Equine Science Evolution of the Horse History of the Horse.

Equine ScienceEquine ScienceEvolution of the Horse

History of the Horse

Questions??

•What are the evolutionary changes of horses?

• How has the climate affected their evolutionary process?

• How has recent human interaction affected their evolution?

THE EVOLUTION OF THE HORSE (Equus)

Classification

Equine Science presentation #1 4

The odd-toed The odd-toed ungulatesungulates• Horses belong to the order

Perissodactyla, the odd-toed ungulates.• a mammal with hooves that feature an

odd number of toes on the rear feet• relatively simple stomachs because

they are hindgut fermenters, digesting plant cellulose in their intestines rather than in one or more stomach chambers

• This group includes horses, zebra, donkeys, rhinos and tapirs

White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) © KHW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ceratotherium_simum_kwh_2.jpg





• The genus Equus includes horses, zebra and donkeys• The last remaining branch of a diverse group of

equids• Similar to the status of Homo sapiens, the last remaining

species of a once diverse group of Hominids• The evolution of the horse is much better

documented than ours• The fossil record is very complete

EquusEquus

Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse•Eohippus (a.k.a. Hyracotherium)

• Earliest ancestor to our present horse

• Small primitive horse about the size of a fox

• Elongated skull, arched back, shortened tail, four functional toes on front feet, and three toes on hind feet

• 54 million years old


Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse

•MesohippusMesohippus

• Appeared when grasslands formed

• Larger than Eohippus, teeth further evolved, three toes on front feet, better suited to out run enemies

• Earth had changed – forest became thinned and grass increased

• 35 – 40 million years old

• 24 inches at shoulder

• Became extinct about 7 million years ago


Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse•Merychippus• Arose 20 million years ago

• Evolved in North America

• Adapted to the hard grasses of the plains

• Beginning of the grazing horse of today

• Size: 35 – 40 in., gregarious and lived in herds

• Developed grinding teeth similar to present day horse, lateral toes disappeared, middle toe thickened and hardened


Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse•Pliohippus• Developed ~ 5 million yrs ago

• First true monodactyl (one-toed animal)

• Teeth and limbs were the closest to present-day horse

• Spread into S. America, Asia, Europe, and Africa

• 8,000 year ago Equus became extinct in the Western Hemisphere and did not return until the Spanish brought horses in 1400’s


Equus caballus

• ~2 million years ago

• Modern day horse

• Became extinct in N. America • ~8,000 yrs ago

• Was not to return until • Spanish arrived in 1400’s

Pleistocene(15,000 to 2 million years ago)

• This era in the horses evolutionary time frame happened to be during and after the last Ice Age•Many animals did not

survive this drastic shift in climate

Why did horses survive this drastic shift in climate while other large

animals did not?


• Horses adapted to surviving almost solely off of grasses• They evolved a cecum to help digest the cellulose found in

stems and leaves of plants• The cecum allows horses to survive in very poor-quality

areas• This adaptation allows them to withstand a high-fiber diet

and to avoid competition among other species• This may have also lead to the increase in their size


• Evolved a larger brain that may have been related to more sensitive lips for effective foraging•3-toed to 1-toed helped make them more efficient

at fleeing from predators


• Other traits that evolved were some juvenile characteristics (Neoteny)• Higher curiosity• Flexibility or adaptability to environmental changes• A more playful nature• Submissiveness• Dependency

• These characteristics or traits lead to an easier domestication of the horse by man


• After the Ice Age, approximately 15,000 years ago, the horse became extinct in North America• This extinction was due to overhunting by the people occupying

North America at the time• Horses were close to extinction in Europe and Asia but their

domestication saved them as a species

Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse• Four Trends in the Line of Descent

• Reduction in the number of toes

• Increase in the size of the cheek teeth

• Lengthening of the face

• Increase in body size

• Evolving along with the modern horse were other species of Equus I.e. donkeys, onager, and zebras


Evolution of the horseEvolution of the horse

Przewalski Horse

•Rediscovered in Mongolia in 1879

• Wild horse who maintained itself in Europe and Asia during 60 million years of evolution

• Small, heavily built, and yellowish colored with an erect mane

• Przewalski horse has 66 Chromosomes and the domestic horse has 64


Trends in the evolution of the horses

• Increased size• Reduced number of toes and longer legs• A stiffer back

EquusMerychippus

20Ma

Teeth for grazing

• Larger teeth and a larger skull to hold them

Teeth for grazing

• Teeth with bands of hard (enamel) and soft (dentine) material on the crown• Open tooth roots permitting

continuous growth

Trends in the evolution of the horses

• The trends correspond to changes in the climate and vegetation of the Earth over the past 55 million years, • combined with the arms race between predators and prey.

From…….. rich rainforest which covered most of the Earth in which the horses ancestors browsed on leaves and hid from predators.

To ……. open savannah grassland where the modern horses grazed grass and had to run from predators.

Evolution of the Horse

• Did not occur in a straight line

•Many horse like animals branched off

• Now one genus is the only surviving branch of a once large evolutionary bush• Equus

History and Evolution

•Kingdom: Animalia•Phylum: Chordata•Class: Mammalia•Order: Perissodactyla•Family: Equidae•Genus: Equus•Specie: several

Species

•Equus caballus• True horse

•Once had several subspecies

Species• Equus przewalski

• Oldest living specie of horse

• Not discovered until 1879• Russian Captain named Nikolai

Przewalski • Discovered in Mongolia

• Ancestor of modern horse

• Cannot be domesticated

• Characteristically Dun

http://www.faunistik.net/BSWT/MAMMALIA/UNGULATA/EQUIDAE/EQUUS/equus.przewalskii.html

Species

•Equus asinus• The true

asses and donkeys of northern Africa

Species

• Equus burchelli• Plains Zebra of Africa –

“typical” zebra

• Several Subspecies

• Wide vertical stripes

• Thick horizontal stripes on the rump

• Found in Eastern and Southern Africa

Species•Equus grevyi• Grevy’s zebra, most horse like zebra•Native to Eastern Africa• Big Zebra with very narrow vertical stripes & huge

ears

Evolution

• 24 min• https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=qtX3ir4eWMM


History, Domestication &

Early Use


Domestication & Early Use•When were horses were first used?• ~50,000 yrs ago

• Crow-Magnon hunters would:• Herd horses over cliffs• Butcher for meat, bone, and hide

• Skeletal remains • ~100,000 horses found in France

Domestication & Early Use

•When were horses were first domesticated?• ~ 4,000 B.C. on• Kept for meat and possibly milk

• For work needs, what proceeded the horse?• Ass and Ox • More docile and easier to domesticate

•When were horses first used for labor?• ~2,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia

History, Domestication & Early Use• The Chinese likely first domesticated horses•Horses were initially (even before

domestication) used for food.


•Domestication: to tame (an animal), especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.


Domestication & Early Use• How were horses first controlled?

• Nose ring

• Due to effective control of ox by same method

• Popular chariot method of transportation

•Why did horse replaced the Ox?• Speed

Domestication & Early Use

•Why did man began to ride the horse?• Either for convenience or economy

• Nose rings were replaced by what?• Snaffle Bit

•Who invented snaffle bit?• Romans ~1500 B.C.• First time reins were on each side of the neck• Stirrups and saddles still unknown at this time


Egyptians• 1680 BC Dynasty of Shepherd Kind

• Invention of chariot

• Replaced donkeys

•Egyptians had a large responsibility for the spread of domesticated horse



Rome•Invented the curved bit•Horses used in the invasion of Britain 55BC•520-632 AD Mohammed• Arabs began to use horses•Wild horses of Asia (now extinct) gave rise to the

Arabian, Barb, and Turk• The Thoroughbred originated from these stocks.


Uses of the Horse and Inventions

• Early uses of horses transformed:• Travel • Warfare• Economics• Culture• Social Organization• Political Boundaries• Languages


Hippology and War

•Hippology is the study of horses• The use of horses in war (mounted cavalry)

probably led to the serious study of equitation• Ability of the rider to ride correctly, etc

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KlGmPxW8P4


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KlGmPxW8P4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KlGmPxW8P4

History of Horses in the US

•Horses traveled to the Americas with Columbus on his second voyage. They were necessary for transportation and to carry the early Spaniards on their expeditions.• Horses were not here when Columbus “found”

America in 1492


History of Horses in the US

• The horses that escaped or were abandoned reverted to a wild state and increased in numbers to become the mustang bands found by early adventurers and Indians as they moved west.

Short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKi-8K_7xwoLong:https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=u5X7iKWDILA


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5X7iKWDILA

Horses helped the Indians to kill buffalo and to carry on hostile activities against invaders.

Wild Mustangs


Colonists’ Horses

• European colonists’ brought horses that were used to pull heavy loads (wagons, plows, etc) • These types of horses are known as draft

horses


Horses of the Southeast US• Large plantations of the southeast US created the need for

saddle horses• Plantation owners wanted smooth, comfortable horses to ride.• Horse racing became popular about this time• 1730, plantation owners started importing English racehorses


Horses in the US•1861 Mail Service “Pony Express” began•Only operated for 18 months

•Used during wars•Army maintained horses until WWII


Golden Age of the Horse

• ~1890’s until the large scale mechanization of agriculture• The rise of mechanization and commerce led to a

rise in the number of horses. •A record high of nearly 21.5 million horses in

1915 (USA only)• Compared to around 6.9 million today (USA)


The Horseless Carriage

• Henry Ford starts producing the first affordable automobile in 1908• This ushered in the age of mechanization• Leads to a decrease in the number of horses• Not until 1950’s do the number of automobiles and tractors

surpass the number of horses• Horse numbers reached an all time low of 3.1 million in

1960


Millions of Horses, Autos, Tractors

0

50

100

150

200

250

1900 1915 1960 2000

HorseAutoTractor


Replacing the Horse

• As the country became more urbanized and the automobile becomes more popular the need for horses as a means of transportation decreases• The number of tractors used on farms passes the

number of horses used in 1954


The Horse Today•Most horses today are light horse breeds popular for

pleasure riding and recreation• Texas, Oklahoma, and California have the highest

horse populations• The Quarter horse, Paint, and Thoroughbred are the

three most popular ( & registered) breeds


The future of the Horse•Horse populations are rebounding as they

become more popular for recreational riding because people have more time and money for leisure activities• The need for horses for recreation and sport will

be the dominant factor in the future of the horse industry


•Majority of the world’s horses, donkeys, and mules• Not found in the U.S

•What % of horses in U.S.?• 8%

•What % of donkeys and mules• >1%

Status and Future of the Horse Industry

•How many horses in the world?• ~60 million

•Where are the majority found?•More than half are found in • Asia and South America

•Mexico, Europe, and U.S. •All have significant populations

Status and Future of the Horse Industry

Assignment

• Write a one page paper about an experience with a horse(s). • Positive experiences• Negative experiences• Life changing experience• Funny story

• If you have limited experience with horses – what are your impressions of them. What interests you about them?


Assignment

• Create a time line from the beginning of the Equus to the modern day horse. Include 2 facts for each of the era’s (Mesohippus, Eohippus, etc) we covered.

• Use a sheet of computer paper to complete the assignment.

Equine Science Evolution of the Horse History of the Horse.

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