During the Warring States period, soldiers began to fight on horseback, and the horse became a symbol of the "martial spirit." As the horse began to play an increasingly important role on the battlefield, the success of a warrior came to depend more and more on the speed and agility of his mount.
而馬，也就成為中國歷史上「尚武精神」的具體象徵。由於馬的敏捷有助於戰力的發揮和時效的爭取，進入騎射時代以後，馬在軍事上扮演的角色也因此而更形重要。