Dr Janet Bubar Rich became enchanted with horses in myths and legends while working on her Ph.D. in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. During class breaks, she would look at the horses in the field across from the campus and, being so impressed with the magnificent animals, she began researching the symbolic meaning of the horse image across cultures over time. She found the symbolism to be similar in ancient Greek, Nordic, Hindu, and Buddhist mythologies, as well as in Native American legends, films such as Seabiscuit, and popular plays like War Horse. Enchanted by the way the horses “enable people to go further and move faster” than they can otherwise go, Dr. Rich was inspired to write a book that was published by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers in 2016 entitled Riding on Horses’ Wings: Reimagining Today’s Horse for Tomorrow’s World.
In her book, Dr. Rich points out that once Native Americans adopted horses for hunting and riding, the horse image started entering their stories. Parents would tell their children, “If you’re good, you’ll get a horse and the horse of your dreams will take you into the skies,” she discloses. The horse became a god figure for them as it did in so many cultures across the globe over time. Horses have been a symbol of ascent across virtually all cultures throughout history.
In her book, Riding on Horses’ Wings, Dr. Rich explores how horses inspire soulful imagination, and investigates how historical and mythological love of horses has, in our technological age, become the love of high horse-powered vehicles.
Rich refers to her book as a cautionary tale, cautioning readers and listeners to pay attention to horse power and with it, the need to protect horses and all organic life, including plants, water, and human life. We need to remain cognizant of getting too caught up in “horse power” and instead focus on “getting back to the horse.” The book puts forth a call for channeling our love of horses into action; of “taking life by the reins” and making the changes needed for the survival of horses and other species on earth, our home.
