Despite their cultural significance in many societies around the world today, horses are now most commonly perceived as symbols of wealth and entertainment. This fundamental shift in the relationship between horses and men, however, is a fairly recent cultural reconstruction. Beginning in the Industrial Revolution, developments in technology facilitated quicker and easier methods of transportation and farming that gradually eroded away man’s dependence upon horses in their daily lives. Historically, horses had served as the economic, social, and political foundations of many early societies. They appeared in ancient art at the center of religious ceremonies, and are depicted during the classical age at the very heart of history-changing events via their involvement in warfare and transportation. In today’s society, however, this relationship has shifted to a include a culturally predominant perception of horses as sources of pleasure, entertainment, and investment. As their religious significance continues to decrease today, these changes not only indicate the increasing role of horses in popular culture, but also man’s dependence upon technology as recent developments come to fill roles once predominantly occupied by horses. Such changes, however, are met today by resistance from cultures that remain economically, politically, and social dependent upon horses for their survival and cultural identity. Despite the challenge they pose, current patterns indicate the continued decline in the significance of the relationship between men and horses as man becomes increasingly more dependent upon and tuned into technology.
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