An entire book could be written on horse medicine, for no one single animal has contributed more to the spread of civilization than the horse. It represents travel, power, freedom — it has been associated with both burial rites and birth, with individuals riding into and out of the world upon it.

The Norse god, Odin, rode an eight-legged steed across the sky and down into the realm of death. In the Hindu tradition, the chariot of Surya, the sun god, is pulled by stallions. The great Hindu horse-sacrifice (asvamedha) reaches back to the fourth millennium. A conquering king would let a prize horse wander freely to graze, accompanied by a band of young warriors. The territory covered by the horse became the king’s grazing grounds — the horse representing the limitless energy of expansion.

The Greek word for horse is ikkos, the "great light," and Apollo, the god of wisdom, rode in a chariot drawn by four fiery horses. Bellerophon rode on the winged Pegasus, Phaethon drove his father’s chariot of the sun with his horses and Hippolytos raced off the roadside to his death because he could not control his horses.

When the Buddha took up the ascetic path, he dismissed his charioteer and had no further use for his horse, Kanthaka. This separation from his master broke the horse’s heart and he died of grief. Kanthaka is remembered in Buddhist statuary as a little horse figure of faithfulness near the great seated Buddha.

Usual symbolism attaches the horse to the earth and sea. To Poseidon, the sea God, the waves the horse’s mane; its stallion thrust, the God’s unstoppable power — its hoof, the magic of fertility. When this ferocious strength is perceived in a woman, the horse is demonized into the witches’ steed, the nightmare, the panicky madness of a runaway.

Although horses may be work-horses and farmhorses pulling their loads for civilization, dream horses still carry heroes on their backs, both in the images of dreams and in the invisible myths that accompany these images.

Heroes and saviors: Paul Revere, the pony express, Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, the dashing escapes of kings and queens. Statues in the parks of bronze men sitting atop bronze horses — Washington, Lee, Sheridan…and, they still carry us as Broncos and Pintos, Mustangs, Pacers and Colts, and as the power hidden under the hood. Even driving across the lawn and golf course, we’re still riding horses. That horse power still brings sudden death on roads and highways to so many young people at the verge of bursting into full life. For the steed who can so strongly carry life leads that same life to its funeral in the solemn procession of the riderless horse.

The Hebrew word for horse means "to explain," which equates the animal with the human intellect. The Latin equus resolves into the light of the great mind or soul. Many of the old Germanic tribes used horses for purposes of divination, believing the sacred beasts to be more in contact with the gods than were the priests.

Although the creature had been predicted by many Native American prophets, few tribespeople were prepared for their first encounter with the awesome animal that Coronado and the Spanish conquistadors brought to the plains in 1541. The eastern tribes and Iroquois Confederacy did not have their visions of the strange beast realized until the early 1600s. Because the Blackfeet had no words to describe such animals, and because they thought that the weird four-leggeds looked more like elk than anything else, they called them Medicine Elk. The horse quickly became a sacred and prized possession of the Native American people, just as it had been to the tribes of Europe and Asia.

For many Native American tribes, to see a vision of a great, white horse is to have seen the symbol of Death coming to take you to the land of the Grandparents. The association of a white horse seems to have taken on this universal image.

The Mohammedans have their Al Borak, a milk-white steed whose single stride can propel him as far as the farthest range of human vision. Slavic legends tell of Prince Slugobyl, who enlists the aid of the Invisible Knight and his horse Magu, a magical, white horse with a golden mane.

Kwanyin in China and Kuannan in Japan materialize as white horses. The Hindu god Vishnu’s final manifestation will occur when he reappears on a white horse with a drawn sword to restore the order of righteousness. The Book of Revelation says that Christ shall return riding upon a white horse and leading armies of righteousness seated upon white horses.

So what does any of this mean when you are trying to decide whether or not you have horse medicine? Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics. The horse is complex. It can represent movement and travel, or maybe it shows up to help you with movement in your own life. It sometimes symbolizes desires, especially sexual. (The stallion is often used as a symbol of sexuality.) As with people, there are a wide variety of horses — each with its own unique abilities. Riding, plowing, pulling — the horse still serves a variety of functions. To understand your own personal medicine, try to determine which kind it is. Examine the horse that shows up in your life. Examine it in regard to yourself. What is its color? What kind is it? How does it appear to you? Does it run? Do you see yourself riding it or watching it? Perhaps it is time for you to examine aspects of travel and freedom within your life. Are you feeling constricted? Do you need to move on or allow others to move on? Is it time to assert your freedom and your power in new areas? Are you doing your part to assist civilization within your own environment? Are you honoring what this civilization has given you? Horse brings with it new journeys. It will teach you how to ride into new directions — to awaken and discover your own freedom and power.

In the Chinese zodiac, those born in the year of the horse are regarded as popular and attractive to the opposite sex, but inclined to be impatient. If you have cherished the horse as your medicine animal for many years, you have learned to appreciate your spirit helper’s strength and intense desire to accomplish more things at a time than may seem possible. In addition to being able to infuse your physical body with energy and endurance, this animal medicine also has the ability to transport you to ever-higher levels of awareness.

Don’t be reluctant to ride your winged steed to explore worlds and dimensions beyond the ordinary. You need not fear becoming lost in other realities when you have such a trustworthy spiritual ally at your side. True power is wisdom found in remembering your total journey. Wisdom comes from remembering pathways you have walked in another person’s moccasins. Compassion, caring, teaching, loving, and sharing your gifts, talents, and abilities are the gateways to power. Apply this knowledge and reclaim the power you have given away by forgetting to come from compassion. Untangle yourself from the present situation and understand that every human being must follow this pathway to power before galloping upon the winds of destiny.

    Rev. Linda B. Gray is of Eastern Cherokee, Tsalagi lineage; adopted into Navajo Salt clan and taught extensively by members of Hopi Fire Clan. She is also an associate minister of University Church Institute. As founder/President of AMERINDIAN, INC., a 501 c.3 non-profit organization of Indians helping Indians, Rev. Gray keeps in touch with over 500 Federally recoginzed Tribes to facilitate delivery of clothing, food or whatever supplies and necessities are requested by a predetermined chosen elder. For information call (702) 369-9776.

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