to walk together once again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Aug 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982229238

Helen Goldstein

Helen Goldstein was born in Hendon, London in 1956. Her early childhood was spent in Sheffield, Yorkshire. As a child she had two ambitions; to help horses and to save the world. Although she has had several occupations in many different locations around England, these two still remain a priority. Currently she lives in Northamptonshire.

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Copyright © 2018 Helen Goldstein.

Interior Image Credit: Abby Kettley-Goldstein

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-2924-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-2922-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-2923-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019907001

Balboa Press rev. date: 08/23/2019

To Ken & Wendy, my youngest uncle & aunt,

thank you for making a dream come true and believing in me

and to Geordie, without whom none of this would have happened.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

The Back Story

PART 1   GIFT TO THE RIDER

Chapter 1     First Steps: Evolution

Chapter 2     Domestication v Taming

Chapter 3     Go West

Part One: The Golden Mountains

Part Two: The ‘Stans’ and the Golden Horses

Chapter 4     The Hubs

Part One: It all started with Noah

Part Two: The Little Caspian Sea Horse

Part Three: Zoroaster and Zoroastrianism

Part Four: The Royal Road

Chapter 5     Preparing a Legend

Part One: Solomon, Sheba and Safanad

Part Two: Zad el-Raheb

Chapter 6     Drinkers of the Wind

Chapter 7     The Road of Tihamah

Chapter 8     Al-Andalus

PART 2   GOING HOME

Chapter 9     The New World (Christopher Columbus)

Chapter 10   The Thoroughbred

Chapter 11   The Morgan Horse: A horse created by peace

and harmony

Chapter 12   Cowboys and Indians

Chapter 13   The First Great Shaking of the Earth – World War I

Chapter 14   Horse Power

Chapter 15   The Second Great Shaking of the Earth –

World War II

Chapter 16   From One Theatre to Another: War to Entertainment

Part One: Big Screen to Small screen

Part Two: The Sport Horse

Chapter 17   A Time of Great Change

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

At the time of writing it is nearly fifteen years since this book was just a seed. The whole journey from start to finish has been a very humbling experience. It wasn’t until near completion of this book that I was able to look back and ‘get’ the bigger picture as to why certain events in my life had taken place and why certain beings had been in my life. All those years of what initially showed up as big problems and setbacks had been there as opportunities to grow and change. A breakdown of relationships was a test in time, to re-evaluate, to re-establish and many times enabled me to move on. Times of loss were making me more appreciative for what I had and, more grateful for that which I received. It is only recently that, finally, whilst still going forward in my life, I have begun to relinquish control (not quite fully yet) realising there is something or someone bigger and greater that, as they say ‘has our back’ and sends us help when asked.

During my life I have been sent many wonderful beings that have helped and contributed both to my life and to the book; some have passed or moved on but some still remain.

To my family and friends that have passed I would particularly like to thank my Mum and Dad for unconditionally loving me and to all my grandparents especially Grampi Jack and Grandpa Syd whose memories made Chapter 13 come alive.

To my current family I would like to thank my uncle and aunt - Ken and Wendy, Auntie Gina, Auntie Grace, and my cousins Lynda, Janet and Joy for the great memories of my growing up with such loving homely people.

To my pets, over the years, although changing a great deal in shape and size from fish to horses, have always been special friends. In particular, to three special souls that passed recently: JB, the sweetest mare I have ever known; Billy, my daughter Abby’s horse whose power and kindness will never be forgotten; and Usher, my little terrier dog who would always be next to me whenever I sat down to write this book. (Your place has been taken over by the cats!) To all of you, I know you are not gone; you’re just in another place.

On occasions I have been able to let loose and develop my ‘spiritual side’ for this I am grateful to Doreen Virtue whose books first connected me with angels and to Jillian and Peter Stott and the many members of the Diana Cooper Foundation who helped me further my knowledge and uncover my purpose in life. Great thanks also to the authors of the many books I have read, especially those of Hay House; through Balboa, I hope to be part of your family. I have never met Hay House authors Nick Ortner or his sister Jessica but I feel I know you well as I have tapped through many issues presented to me along the way – thank you for helping me to ‘manifest my greatest self’ and overcome many fears and doubts enabling me to get on with this book (tappingsolution.com).

I am very blessed to have friends - Elaine and Karen with whom I can spend hours, if not days, talking about weird and wonderful things, and especially Georgie – a co-creator working for a better world. To my Deddington friends, Barbara and Sue, my special ladies with whom I do lunch. To Jane (Elizabeth Bembridge) for her friendship and technical expertise; for helping me in the early stages of this book and then in its’ latter stages of building web-sites, blogging and twittering – all of those things I gladly relinquish with both relief and confidence.

Many thanks go to all partners and customers at Waitrose & Partners, 797 Brackley, where I have been employed for the last few years; especially Jane and Tracy who always manage to bring humour into a working day and to Sue D., Dawn, Jackie and Lesley for your heart felt care. You have all been like a big family to me I will always be grateful for the friendly and fun working environment that was provided whilst completing this book.

Thanks to Jon Lowe (thelowedown.co.uk) for editing the first couple of chapters and providing me with his professional guidance into the world of publishing. It took me a long while to find an editor that could help me bring the book to its final completion, for this, I give special thanks to Lyndsay Purdie of Blue Robin¹. Her dedication, patience and soft professionalism along with her suggested ‘tweeks’ and mastery of grammar polished my words into a final manuscript.

Very special thanks goes to Blake Stimpson (a wise elder, retired headmaster and much loved member of my home town’s community) for his patience and time in reading the whole book before publication. I really appreciate the cups of tea, your honesty and kind words.

To the angels, guides and all my invisible writing team – I know you are behind all this so I thank you very much for the signs you have constantly given in letting me know, in my times of doubt, that everything is okay.

When I finally hold this book in my hand, I will be so proud to present the first copies to those that have stood by me through thick and thin and in all the ups and downs; my son Sam and my daughter Abby. (Her illustrations, I think you will agree, add a special dimension to this book). You are two caring souls that abound in kindness and love- thank you for choosing me to facilitate your arrival on this exceptional planet. I also thank their father for those great times together in which we had much fun and laughter before we went our separate ways. The third copy will go to my (youngest) aunt and uncle, Ken and Wendy, who made a dream come true and have always been there for me. I look forward to a few gin and tonics in the fire station!

I hope that I have done justice to the many different nationalities, cultures and religions that have lent me their eyes in exploring the unique relationships they enjoyed with their own horses. I am indebted to the many authors and their books that have enabled me to write this one and to the internet that has taken me to all polarities of the world, from Siberia to the Sahara, from the Western World to Asia, from the Americas to the Far East; all whilst remaining in the comfort of my home.

Most of all, I am indebted to the horses that are with me now – you are my greatest teachers and guides; I thank you for your patience as you wait for me to ‘get it’!

Finally thank you to all those who have constantly and consistently asked How’s the book going? Especially to Jerry, my close friend and partner – hey, the procrastination has stopped; here it is!

Much love

Preface

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.²

Rumi

Before this book was published I was working for my local supermarket. Part of my job was driving the van delivering groceries to customers around the local area. Each driver had a hand set which contained all the information we needed to successfully complete our designated delivery routes. The handset had a built in satnav, which would be programmed with the exact location of each customer. As with all technology, sometimes things went wrong! On occasions the handset would give me false information and I would find myself going in the wrong direction, helplessly searching for the right one; at this I would start to panic as I hate being lost. Fortunately, help always seemed to be nearby; a postman would walk by or a knowledgeable neighbour would suddenly appear. One time, when I was in completely the wrong village, on phoning the customer they drove out to find me. People were happy to help and would go out of their way to do so.

Once there was a time in my life when I felt completely lost and very frightened searching for someone to turn to, not knowing which direction to take. I cannot remember but I must have asked for help because at my lowest point someone special appeared in my life that was to guide me back home. This wasn’t a person though; it was a horse.

The Back Story

The Truth of Life is right here for everybody, as it always has been, but only the ones that ask questions receive the answers and discover the truth. When we ask questions, deeply wanting to know the answers, we will attract the answers in a form that we can understand. To receive answers in life, you must begin to ask.³

Rhonda Byrne

The answers to the most profound questions can come out of the most extraordinary sources.⁴

Professor Brian Cox

Why do horses mean so much to us? Why are they so special? How do they connect to the core of our souls? I had so many questions, so much to find out. Most of all I wanted, in fact, I needed an explanation of the bond that unites us. Like an irritating child, I would ask the question Why? until I found the answers.

It was in the year 2002, during a period of my life that I would later describe as the darkest night of my soul that a rescuer appeared in the form of a horse. There is a saying that ‘you don’t choose a dark night for yourself. It is given to you. Your job is to get close to it and sift it for its gold’.⁵ My gold came to me in the form of a chestnut Morgan named Geordie. In my hour of greatest need, heaven had sent me a soul that would over the next few years heal my wounds, restore my faith and bring happiness back into my life; setting me once again onto my destined path. How had this happened? I so wanted an answer, but much more I wanted to know why? What I was later to find out was that we had entered each other’s lives at exactly the right time, the time that had been planned for both of us. We were on a mission, a horse and a human, a rediscovery of a timeless bond. My horse already knew this, I didn’t.

It was 4 November 2004; I sat in the spare room next to my bookcase. Since childhood I had loved reading and books were very special to me; I just felt that the information I needed would initially come from books. I also knew that I had to write a book (this being something that I had never had a desire to do before). My mind raced. How and where do I start? Where on earth do I find the answers to my questions? The task in front of me seemed daunting, however, like some sort of possessed soul I started pulling out books and piling them up in the middle of the room. From this pile, I began pulling each one out, and then on opening them at random I would make scribbled notes about what was on the pages in front of me. I didn’t know exactly why I was doing this, I just felt that I needed a starting point and, as books had always played an important part in my life, where better place to start? As I opened each one, most of what I saw didn’t make sense (to tell the truth I don’t think any of it did) but I felt I had to trust that in time it would. I left the selected books open, observed the content and then spent the next few days flitting in and out of the room writing notes and researching the information that appeared before my eyes. At this point in my life I was not consciously aware of spirit guides, guardian angels or any other ‘weird’ or ‘wonderful’ things – to me these were fictitious beings that other people encountered, not me. All I knew was that from somewhere or by someone I had been guided towards these books as a starting point on my quest, and although it was a strange thing to do, it didn’t feel so.

I began to feel like an archaeologist piecing together bits of information as it was being presented to me. A certain book or website seemed to miraculously appear at just the right time. The excitement of these discoveries became all-absorbing, fascinating and hugely satisfying. I found that exploring the relationship between horses and humans within different cultures, civilisations and periods of time was enabling answers to my questions. "What is this special bond between humans and horses? When and how did it happen? Why is it there and where is it taking us now?"

Besides my scribbled notes and my books I also had magazines, photocopies, clippings and notebooks full of information that I had collected over the years, never questioning why I had done this. Therefore, when I first embarked on collating information for this book I had hundreds of bits of paper hanging around, so I started to make folders. My pre-computer days working in offices sorting, filing and storing into cabinets came in useful. I created lots of folders under such headings as Evolution of Horses, Mythology of Horses, Native American Horses, Training Methods, The War Horse and so on. As you can imagine, when I sat down to write, all the information I’d collected was rather bewildering. To make sense of it all, I took each folder in turn and began to compile the information into some sort of chapter format. There were lots of ‘in progress’ chapters, into which I would dip in and out. One day I might be writing about horses in Mongolia and the next day I’d switch to researching the horses of the Persian Empire, but all the while each file was becoming a chapter.

So, how do I collate all these chapters into a book? I wondered. I was guided to start right at the beginning, from the moment that horse and man arrived on Earth. I began structuring the book in chronological order from the time ancient horse left the Americas to modern horse’s return to its land of origin, all along exploring the interconnectedness and evolvement of our relationship together. The book was mapping the journey of two species, travelling together as explorers of our planet.

Initially it seemed that from the moment we set eyes on each other humans have ‘used’ horses. We used them for transport, food, war, entertainment, on the farm, for their fur and hair, their strength, power and beauty; even for their spiritual support. Horses were useful tools to humanity; indeed, our practical evolution would not have been the same without them. It appeared that wherever we journeyed on our planet the horse would follow. However, it was during my research on the Arabian horse that a different perspective appeared, emphasised by the following quote from The Horses of the Sahara:

God called the creature a horse and said that it would be the Lord of all animals and that man shall follow the creature wherever it went. ⁶

Did this mean that at some stage we looked at exchanging positions and we began to follow the horse? Surely, it meant we hit a pause in our existence and explored the way of the horse as a way forward or did this mean that we physically followed the horse? A deeper enquiry was needed and gradually it became apparent that there was a bigger picture to all this; our relationship and existence together was proving to serve a higher purpose.

It was during the compilation of the first chapter on evolution that something else appeared. Structuring this chapter along a timescale I noticed that the evidence found of the one day destructive ET event (see ‘Nano Diamonds and the Black Mat’) coincided with the same date that is claimed to be the date of the destruction of Atlantis. Insignificant on its own, perhaps, but as I progressed with the book I was finding an increasing number of anomalies pointing towards evidence of the existence of Atlantis. To many, what was perhaps viewed as a legend or an existence in a different dimension was emerging as a factual reality. Atlantis, a golden age and, in the words of the ancients, a time when no-one claimed ownership and there were no secrets, had this really existed and could we achieve this again?

The ancients saw art, science, and spirituality as inextricably interwoven and interconnected. In exploring the reality of this relationship history, science and spirituality were fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw. From my initial questions the book had become an in-depth study of the relationship we have with the horse, which although varied geographically from culture to culture had a common theme. I was seeing something much deeper; I believed I had found the red thread. Our relationship together had formed an invisible connective ‘field’, a combination of energy that had created a unique bond, a kind of centurion consciousness that had surpassed all challenges of time. It was emerging that this bond was like no other between two creatures and one that had never been stronger or more reinforced than in the present. Today, we have the opportunity and the wherewithal to create our future world. No longer do we need horses to plough our fields, to take us into battle, or to transport us, but our relationship has become so deep that horses have become an integral part of human existence and an integral part of the future of planet Earth. Information was indicating that in combination we have a unique energy that could be paramount to our co-existence and the future shaping of our world.

The book developed as I developed, or perhaps I should say I developed alongside the book. To make sense of it all I had started to look at the information that was appearing before me, and indeed the world that I was living in, in a slightly different way. This book has been a personal journey for me and Geordie has been there every step of the way. From the day he entered my life things began to change, not overnight but in a very gradual way. This little horse somehow turned my world around. I began to connect to all those weird and wonderful things called guides and angels, but most importantly of all I began to connect with myself. As the book began to piece together it was not only answering my questions but was also revealing a relationship of unfathomable depth. However, there was still one burning question left to be answered; why do they do this?

…intention is a force in the universe, and that everything and everyone is connected to this invisible force.

Dr. Wayne W Dyer

Horses connect to ‘The Field of Intention.’ On re-reading the late Dr. Wayne W Dyer’s The Power of Intention⁷ I finally got it. Call it my light bulb or eureka moment! My horses had been giving me proof all along. Time after time my horses pre-empt my movements: when I arrive intending to let them into a fresh pasture, they will be waiting at the joining gate; if I intend to ride a particular horse that horse will be waiting to be saddled up. (Mind you, this is only if they want to!) It clicked; they connect to this energy force. The time of publication for this book is 2019, a time in the history of humanity that we have to make a decision for the future of the planet we live on. We are heading for destruction if we do not change our ways. So what is our intention? For many it is a burning desire to put right our wrongs, to literally ‘save the world’ our intentions are to clean up the mess and bring hope to future generations and I believe the horse will help us.

Today there are many recorded cases of horses helping humans, both physically and emotionally. Equine therapy counsellors and therapy centres are living proof of this. Horse therapy was recognised as early as 600 BC, when the ancient Greeks documented its therapeutic benefits. Many native cultures, such as the Native Americans and the Mongolians recognise horse medicine, a medicine which has a healing effect not only on us but on the earth as well. We are once again accessing a medicine that has been gifted to us by our equine friends. However, I believe that our connection and purpose together goes much deeper than healing. If it is our intention to be happier, healthier, more at peace, to live in a world of abundance, harmony, trust and co-operation then the horse will help us to achieve this.

When we experience true compassion in our lives, our sense of separation between ourselves and others, all life, and the world, as well as within ourselves, disappears.⁸

Gregg Braden

Today many of us are in the process of ‘finding ourselves’, re-discovering who we really are and, in the process, are re-establishing our relationship with the world around us. It is now, in this critical but exciting time in our evolution that we are reconnecting with our equine friends. This is a connection that at one time humanity had feared lost, that of a soul to soul recognition, a communication that goes much deeper than just body language, some call it telepathy but I call it the language of the heart. Compassion is resurfacing within humanity; through compassion we are able to reconnect with nature, our planet and indeed to all that is. Humans and horses are once more joining together, not in battle or war but as a peaceful army. Using the infinite and indestructible power of intention we have together become an unstoppable force that is establishing peace, harmony, trust, and love once again on this unique planet on which we both walk and that we both share.

Similarly to that crazy day in November 2004, I was guided to once again randomly open a book one day. This book was ready for its title; just like a newborn baby it was in need of a name. For this I was guided towards the Holy Bible. Whilst holding the thought of receiving a title I randomly opened the Bible and what lay before me were the words of the Book of Zachariah, the Vision of the Horses:

⁸ I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on

a red horse, and it stood amongst the myrtle trees

in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red,

sorrel, and white.

⁹ Then I said, My lord what are these? So

the angel who talked with me said to me, "I

will show you what they are."

¹⁰ And the man who stood among the myrtle

trees answered and said, "These are the ones

whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro

throughout the earth."

¹¹ So they answered the Angel of the Lord,

who stood among the myrtle trees, and said,

"We have walked to and fro throughout the

earth, and behold, all earth is resting quietly."⁹

At last The Earth Walkers had its name.

At times I have called this book ‘my book’, which of course it isn’t as it’s not about me. There have also been times I have found it difficult to put onto paper what horses mean to us. Often I have just stared at my computer trying to put into words a bond that surpasses vocabulary. You may have been blessed with the presence of this noble creature during your life or you may be a ‘non-horsey’ person who obtains great pleasure just looking at or just being with them. Whatever horses bring you, I hope that this book gives you an interesting, perhaps different, insight into the vast greatness of our equine companions and that you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed its creation. I also hope The Earth Walkers brings a realisation of our past to help all of us to move consciously forward, together, in creating a new reality and a time when we can feel at peace knowing that all earth is resting quietly.

Planted inside every equine heart is the sole connection of humanity. It is a way that many humans can ‘find’ themselves, as they say. The horse shares the blood and occasions of human times that have harassed our hearts and souls over eons. They have shared with us, more so than any other animal on Mother Earth, the length and breadth of every moment in time and yet remain unaffected, void of our human ways. They carry no revenge, no entitlement or gratitude towards possessions and goods; only love and tolerance which has remained as steady as a rock, centred as a jewel in their hearts. It is a jewel, glowing like a bright ruby, which, if we are fortunate to discover, will surpass all treasures upon the Earth’s plane.

PART ONE

Gift to the Rider

Zad el-Raheb

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CHAPTER 1

First Steps: Evolution

At the time when flowers first bloomed (200 -250

million years ago) mammals evolved.

Early Days

In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak to man. He sent certain animals to tell that he showed himself through the beasts, and that from them, and from the stars and the moon, man should learn.

Pawnee Chief Lekota-Lesa

When I was a young girl, I would pour over horse books always skipping the first section which invariably seemed to be about evolution. Not only were these sections full of long words that I couldn’t pronounce, let alone remember; the pictures of little multi-toed creatures of times gone by with names like Hyracotherium or Kalobatippus seemed alien, set in too distant a time for me to comprehend. These ancient creatures didn’t bear any resemblance to the magical horses of my world; they might as well have been from another planet. I would also skip the sections on history; I just wanted to turn the pages and find beautiful pictures of horses as I knew them to be. I wanted to feast my eyes on flowing manes, tails held high, snorting nostrils and all the amazing shapes and sizes of the different breeds.

It wasn’t until many years later, after reading books from the ‘New Scientists’ such as Bruce Lipton, Rupert Sheldrake and Gregg Braden that I began to have a different view of evolution. At the cutting edge of science and spirituality, these scientists along with others challenge the fundamental assumptions of modern science, looking further than the progression of physical changes in species by asking why and how evolutionary changes had occurred. They no longer see evolution in isolation but as a development that was in close relationship to the environment. As this book progresses we will look further into related theories of these and other New Scientists and also evaluate other invisible anomalies that have affected, and are still affecting the relationship between humans and horses. Holding onto these thoughts for now, I would first like to go back in time to have a look at the physical development of both species from their first arrival on the planet. A development that commenced independently of each other.

The K-T Extinction Event

Whichever angle I looked at it, whatever way; however much research I did and whatever conclusions I arrived at, it all came down to self-survival.

Approximately sixty-six million years ago, a six-mile-wide asteroid sped its way towards planet Earth, travelling at 70,000 miles per hour. It hit our planet with a force equivalent to one hundred teratons of TNT, (more than a billion times the energy of the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima), and blasted a vast crater more than a hundred miles wide; in seconds everything within a 600 mile radius was destroyed. As with all events, we have given it a name: The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which has been fashionably abbreviated to the K-T extinction event.

The asteroid’s biggest point of impact was on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula at Chicxulub in Mexico. It landed in the ocean causing mega tsunamis, evidence for which has been found in several locations in the Caribbean and eastern United States. The explosion produced a vast cloud of sulphur dioxide that spread blisteringly hot toxic gas over our planet. The unrivalled upheavals that followed included sea-level and climate changes, and these combined with acid rain, causing death and destruction on a massive scale. Heavy, acrid clouds enveloped earth and for about a year it remained in darkness, shrouded from the light of the sun. In one fell swoop, it caused the destruction of the non-avian dinosaurs, including the infamous T-Rex, the last of the pterosaurs (flying reptiles), and all the sea reptiles, except for the turtles, which mystically survived.

However, one species’ downfall is another species good fortune’ and the K-T extinction event became advantageous to a certain group of animals that, until then, had lived under the fearful rule of the dinosaurs. Dr Thomas Halliday (UCL Earth Sciences and Genetics, Evolution & Environment) referenced in UCL News¹⁰ states:

The mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago is traditionally acknowledged as the ‘Age of Mammals’ because several types of mammal appear for the first time immediately afterwards.

In their book Spontaneous Evolution, Bruce H. Lipton and Steve Bhaerman explore the innate drive to survive which lies inherent in all living organisms. Known by scientists as ‘biological imperative’, they state that:

[…] evolution is neither random nor predetermined, but rather an intelligent dance between organism and environment. When conditions are ripe, either through crisis or opportunity, something unpredictable happens to bring the biosphere into a new balance at a higher level of coherence.¹¹

The self-survival strategies or ‘biological imperatives’ of Cretaceous mammalians served them well, and although they suffered losses, the major lineages survived. At that time, mammals were mainly small rodent-like creatures that lived under the perpetual threat of the dinosaur world, existing in protected environments such as burrows or trees. Many of the species developed evolutionary strategies to combat this continual threat. Being warm-blooded enabled them to hunt for food at night, thus avoiding cold-blooded predators. They grew fur to keep warm and gave birth to young that stayed in the security of their homes, fed by their mother’s own self-generated food supply in the form of breast milk from the mammary glands. The largest group of mammals, the placentals (which includes horses and humans), developed a placenta which fed the offspring during gestation and eliminated the risk of leaving unhatched, vulnerable eggs exposed. The survival tactics that they had learnt made them well equipped to endure the blackout of approximately sixty-six million years ago. With the giant predators gone, when the sun eventually reappeared in the sky life on earth enjoyed a new kind of peace after the storm. Within three million years, those little mammalian creatures evolved into species as large as dogs and within five million years there were all sorts of shapes and sizes wandering about in our then Utopian world.

Eohippus – the Dawn Horse

The dawn of beauty always comes after night.

Sorin Cerin

The period from fifty-six to thirty-three point nine million years ago has been named Eocene, from ancient Greek, meaning new dawn, and mammals filled every available part of it. It was during the Early Eocene stage that a small, arched back, multi-toed, dog-like creature evolved on the North American continent. On discovery of its fossil remains the American palaeontologist, Othniel Charles Marsh named the creature Eohippus, the dawn horse. ¹²

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Eohippus: Dawn Horse

Eohippus was about two foot tall and possessed padded feet with four toes on the front and three on the hind. Feet which were well-suited to a life spent walking on the soft, moist grounds of primeval forests. However, as grass species evolved and offered Eohippus a source of food outside the shelter of the forest, it needed to be capable of travelling at greater speeds to outrun its predators. The multi-toed creature began to lengthen its limbs and lift some of its toes, and about thirty-eight million years ago, it came to stand on three toes with padded feet. Gradually the weight of its body was placed on the longest toe, the third, and by around fifteen million years ago, Eohippus had developed into a single-toed, sprung-footed creature. This was the beginning of a species we now know as Equus ferus caballus, the horse.

Besides its feet, the other major evolutionary change in the ancient horse concerned its teeth, which needed to adapt to cope with dietary changes. Its diet moved from being based on mixed fruits and foliage to one increasingly focused on grazing. With the need to eat tougher plant material, efficient grinding teeth were necessary. Its short, bumpy molars gradually became longer, roughly cubical and equipped with flat grinding surfaces; meanwhile its face and neck grew longer to aid grazing. As the climate and environment changed, so did our little ancient horse.

Long in the Tooth

The cooler temperatures caused less evaporation from our seas which resulted in reduced rainfall. This situation facilitated the spread of the great grasslands of today as the large expanses of forest which needed greater quantities of rain to survive began to diminish. The prairies of North America, the pampas of Argentina, the grassland steppes of Europe and Central Asia, all emerged during this Ice Age. Prey animals, including ancient horse, were now no longer protected by trees and foliage, and so life began to adapt to its new set of circumstances. Archaeological digs suggest that horses existed in North America in large numbers until around twelve thousand years ago when their numbers mysteriously began to decline. The cause of their believed disappearance (simultaneous with the extinctions of a variety of other American megafauna) has been a matter of much debate; one theory argues that the cooling down of our earth’s surface was culpable. Indeed, fossil records seem to indicate that these major changes in climate and vegetation were a likely cause of the supposed extinction of the horse from America.

However, Steven M. Stanley, professor at the Johns Hopkins Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Hawaii, looked deeper into this evidence and believed that the demise of ancient horse could be due to the grittier nature of grass species and the structure of horses’ teeth. Stanley points out that thirteen million years ago there were about fifteen species of horses in North America with varying lengths of teeth. Their diet was becoming increasingly focused on grass -which contains silica, a gritty compound that wears down teeth - so the species with the largest teeth were at an advantage. Stanley also suggests that as the climate became drier and cooler, a different type of grass began to dominate North America, a grass known as C4. This grass thrived in the drier climate and began to replace the previously dominant grass, known as C3. However, C4 contained three times more silica than C3, so the four-legged species that were ‘a bit longer in the tooth’ were better equipped to survive. Horses began to adapt to their conditions, evolving into larger species and more numerous herds as the competition for survival increased in these now wide, open spaces.¹³

As continents began to shift and the climate changed, sea levels fell and mammals began to migrate throughout the world. It is widely believed that one population of our evolving horse, Plesippus, began a northerly migration, interestingly enough, with the camel, whose origin was also in North America. The two species travelled across the Bering Land Bridge into Eurasia about three million years ago. Originally called Plesippus shoshonensis - or ‘Hagerman horse’ due to its fossil remains being discovered by a cattle rancher in Hagerman, Idaho, in 1928 - it first appeared about three and a half million years ago and represented the genus ‘Equus (modern horse). Now known as Equus simplicidens, an average Hagerman horse was said to be about the same size as an Arabian horse. It was relatively stocky with a straight shoulder, a thick neck like a zebra and a short, narrow, donkey-like skull. It is thought to have had a stiff, upright mane, ropey tail, medium-sized ears, striped legs, and some striping on the back.

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Plesippus: Hagerman Horse

Lucy and Turkana Boy

Just over three million years ago, around about the time when ancient horse had started to appear in Asia, across the ocean in Africa ‘Lucy’ died. Her fossilised remains were uncovered in 1974 by an international team of scientists headed by Donald Johanson. She was named after the popular Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’, which was playing repeatedly during the night of her discovery. Lucy lay near to the village Hadar in the Awash Valley of the Afar Triangle, Ethiopia. Her discovery caused a great stir as from the shape of her pelvis the team could tell that she was perhaps the earliest known ‘person’ to have walked on two feet. Due to her small skull capacity, she also provided evidence that bipedalism had preceded an increase in brain size.

In 1976, team members led by palaeontologist Mary Leaky came across animal tracks cemented in volcanic ash in Laetoli, Tanzania. In 1978, Paul Abell joined Leakey’s team and found an 88ft (27m) long footprint trail, referred to as The Laetoli Footprints, which included about seventy human footprints. The footprints were dated at three point seven million years ago, and they left no doubt that they were made by a creature that walked on two feet - a species that was classified as ‘human’ had appeared. This two-legged creature had certain advantages over its four-legged companions. A two-legged creature only uses a quarter of the energy for movement and has two appendages - arms and hands - left free to do other tasks like gathering, sorting, collecting and storing ‘things’; multitasking had begun! Roughly two point one to one point five million years ago Homo habilis (‘Handyman’) started to make things. Homo habilis is believed to be the first species that made and used tools, known as the Olduwan tool set, this included sharpened flint stones for cleaving meat off the bone (the first knife?). And so, presumably, the quest to utilise ‘things’ to make life better and easier had started.

In 1984, Kamoya Kimeu, a member of a team of fossil hunters led by British Palaeontologist Richard Leakey, discovered a nearly complete skeleton of a young boy at Nariokotome near the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya. Aged at between eight to twelve years old and nicknamed ‘Turkana Boy’, he was said to have walked the Earth about one point five to one point six million years ago. Up until this point experts had thought that our modern ancestors had originated in China or Java, but Turkana Boy seemed to belong to a different species of human being known as Homo ergaster (meaning ‘working man’) or Homo erectus. These humans were the first known to have long legs, short arms and a tall stature - body proportions essentially like our own. The fossil of Turkana Boy was more than five feet tall and much more developed than a modern boy of that age. Analysis of his teeth and bones indicated that the boy was still growing and would have probably reached about six feet tall when mature.¹⁴

Homo erectus was very successful in creating cultural technologies that allowed him to maximise new environmental opportunities – his relationship with the environment had taken on a new perspective. His usage of ‘things’ to make life better continued to evolve. Homo erectus was believed to be the first human to make spears, to control fire and cook. Like any professional, if you strive for perfection you have to keep improving your skills. To make things and to become a skilled craftsman requires precise hand-to-eye coordination, which in turn needs a well-developed motor neurone system, which in turn produces a larger brain. A larger brain uses more energy, and