Re: HORSA vs. EXWA

If I remember correctly, there were 4 or so varieties (sub-species?) of domesticated horses, along with feral horses, which largely disappeared, except for Przewalsky's horse.

From: Joao S. Lopes <josimo70@...>
To: "cybalist@yahoogroups.com" <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 9:01 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: HORSA vs. EXWA

That's a good point. European native ponies, chariot-horses from Western Asia, large forest horses from Central Europe (Percheron ancestors, the "Equus caballus sylvaticus" type), fast horses from Northwestern Asian steppes (tarpan?), that's a bunch of different morphotypes. Could we presume different names? Romance word change from equus to caballus didn't imply a different kind of horse... or did?

JS Lopes

De: Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...>
Para: "cybalist@yahoogroups.com" <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Enviadas: Terça-feira, 6 de Março de 2012 22:06
Assunto: Re: [tied] Re: HORSA vs. EXWA

It seems to me that we hashed this out around 10 years ago or so. Native European horses, as I understand, were either ponies or draft horses --used for pulling carts. Riding horses, as I remember reading in various posts, were introduced from Eurasia, from the area between the Caucasus and China.

Just as we have a separate name for pony, it would have made sense to have a separate name for a riding horse --horsa

From: Tavi <oalexandre@...>
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 4:42 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: HORSA vs. EXWA

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...> wrote:
>
> So, if understand, marten = bear = horse ???? It's weird.
>
> > Not really. The meaning 'horse' is unrelated to the others, but the
IE
> > word for 'bear' is related to the word 'marten' in other families.
>
> But,what would be the link?
>
> marten = small bear?
> hairy carnivorous mammal = marten = bear?
>
IMHO the latter would be more appropriate.