The horse latitudes are two high-pressure belts
characterized by low winds, at about 30 degrees north and south of the equator. Dreaded
by early sailors, these areas have undependable winds with long periods of calm. In the
Northern Hemisphere, particularly near Bermuda, sailing ships carrying horses from Spain
to the New World (the Americas) were often stalled. When water supplies ran low, these
animals were the first to go without water. Dying from thirst or tossed overboard, the
animals were sacrificed to conserve water for the men. Explorers and sailors reported
that the seas were "strewn with bodies of horses." This is one explanation of how these
areas came to be called the horse latitudes.
The term might
also be rooted in complaints by sailors who were paid in advance and received no
overtime when the ships slowly proceeded through the windless regions. During this time,
they were said to be "working off a dead
horse."
Sources:
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science, p. 121; Rovin, Jeff.
Laws of Order, p. 87; Tufty, Barbara. 1001 Questions
Answered About Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Other Natural Air Disasters, pp.
189-90.
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