Myth of the Centaur

It has often been thought that the myth of the Centaur, a half-human and half-horse creature, was inspired by original sightings of the first man on horseback.

From a distance they must have appeared to be one animal, half-man and half-horse, and the first sightings of people on horseback probably caused great fear and alarm.

Suddenly, our small world became much larger, and with the taming of the horse, whole new horizons were opened up to man.

Over the centuries, as different breeds of horse have evolved, they have each become highly adapted to their particular environment, which in part explains why their evolution has been so successful.

Consider what a huge impact it must have been when the first horses were domesticated and able to be ridden and driven.

A mythological horse is depicted in The Centaur Chiron Teaches the Young Achilles Archery by Lo Spagnulo.