The Influence of Horses on Our Society IMS #8890-A.

The Influence of Horses on Our Society

IMS #8890-A

Objectives

• Explain the early history of the horse

• Describe the origin of the horse and its arrival into the United States

Objectives

• Discuss the growth and decline of horses in the United States

• Explain the current status of the horse industry

• Discuss the future of the horse industry

Overview

• Humans - relationships with horses for thousands of years

• Originally used as food source

• Eventually used for military, agriculture, commerce, recreation, & sport

Overview

• United States - extremely influential in development of country

• During the settlement of the West, horses pulled families in wagons

• People used horses for transportation, handling livestock, & carrying mail

Overview

• Utilization of horses as power source declined after onset of mechanization

• People still employ them as source of power

• Draft horses or mules appropriate for small farms & selective cutting of forests

Overview

• More economical

• Do less harm to the environment than tractors & other mechanical equipment

• Mule - cross between a female horse (mare) and a male donkey (jack)

Early History of the Horse

• Ancestors first appeared in North America 55 million years ago

• Spread to Asia & Europe

• First horse was Hyracotherium– More commonly known as eohippus– “Dawn horse”


• Size of large dog & had four toes on front feet & three toes on rear feet

• Legs were thin, neck short, & teeth could chew tender leaves


• Modern humans first appeared in Africa approximately 130,000 years ago

• Horses had evolved to current form of genus Equus

– Evolved - having moved through process of a continuous change from simpler state to higher, more complex state


• Humans first domesticated horses in Asia 5,000 years ago – Domesticated - tamed or gentled for any

use by man

• Historians believe Chinese were first to use horses productively– Rather than keeping herds for food


• Humans began to successfully exploit horses for war– Led to first serious scholarship of equitation

• Greek horseman, general, & scholar, Xenephon wrote book about training & riding horses– Advice written is as good today as it was

when written in fourth century B.C.

Horses in the United States

• 8,000 years ago - horses disappeared from North America

• Reason unknown

• Some think they died out because of some sort of contagious disease or parasite


• Others believe combination of climatic change, competition from other species, & failure to adapt may have contributed to the mysterious disappearance of the species from the continent


• 1493 - Columbus brought horses back to New World second voyage

– West Indies in the Caribbean Ocean

• Conquistadors conveyed them to mainland of South America & Mexico


• Cortez conquered Mexico in 1519, with aid of Spanish horses

• First horses to enter U.S. came with de Soto

– Explored terrain extending from Florida Everglades to Missouri Ozark Mountains


• In 1540, Coronado guided expedition of soldiers from Mexico into Great Plains

• Some horses in North America originated from Spanish missions


• Catholic missions stretched from eastern coast of Mexico to Pacific coast

• Missionaries brought other farm animals such as:– Cows– Sheep– Goats


• Possible these were foundation stock of first horses of American Indians & wild horses that exist in the American West

– Foundation stock - original animals of a breed

• Also possible they originated from stray & abandoned horses of de Soto & Coronado


• Horses changed lives of Indians– Could track & hunt buffalo over greater

territory

• European colonists transported powerful workhorses to New England– Pulling plows– Riding– Pulled stagecoaches in teams


• Colonists established plantations in southeastern United States in 1700s

• Plantation owners bred horses with smooth, comfortable gaits in order to survey large properties


• Horse racing arose as pastime

• 1730 - plantation owners started importing English racehorses

• 1750-1850 - large, heavy horses lugged Conestoga wagons between Pittsburgh & Philadelphia – Major type of freight transportation


• During latter part of nineteenth century, freight trains replaced wagons

• As West became settled & cattle ranches established, horses used to:– Herd– Move– Work cattle


• Tradition continues today

• Huge cattle drives of late nineteenth & early twentieth centuries now nonexistent

• Nonexistent due to advent of fencing & extensive transportation networks


• Pony Express began in 1861 as mail service

• Only operated for 18 months before telegraph communication caused it to be outmoded


• Riders would gallop horse hard for 10-15 miles before passing mail pouch to another rider on a different mount

• Mount - means of conveyance, such as a horse, on which to ride.

Growth and Decline of the Horse

• Golden age from 1890s until agriculture became mechanized

• Everyone loved horses during this era

• Every town had livery stable, watering trough, & hitching posts


• Livery stable - boarding stable for horses or other animals

• Hitching posts - rails to which horses are tied


• Several industries associated with horses were fundamental parts of national economy

• Kids revered village blacksmith

• Blacksmith - person who trims & puts shoes on horse’s hooves

Growth and Decline of the Horse• Breed called bobtailed hackney owned the

streets– Bobtailed hackney - large horse used to pull

carriages

• Around 1900, only wealthy owned cars

• Only 8,000 cars

• Most people disliked cars & complained about noise


• 1908 - everything changed when Henry Ford invented assembly line

• Produced car that sold for only $825

• Trucks, tractors, & better roads followed

• Days of working horse numbered


• As automobile, truck, & tractor numbers increased, number of horses declined

• Highest number: – 1915 – 21,431,000 horses

• Lowest number – 1960 - 3,089,000 horses


• Manufacturing & commerce greatly affected rise & fall of horses

• During early growth phase of industry, numbers increased in order to transport:– Raw materials

– Manufactured commodities

– Agricultural products


• Eventually, trucks, tractors, & automobiles replaced them

• Resurgence of use of draft horses for:– Logging

– Carriage horses

– Small-scale & organic farming


• Horse numbers have increased in areas of recreation and sport

• Currently there are 6,931,000 horses in the United States


Number of Horses & Participants By Activity

Activity # of Horses & Participants by

Activity

# of Participants

Racing 725,000 941,400

Showing 1,974,000 3,607,900

Recreation 2,970,000 4,346,100

Other 1,262,000 1,607,900

TOTAL 6,931,000 7,062,500


• Largest number of horses:– Texas

– California

– Kentucky

• Breeds with the highest number:– Quarter Horse

– Thoroughbred

– Standardbred

Current Status of the Horse Industry in the United States

• Horse industry expanding

• Produces direct goods & services totaling $25.3 billion

• Impact of $112.1 billion on gross domestic product (GDP)


• Racing, showing, & recreation contribute more than 25% of entire value of goods & services created by the industry

• Attendance at racetracks declined in recent years due to off-track betting & other types of gambling

– Attempting to draw crowds by combining racetracks & casinos


• Many children and young adults participate in horse activities

• 4-H horse projects lead the way in the 4-H plant & animal project category


• Forest Service employs horses as pack animals– Can travel into remote areas that no

vehicle can access

• Commonly seen in movies & parades

• Police use them to control crowds


• Therapists put people with physical or mental challenges on horses to improve their:– Balance

– Coordination

– Thought processes

Future of the Horse Industry

• People often choose to spend leisure time on a horse or just around them

• Human interest in physical fitness & mental well-being also attract people to horses


• Riding horses is a challenging physical activity

• Number of horses will hold steady or increase

• Periodic economic downturns tend to discourage breeders


• Horse owners will continue to have problems with access to property & trails

• Urban & suburban expansion

• Development of rural “suburbs”

Summary

• Humans have had relationships with horses for thousands of years

• In the United States, horses were extremely influential in development of the country

Summary

• Ancestors first appeared in North America about 55 million years ago

• Spread to Europe & Asia where

• Historians believe Chinese were first to truly use horses productively

Summary

• 1493 - Columbus brought horses back to New World on his second voyage.

• Horses changed lives of the Indians as they could track & hunt buffalo over a greater territory

Summary

• Horses had golden age in United States from the 1890s until agriculture became mechanized

• As automobile, truck, & tractor numbers increased, number of horses declined

Summary

• Manufacturing & commerce greatly affected rise & fall of horses

• Horse industry is expanding

• Contributes significant amount to country’s GDP

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The Influence of Horses on Our Society IMS #8890-A.

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