Native Americans enjoyed a special bond with their horses for centuries. Relying upon each other for food, shelter, protection and companionship enhanced this unique bond.  Many tribes became dependent on horses for their survival. Stories and legends tell of the special equines often referred to as the Horse Nation, and their relationships with the Native Americans. Each tribe has their own story as to the origins.

Horses provided an ease of living previously unknown to the Native Americans. Instead of taking a full day to hunt, they could take only a few hours, and have a more prolific hunt because they could get closer on horseback and hunt alone. They also could drive herds into traps more effectively. Horses were invaluable in battle, able to get the warriors in and out of a battle scene quickly, and often using their bodies as shields for their masters. The Comanche, especially, were adept at hanging off the horses often in perilous positions, to protect themselves or effectively attack an enemy. Horses could help the native people travel farther, drag heavy objects, and generally improved their lives exponentially. Raiding was often conducted to take enemy horses to add to tribal herds. Almost every tribe had horses by the end of the 1700’s.

Native Americans often viewed horses as a link to the realm of the spirits. Ceremonial garments decorated with horses were especially significant, as were songs and performances about their majestic four legged brothers. Horse charms were worn or carried in medicine bags to heal and aid in protection during battle. Special bonds were forged between warriors and their horses and often if the horse was killed, the warrior would carve a dancing stick likeness of their horse in wood or bone to use in special ceremonies. Beaded horse designs, headdresses, carvings and chest ornaments were highly prized for their symbolism and spiritual qualities, and images of horses were often depicted on tepees.  

When the Native Americans went to war, they would decorate their horses with war paint to match the warrior’s paint to give both spiritual power and enhance their fierceness and bravery.  Displaying wealth according to heavily decorated horse gear became the trend and horses were often traded and given as a bride price for marriages. In the late 1800’s, the Wild West Show began, and Native Americans were persuaded to show off their exceptional equestrian skills during demonstrations. This turned into a tremendous advantage for the Native Americans as the public became educated about the Native American ways. Famous chiefs such as Geronimo and Sitting Bull encouraged the tribes to participate in the shows as a source of income and education.

When the Native Americans were forced onto the reservations, their large herds of horses were destroyed or taken from them. This ended the prolific life the Native Americans had come to know with the horses. It will not ever end the special spiritual bond that the Native Americans still feel to this day that makes them one with the Horse Nation.