Updated: April 23, 2021 12:26 IST A writer explains the role of a fascinating animal in making communities, economies, identities, sport, and in challenging gender stereotypes Share Article AAA A writer explains the role of a fascinating animal in making communities, economies, identities, sport, and in challenging gender stereotypes Yashaswini Chandra’s The Tale of the Horse: A History of India on Horseback is a charming book, both in its broad strokes as well as details. From the start Chandra’s passion for the horse as a “sentient being” is clear, but it is not a romanticised affair. And though it is perhaps difficult to separate horses from tales of kings and aristocrats — not least because a good deal of visual material featuring them is courtly in origin — there is a conscious effort to move beyond elite quarters and recognise the role of the horse in making communities, economies, identities, sport, and even in challenging gender stereotypes. This last extends also to the treatment of male and female mounts: while one might presume that warriors’ standard preference was for stallions, communities such as the Rajputs, we learn, “did not share in the prejudice against mares”. On the contrary, their folklore reveals a fond attachment for mares, who in some stories join their affectionate human masters in the afterlife.