The word "horse" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon hors, meaning
"swiftness."
Equus
caballus, our modern horse, has developed over 60 million years from its earliest
ancestor, Eohippus (scientific name, Hyracotherium). This family of creatures
includes the donkey, the zebra and the domestic horse, along with certain wild
asses of Africa and asia, and Przewalski's wild horse.
Eohippus
(which in the Greek language means "dawn horse") which made its way
on the scene around 55 million years ago, looked more like a rabbit than the horse
that we now know. Eohippus stood about 12 to14 inches high at the shoulder, and
had a pad with four toes on the forefeet and three on the hind feet. This slim,
graceful animal had soft and low-crowned teeth which typically are more suited
for eating leaves than for eating grass.
Although
archaeologists and others have found the fossil remains of Eohippus scattered
throughout North America, Great Britain and Europe, only in North America did
this animal thrive and develop through 20 million years into its next form, Mesohippus
("middle horse"). Mesohippus was a bit larger, the size of a collie,
having longer legs and a straighter back. Now it had three toes on each foot,
but the middle toe was definitely larger. The fourth toe on the front foot had
shrunk to a splint. At this point, all of the toes touched the ground, changing
the animal's center of gravity. Also the animal's intelligence and agility had
increased.
Mesohippus
evolved through other stages, namely Merychippus ("rudimentary horse")
and Pliohippus ("more horse") at 28 million and 12 million years respectively.
These horses were more like our modern day horse with teeth more suitable for
grazing the grasslands, and its body changed to accomodate better speed and stamina.
The
modern horse, Equus arose in North America. It is professed by historians that
Equus came close to dying out about 10,000 years ago, with a few surviving by
migrating into Asia across the Bering land bridge connecting Alaska with Siberia.
The horse was not found again in America until 500 years ago when it was returned
by the Spanish conquistadors.
At
first, horses were considered food, and later domesticated by early peoples. Horses
served us by carrying food and goods over distances, transporting armies (individuals
and chariots). Later on they pulled coaches and pleasure vehicles, along with
plows and work wagons.
Today
there are over 10 million horses in the United States, used mostly for sporting
and recreational pursuits.
Horses
in History - or how "History was written
on the back of the horse," by Melinda Maidens.
Horse
Evolution - Talk.origins is a Usenet newsgroup
archive - in this case an essay on "Horse Evolution"
by Kathleen Hunt. Excellent scientific reading on
the original of horses.
Taxonomy
of Equus - a scientific system of orderly classification
of plants and animals according to their presumed
natural relationships
Darwinia
& Evolution: Horse Transitional Series (chart)
Taxonomy
of Equus
Przewalski’s
horse: evolution - EncyclopediaBritannica (chart)
The
Legacy of the Horse - The International Museum
of the Horse offers this "Chronological Trip
Through the History of Humans and the Horse."
[This is the archived version]
The
Non-evolution of the Horse / Biblical Authority
Origin
of Many International Horse Breeds, including:
