Phrase Origins: Get Off Your High Horse

I know that I have written many articles about phrases that contain the word "horse." I've written about "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," "Hold your horses," "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," and "Don't put the cart before the horse." When I first saw the phrase "Get off your high horse," I thought "I've probably written about that phrase." However, when I looked, I found that I hadn't written about it.

For once, I do know the meaning of the phrase without having to look up the meaning. It is a saying, telling another person to stop acting haughty or holier-than-thou.

I don't know the origin of the phrase "get off your high horse." I would imagine that a commander or leader probably sat on the highest horse that was in the area. A military leader may have sat on the highest horse in the cavalry. If the person was not on the horse, not as much power would be felt. This seems like the phrase moved into the vernacular (every day spoken language) from the practice.

This time, it is one of those rare times, where I am basically correct. The horses may not have been the highest horses, but they were high. John Wyclif wrote, "Ye emperour... made hym & his cardenals ride in reed on hye ors," in his English Works circa 1380.

Riding on high horses was used by military and political leaders. This way they could look down at all the other people and feel powerful.

However, by the 18 ^th century, the practice was no longer common. The 1782 work, Private Sea Journals by Admiral Thomas Pasley was published by his great-great-great grandson in 1931. Pasley wrote, "Whether Sir George will mount his high Horse or be over-civil to Admiral Pigot seems even to be a doubt with himself."

We know use the phrase figuratively as we don't tend to tell leaders to get off their high horses. We will say that somebody is on their high horse when making a decision that will seem to fail, but we don't tell this to the president or to governors or mayors. Rather, we stick to talking to people we know. Somebody will tell a friend or a relative to "get off your high horse," when a lecture is given, or somebody tries to push a moral view on another.

Source:

Martin, G. (n.d.). Get off your high horse. The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases . Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-off-your-high-horse.html