- Fossils show that the horse’s earliest ancestors cna be traced back about 55 million years to Eohippus – a small mammal with four toes on its front feet and three on its hind feet.
- Over millions of years this animal gradually developed a single hoof on each foot and longer limbs so it could move over wide areas in search of food.
- Theses animals roamed in herds for saftey. As the horse travelled across the continents, th differing climates and terrain produced a different kind of horse.
- The hotter climates produced horses that could cope with the extreme temperatures.
- Horses from hotter climates were noted for their speed while those from cooler climates were strong and calm.
- Mongolian tribes were the first to domesticate the horse about 5000 years ago.
- All domestic horses in the world today are descended from these ancestors and are called in Latin Equus Caballus.
- For centuries horses have served man in agriculture and industry as pack animals and transport and in warfare, leisure and sport.
- Today there are over 150 breeds of horses and pony.
- Horses who do not belong to a specific breed can be categorised into types such as hunter or cob.
2017-04-06