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They range wild and free over the landscape of our western states. They’ve plowed
our fields, pulled our wagons, provided us with food, and allowed heroes to ride off
into the sunset with the heroine . They, of course are horses. The horse has captured
our imagination like almost no other domesticated animal, and they share a celebrated history
in with humans. Horses evolved, scientists tell us, from a fox sized animal called Eohippus during the Eocene Epoch, which was about 60,000,000 years ago. One of nature’s success stories, it soon spread to South America, and later to Eurasian grasslands over the land bridge which appears during ice ages. About 8,000 to 10,000 years ago it became extinct in its American homeland. Earth has had periodic climatic changes throughout history. The last major one ended an ice age about 10,000 years ago, submerging the land link between North America and Asia. Due to this climatic change, the horse could not migrate back to its historic homeland until Spanish conquistadors brought them back in the 16th century. Eohippus evolved into four main groupings of animals - the domestic horse, the African Zebra, the king and onager asses of Asia, and the wild ass of Africa. The wild horses of western America are descendants of domestic horses which have either escaped or been turned loose. During stone age times the horse was plentiful in Europe, and was hunted for food by the prehistoric inhabitants there. By the time of the Bronze Age - about 1900 BC in Europe, horses had been domesticated. Indo-European tribes inhabiting the steppes north of the Caspian and Black seas are thought to be the first people in history to domesticate horses. The different breeds of horses were developed in different areas, for distinct purposes. Strong, heavily built draft horses apparently have their origins in Europe. Slow, they were used as pack animals, and for hauling heavy loads on wagons. They were also useful for military purposes, as the knight in shining armor was quite a load requiring a big, strong horse. Arabian horses were bred in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Small and fast, they were ideal for riding through an arid landscape, covering long distances quickly. The British Isles are the probable ancestral home of the pony. It would be hard to overstate the importance of the horse to our civilization. Mounted, a man can travel much faster and farther than he can on foot. Horses can carry heavier loads faster and farther than a man can. The horse has plowed, planted, and cultivated our fields. It has pumped water, herded cattle, and performed countless other tasks either too hard or tedious for its human keepers The horse has saved lives in medicine, too. The antitoxin for tetanus is obtained from horses which have been inoculated with tetanus toxic. Manufacturing has benefited from the horse also, as an excellent quality glue is made from the horse’s bones and cartilage. The horse has provided clothing with its fur, and leather from the horse is used to make belts, shoes, and other apparel. Horsehair is used for stuffing in pillows and furniture, and makes excellent artists brushes. They have even aided our cultural development, as horsehair is used for violin strings. It’s easy to see why the horse is one of our most beloved domesticated animals. Horses have made innumerable contributions to our civilization throughout the joint history of horse and humans, providing transportation, food, draft power and companionship. |