The sound is unmistakable: the thundering hooves of a running horse. Horses have been racing across the landscape for more than 50 million years—much longer than our own species has existed. But once horses and humans encountered each other, our two species became powerfully linked
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Humans domesticated horses some 6,000 years ago, and over time, we have created more than 200 breeds, from the powerful Clydesdale to the graceful Arabian. As we have shaped horses to suit our needs on battlefields, farms and elsewhere, these animals have shaped human history. They have also captured our imagination and hearts. Millions of people rely on horses as their spirited, dedicated, much adored companions.
On today's episode of Trot Radio, Norm Borg talks to Sheldon Posen, curator of The Horse which runs from May 28 to Jan. 2, 2011, at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, an exhibition to delight the devoted equestrian and pique the interest of the merely curious.
The Horse features artifacts culled from the American Museum of Natural History's vast collections and other collections from all over the world. It was so popular at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh last year that its stay was extended by six weeks.
Among the artifacts are an Inca cup dating from the 1500s that shows a Spanish conquistador on horseback; the mounted skeleton of Lee Axworthy, the first trotting stallion in harness racing history to break the two-minute mile in 1915; and a 2,200-year-old bronze figure of one of the "celestial horses" of China.
Episode 125 - curator Sheldon Posen
Running Time: 7:17
Audio Format: MP3 audio
Host: Norm Borg