Horse Sense: The Challenge
This here is a simple forward section, to inform new readers about the context of the anthology series Horse Sense.
Horses are quite possibly one of the most important companion creatures in the entire history of the human race. The top spot still goes to the dog and it's earlier iteration, the domesticated wolf. The horses themselves very quickly became the preferred beast of raw power and less temperamental than early bovines, when utilized as work companions to help build human society over the centuries. Because they became such an important and integral part of human existence, it only makes sense that these magnificent and powerful beasts also have their own connection to the shared supernatural animistic lore known all over the world. We of course are talking about the legends of people whom are part person and part horse. Like a werewolf, but a horse instead.
There happens to be rather specific regions, where horses were most prominent, that are home to these legends. These also happen to be places where my own family lived for a time and learned of these legends, then told and passed them on to the next generation to enjoy. We never trusted the official written chronicles to preserve the integrity of such stories and were very disappointed when witnessing the tragic distortion or white washing of all lore during the Middle Ages. The disappointment grew more as the civilized society that came after that time continued this new way to tell stories. Only in these recent times, have we found people willing to listen again and we thank you.
This anthology will be a gradual journey back through the centuries, via some select stories I have been told by my own father and found particularly interesting. Since I have no children of my own and the last of my bloodline, you the readers will now be the ones to be immersed in these experiences. Stories about some very special horses, that found their own creative way to blend in with human society and live life on their own terms. These will also be stories about select individuals that encountered them and eventually told about them in their own words.
Due to how culture has changed over the centuries, much work had to be done with adapting these stories into a format that would be more familiar to the modern reader and easier to understand. Some things had to be expanded upon to make this possible. I doubt any of you readers has access to the same generational cultural context I have at my disposal, to properly read and understand many of these stories in their original format. These stories will take a little time to adapt and write, as we go further back in time. Your patience for each one's arrival will be most appreciated.