Origin of the Expression 'High Horse', by Darryl Lyman
In the Middle Ages, horses were differentiated less by breed than by use, such as riding horses and packhorses. Because horses played a central role in warfare at that time, the horses of highest repute were the warhorses.
There were three principal kinds of warhorses: the destrier, the courser, and the rouncey. A generic name for any of the three types was charger. The best known was the destrier, bred to be somewhat larger in height and weight than the others. Knights rode all three kinds of chargers into battle, but generally they used the two smaller types for that purpose, reserving the destrier mainly for tournaments, which were mock battles to practice warfare and to show off skills and equipment in front of audiences.
The destrier, like the other warhorses, was not a breed but a type. Raised and trained for war, it was noted for being strong, fast, agile, and tall (for that period, when horses were generally smaller than they are today). People often referred to it as the great horse (from the contemporary French term grand cheval) because of its size and reputation.
The destrier was one of the most glamorous status symbols of its time, costing far more than other horses, roughly the equivalent of a small airplane today. At public gatherings, such a horse signaled everyone that the rider was a person of importance.
Besides the French-derived common name great horse, the destrier was given the plain-English name high horse, meaning both tall and exalted. The image of the proud knight astride the great warhorse soon generated many figurative senses for the expression high horse. Today, long after the literal meaning of the term lost its significance, those figurative senses are still well known and often used.
A high and mighty air or attitude is a high horse. An arrogant, pretentious, or unyielding mood is a high horse. A sulky or resentful attitude is a high horse.
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