Horses today are considered as friends and companions but their influence in history is ancient. In the past they were used for many different purposes; they were useful in wars and in the fields where they helped people during long working hours. They always had a big place in mythology, in literature and art. They were a symbol of power and nobility. Their freedom and loyalty to human is universally known and by riding a horse we feel like we can reach a little bit of this freedom. Horses took a great part in Greek mythology: Pegasus (the winged horse), centaurs (creatures that are half men and half horses), the horses that pulled the sun chariot of Helios or the Poseidon's one (in addition the latter god was seen as a protector of horses) are all still remembered today. They are also present in Celtic traditions (as for example Epona, the horses' goddess), in Norse, Iranian and Hindu mythology. In Christianity, the well known Saint George is most of the times portraided riding a white horse while he is defeating the dragon (moreover he is the patron saint of horsemen). Traditionally the white horse is ridden by a knight who represents good power while the black one means an evil force. The unicorn, a mythical creature, is often related to purity and chastity and during Medieval times they thought that it could only be captured by a virgin. It was adopted by James I as the symbol of Scotland and a unicorn is still present in the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. A recent study has proved that horse meat was seldom eaten after the Christianization of Great Britain and it is probably due to the fact that horse meat was related to pagan's habits.
