Now that we are on to Day Two, I hope everyone has had a chance to look at the site, try out some of its features, and you are now ready to settle in for the long stretch (as we say in the horse industry!).  Having gone through the introduction and orientation, you can now begin to work through Unit 1 and start to learn about this amazing creature we know as the horse!  There really is no other animal that has done so much for humankind.  Initially as a food source for humans, the horse became a valuable partner for humans when they learned to domesticate the animal.  The horse provided milk to make Koumiss, meat, hides, and other important contributions including a religious reverence in many cultures.  From there, humans learned to teach the horse to pull loads, bear weight, and eventually developed an equestrian partnership with the horse that took the humans far and wide and impacted on language, trade and of course, wartime.  Coming up on November 11th, the red poppy is worn to commemorate the men and women who gave their lives to war time.

Did you know that there is a Purple Poppy that commemorates the sacrifice of the animals for war time?  Horses in the millions were involved in pulling ambulances, cannons, military troops and supplies in many countries around the world.  The purple poppy is a silent tribute to the horses, and other animals (pigeons, elephants, camels, dogs, mules, donkeys, and even rats!) that were put into service to contribute to the war efforts around the world.

So, onto learning about this magnificent creature so that we can be better prepared to support the health, welfare and safety of the horse!