Many animals played important parts in the ancient Greek society, one exceptional example being the warhorse. Many underestimate the impressive part being played on the sidelines; a mount, which not only kept the rider safe from the chaos that reined below, but also provided an advantage of angle-it was harder to hit the rider (from the ground) than it was for the rider to hit a warrior on the ground. After all, who would want to face a trained killer atop a raging stallion, hooves flashing, nostrils flaring? Not I, either. The horse was a symbol of wealth and power-if you had one, you were of a relatively high rank. They are also spread far throughout Greek mythology. The famous Pegasus was, originally, a single horse with wings that helped a certain hero defeat the chimera who was plaguing a city nearby. The horse has long been associated as in a [mental] image with the Greek gods. Poseidon was said to be the creator of the horse, often seen as being pulled through the ocean in a chariot pulled by golden horses. It was also common then to compliment people and gods by their horseback riding skills. Aphrodite, for example, is described as "golden-reined" by the ancient Greek writer, Aischylosas. Yet another reason horses were favored as animals among ancient Greeks were their role in many sports. Chariot racing was a common, popular (and risky) sport, in which a man was pulled in a small, rickety chariot by a horse around a track. Horse racing was also big, but not as much as chariot racing.
Obviously, people just plain liked their horses, too!
Here is a Glog I made of this:
http://17kfeuerstein.glogster.com/false/
