“The Horse” Exhibition

The excellent exhibition on horses’ lives, ongoing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, has given me not only the information on the physical and biological evolution of the horse, but also, new knowledge on how horses have shaped the world for centuries. We entered the exhibit area hearing sound of thunderous galloping and images of wild horses running freely in their natural environment. Then we saw the Botai diorama of horses lives and the inter-relationship between humans and horses. These wonderful audio-visual presentation were from all the regions of the World, from ancient to the present time - the involvement of horses in war and in peace. The artistic decorations on the horse body and on the saddle, sowned by hand, for male and female riders are stunning. The paintings of horses by early artists from the cave to art galleries around the World are also beautiful and inspiring. We saw also how horses are trained and domesticated by humans. Seeing the physical fragility of horses’ legs, I am concerned about what humans are doing to these majestic creatures - using them for funs and games of hunting, of Mongolian horseback sport, polo and horse racing. We must be sure to protect the horses from being abused by humans, especiall in agressive and dangereous activities. For example, in horse-racing, the track can be made to fit more to the fragile legs of the horses etc. I want to congratulate all the people involved, including the collaborators: the Abu-Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, the Arab Emirates, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Ottawa, the Field Museum of Chicago and the San Diego Natural History Museum for creating this marvelous exhibition.

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