Man and Horse in Byron’s Poetry

In his poetry and in letters Byron occasionally writes of horses and uses the imagery of horse riding. This essay examines Byron’s representation of human-horse interactions and the ways in which the poet deploys the images of horse riding in The Giaour, Mazeppa, and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. I would like to suggest that Byron’s representation of horses may be seen as figuratively reflective of his poetic development from the passion-spurred ride of the Giaour to the harmonious bond between horse and human that Mazeppa learns through his wild ride.