Horses and Human Cultures

November 28, 2023 - 10:00am

Horses and Human Cultures

Tuesdays from November 28th through December 12th

The close relationship between horses and humans has changed both. People have remade horses, creating dozens of breeds in efforts to make horses faster, stronger, bigger, able to survive harsh climates and avoid diseases. But horses have also changed us. The ways we travel, trade, play, work, and fight wars have all been profoundly shaped by our use of horses.


In three lectures, this seminar will explore what a horse is, their evolution, anatomy, behavior and breeds. It will present the multiple roles played by horses in human history: some heroic, some functional, some industrial and agricultural, as a source of food, often in ceremonial roles, for sport and entertainment and in art. Such plasticity is truly unique to horses and humans never get tired of finding uses for it.


Horses have inspired humans for 6000 years and form part of every culture on Earth. Attend to find out why.

José Juves is back at OLLI, albeit remotely. His interests remain history and science. José has continued his teaching experiences as a lecturer at the Renaissance Academy in Naples, Florida and at the Lee County Library. He is also a docent at the Six Miles Cypress Slough preserve in Ft. Myers.

Register for this mini-course.