<p>Horses have never played a big role in Taiwan’s history – or have they? Eryk and John start Season Six of Formosa Files and celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse by uncovering a series of surprising equine stories. </p><p><br></p><p>We have prehistoric horses, Dutch cavalry, and Indigenous riders hunting wild cattle in the 1700s. And this will be a revelation to most; horse racing was hugely popular across the island during the later part of the Japanese colonial period. </p><p><br></p><p>In the 1930s, tens of thousands flocked to the tracks, fortunes were wagered, and the Japanese colonial government even linked betting to imperial patriotism.</p><p><br></p><p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/formosafiles/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">IG </a>or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Formosafiles/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">FB</a>. </p>