According to legend, there was a time when people did not have horses; they had cows and bulls. On high days and holidays, the rich and poor alike would attach plumes made of eagle owl feathers to the horns of the cattle, and ride them. It would have gone on so forever, but one day something happened to the animals, and they began to sicken. People were afraid of life without their source of food, and prayed to their God to replace the dying cows with something else. They prayed for days and nights. One day, as the sun rose above the steppe, the wind began to blow. From the wind God created a sad-eyed and thin-legged horse, which galloped towards the people... So the people bridled the wind...
Over the ages, the nomads inhabiting the boundless steppes have not owned rare or expensive items, nor built splendid gardens or impressive buildings. Their only wealth consisted of horses, which for them comprised everything: the pleasure of hunting, the means to win battles, meat, and the hide, for clothes. Nothing gave them as much pleasure as a horse that competed with the wind, that trampled down the sweet-smelling grass, or kicked up the golden sand. Out of all the deities the people worshipped only the sun, to which they offered horses in sacrifice, believing that only the horse could come near the sun in speed. According to Herodotus, the fastest animal matched the fastest of deities. At that time, horse-rustling was not something to shout about; horse-thieves were severely punished. If a person was caught with a missing horse, he was obliged to bring it back and pay for it nine-fold. If the thief was not able to pay, he was deprived of his children and, if he had none, he was deprived of his life. Horse-thieves were punished so severely not simply by the high prices of horses but by the fear of staining one's name with horse-stealing and the blame for it, something that unfortunately, over time has lessened. Horses were an integral part of life for the Kazakhs from early childhood. As soon as a boy was two or three years old, he was set on horse, taught to manage it and when old enough given a bow and arrow. All his life was spent in the saddle, traveling or hunting. A Roman officer and historian wrote after a visit to Kazakhstan: "they look as if they are rooted to their enduring, but ugly horses." Often, sitting sidesaddle, they would go about their usual business! They spent day and night on horseback, trading, eating, drinking and sometimes sleeping on the horse's neck so soundly that they had dreams. When they had to discuss serious matters, they would do it sitting on horses. They did not look after horses in the usual way. They groomed them, and boasted about them, as they would themselves! They wore the lightest of bridles, very short stirrups and rich harnesses. No spurs, only whips. In winter, horses were covered with warm rugs, and in battles, with mirror-like armor.

Women rode as well, just as long as men. They wore long skirts and types of baggy trousers. If attacked in the steppe by their enemies, they would fire well-aimed shots at them at full gallop. In spring, when the first kumiss (fermented mare's milk) was made, they would face East, splash it on the earth, bow to the rising sun, and give thanks for the light and heat which made the grass for the horses grow. They seldom drank simple water and had no honey, no kvass. All this was successfully substituted by kumiss. When fresh, it is as sweet as cow's milk. When it is churned, and butter extracted, it becomes acrid, with quite a bite and can make weak heads drunk. Workers would prepare black kumiss (karakoslos) from non-curdled milk for rich men. Before that, people would kick the milk until the sediment, separated from buttermilk, came down. The buttermilk was then given to the lords. The sediment, which can cause drowsiness was eaten by poor people. The hot dishes were available to all though kazy which is accessible to everybody nowadays, was mostly given to the nobility. This fatty, smoked horsemeat sausage was prepared in the following way: the fresh meat was put into salt water, and then into casings. It was smoked and dried under the ceiling of the yurt (nomad's tent) on a sag. Dja-dja (smoked horse meat) was highly prized too.
One more interesting fact: there are eighty synonyms for the word 'horse' in the Kazakh language. Some of them passed into Russian, such as kauraya (light chestnut color horse) and chubaraya (flea-bitten). Nowadays, many centuries later, Kazakhs choose names for their horses, as their ancestors did, starting with the first letter of the sire's name. They do it with the greatest love and respect.