The Horse of Yesterday and Today

The Horse of Yesterday and Today

Horses, one of the most fascinating animals in the history of mankind, have been an integral part of society since the beginning of civilization. In the days of primitive culture, man looked towards the horse as a source of food. Since that time however, he has relied on the horse for warfare, work, transportation and sport. "Ð''After God', said the Spanish conquistadors, Ð''we owed the victory to the horse.' With equal truth it can be asserted that much of our human progress has been dependent upon the use man has made of the horse" (Edwards 9). Edward's affirmation is further proven throughout history. From the migration of primitive nomads to the conquering of entire civilizations, there is no aspect of life that the horse has not affected. His own history, however, began millions of years before humans even evolved.

Through years of research, paleontologists have uncovered many of the evolutionary mysteries that have eluded man. "Few animals in existence today can be traced backÐ'...to the dawn of their creation as can horse" (Peters 11). While reviewing the fossil records however, it is important to remember certain crucial points. First of all, the timeline that is to be presented is an oversimplification of the actual evolutionary path. The development of what is now the modern horse, or Equus, did not proceed in a straight line. There were actually a number of similar species that existed simultaneously. The Equus, however, happened to be only one of the branches of this evolutionary tree that has survived to the present. Secondly, the horse in itself has descended in gradual stages. Different traits and characteristics, therefore, evolved at different rates. Some species arose gradually, and others appeared quite suddenly.

The Eocene period of prehistory occurred about 55-58 million years ago. It was in the warm atmosphere of North America that the earliest ancestor of the horse emerged. The Eohippus, or "dawn horse" stood only 10-20 inches high. These prehistoric horses had four toes on their front feet, and three on their hind feet. Each toe ended in a separate sub-hoof, with only a rough protective pad protecting it from the ground. Its small head, short ears and long tale generally resembled a small dog or fox. Unlike canines however, this species was a browsing herbivore (Roberts 9). Eohippus was, therefore, the first animal recognizable to paleontologists as a link to the prehistoric horse.

As environmental conditions changed however, so did the Eohippus. Circa the Pliocene period, close ancestors such as the Orohippus, and Epihippus began to emerge. Paleontologists found that as land conditions changed, so did many of the characteristics of the horse. Firstly, the toes gradually retracted. Eventually, the fourth toe disappeared, and the animal gradually evolved into a three-toed grazer (11). Aside from toes, the horse's teeth also began to change intro grinders, which meant that these species were now eating tougher plant life.

The next important classification of early horse species involve those that appeared in the Late Eocene and Oligocene era. From the Mesohippus or "middle horse" to the Pilohippus (the first one toed creature), and finally the Equus Caballus, there emerged the first true resemblance of what the horse has become today. During this period, the climate of North America began to change, thus creating further adaptations in the horse. They not only grew tremendously in height, but their backs became straighter and their legs slimmer so as to run faster.

Although this evolutionary timeline is generally accepted as accurate, there are still some holes in the theory. For some point during the Pleistocene Period, (circa 9000 BC) paleontologists have been unable to find any horse fossils in North America. It was at this time, however, that they appeared in other places like Europe, Asia, and Africa, leading experts to believe that some sort of migration took place near the end of the last Ice Age (11). They were not brought back to their place of creation until the 16th century with the Spanish discovery of the New World.

The first relationship between human beings and the horse was as a source of food. According to editor Peter Roberts, the primitive nomad groups would actually follow the herds of wild horses, "Ð'...taking milk from the mares and slaughtering other members of the herd as necessary to provide food." (12). Although nobody really knows when or who first trained the first horses, "Ð'...scientific discoveries at the ancient city of Susa in southwestern Asia show that people rode horseback more than 5,000 years ago" (World book 324). Old cave paintings show that it did not take man long to realize just how valuable domesticating the horse would be. Not long after this, the techniques of horsemanship were becoming evident throughout Europe. According to some prehistoric tablets, the Hittities trained horses for sport and war around 1400 BC (Worldbook 324). As a result of such warfare, the horse was soon spread throughout the world. Before long, horses were also exchanged on the great trade routes of the east.

The early Greek and Romans were also expert riders. The Sybarites even taught their horses to "dance" (known today as dressage). Various forms of riding tack (saddle, bridle, stirrups, etc) were also found in royal tombs, evidence that they were highly valued in many societies.

During the time of ancient Rome, one major use of the horse was chariot racing. With the addition of the chariot onto the horse, one or more could ride along comfortably. Also, the chariot enabled another horse to be added to increase speed. It was also the Romans who implemented horse breeding. This is a major turning point in the evolution of the horse as man had now begun deliberate selective breeding. When Rome fell, the barbaric Huns rode into the city, using various forms of tack. They actually used the stirrups and saddles as a standing platform where they shot arrows.

China did not embrace the horse until a few centuries after the rest of Europe. Once they did however, they made some important contributions to the domesticating of horses. Most of the horse harnessing techniques were made by the Chinese. They invented things like the breeching strap, the breast harness, and the horse collar. With these new inventions, the horse could be further controlled. This device took man one step further in taming the wild animal.

Possession of a horse in the Persian Empire was a status symbol and was therefore confined to the upper classes. Horses in this kingdom were used primarily in hunting,