{"id":1368,"date":"2022-09-13T12:36:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T12:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/?p=1368"},"modified":"2022-09-13T12:36:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T12:36:44","slug":"incitatus-caligulas-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/incitatus-caligulas-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything I know about Incitatus – Caligula\u2019s horse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Incitatus was a horse that belonged to the Roman Emperor Caligula. The horse was treated very well by Caligula and was even given a marble stall and his own house according to some historians. This brief piece will explore what we know about Incitatus and Caligula\u2019s relationship with him, and maybe by the end of it, we’ll have a better understanding of their relationship and why Incitatus ended up so famous in the end.<\/p>\n
Caligula was known for his love of horses and he is thought to have owned as many as 30 of them. He would often give them names that reflected his own imperial status, such as Incitatus, which means \u201cthe spurred one\u201d.<\/p>\n
Incitatus was reportedly Caligula\u2019s favorite horse and sources indicate that he was treated like a human companion. Stories tell that he was was given a marble stall and his own house, complete with a bronze statue of himself. He was also reportedly fed oats mixed with gold flakes and was given wine to drink.<\/p>\n
Caligula even went so far as to consider making Incitatus a consul, which was the highest political position in Rome at the time. This plan was never carried out, but it just goes to show how much Caligula loved and respected his horse.<\/p>\n
The History of Caligula & Incitatus<\/h2>\n
Caligula did a lot of unusual things that made him famous. For instance, he replaced the faces of gods and goddesses with his own image. He was also known for spending ridiculous sums of money on frivolous things. Though Caligula is best known for his eccentricities, one of the things he was quite good at was caring for horses.<\/p>\n