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I disagree. We don’t ride horses the way we did before because we now have transport and cars and trucks. We still run and bike and gym. Sometimes to commut

• bluGill 4y ago
  > We don’t ride horses the way we did before There are more people riding horses than ever - it has become a hobby for the upper middle class, head to the exburbs of any US city and you will see lots of people who work in the city and come home to their horses every night. Back before cars oxen were preferred for most tasks needing animal power - they were stronger and ate less food. Where speed mattered though the horse was better. Of course before the car people walked unless they were disabled - the horse/oxen were for pulling cargo or the plow, but either way you walked behind (it wasn't unheard of for the wagon driver to lead the team, though often they would sit on the wagon). If you lived in a city (remember before tractors 95% of the population lived on a farm!) you probably didn't have any animal transport at all: they ate too much food. On the farm animal labor was useful, so if the farm could support it you would have it (many farms couldn't, and slaves were potentially more useful for the rest)