How did the horse change the lives of the Lakota?

   The horse had not been native to America since much earlier times, and then not in the form we know today. With the Spanish going gold hungry in South America, they had horses with them, which either escaped or were stolen. Eventually the trading and the stealing stretched northwards until horses were common across the Great Plains.
   This strange creature became known as Sunke Wakan (shun-kah wah-kahn) by the Lakota, which translates as Sacred Dog. This exemplifies their lateral thinking. It could do most things a dog could do, certainly all the useful things, but so much better. The Lakota soon had a plentiful supply of horses, as did their neighbours, and it changed their whole way of life. This is how:

1) Transportation: Instead of having to walk everywhere, with the effort and the time that involved, the horse could carry them and their belongings at a much faster rate.

2) Warfare: As the Lakota mastered the horse (and they did become excellent horsemen) they realised it’s potential in battle. You could get to an enemy faster, you could use the horse as a shield, getting him to take you in close, and you could get away quicker should you need to.

3) Dwelling: Whereas before the horse the Lakota lived in rather small tipis this now changed. Before, the size of the lodge poles was dictated by what a dog could pull along behind it when travelling from place to place.  With the acquisition of the horse, being so much bigger than a dog, the lodge poles could also become much bigger. The travois too could become bigger enabling more goods to be carried. With bigger lodge poles came bigger tipis. Without the horse, the tipi we know today would probably not have existed.

4) Hunting: Buffalo hunting had always been a dangerous pastime. Creeping up close to what is a large, dangerous animal was something you always did with extreme care and caution. With the horse to ride the hunt developed more into the chase as we know it today. The buffalo were still highly dangerous, and only a fool dismounted near an injured buffalo, but your horse could get you in close to shoot your weapon and then take you away quickly should the need arise. The pony you used for hunting was reserved for that pastime alone and was known as a Buffalo Runner. He was always your best and fastest horse.

5) Recreation: Horse racing was considered a great sport amongst the Plains Indian and betting would take place on the outcome. Villages would travel en masse to race their finest against another village.

6) Personal Standing: A man was judged on how many horses he had and he would boast about this, along with his deeds in battle. Horses became a form of currency, so important were they.

7) Marriage Proposals: If a man wished to marry a woman then he would have to impress her father first. Apart from the reputation that the young man had he would do this by offering gifts to the father. This would include things such as buffalo robes etc but would always include one or more fine horses. The idea was to say that the daughter was worth all these things to you. If you offered old or broken down horses then you obviously thought little of the girl and her father would be bound to refuse you unless he was desperate to marry her off to someone. Thankfully, this rarely happened.

   So you can see that the arrival of the horse changed the Plains Indian for ever. A man would look after his horses because they became a necessity of his life. The Lakota mastered the horse, breeding them, breaking them to rider, using them for everything. They would also capture feral horses and break them in. The Plains Indian rode bareback, not needing saddle or stirrups and Lakota and horse soon became so close that nobody could remember the time before they came.