The Historical Horse

1
The Historical Horse

• Equine Science

2
How Evolution Works

• Rates of evolution depended on the ecological
  pressures facing the species
• Fossils reveal four trends from Eohippus to Equus
• Reduction in the number of toes
• Increase in the size of the cheek teeth
• Lengthening of the face
• Increase in body size

3
The Hunted Horse

• Stone Age paintings on the walls of caves in
  Western Europe frequently show the horse as an
  object of prey
• They also show the effort artists expended to
  show its beauty and majesty
• Early man couldnt outrun the horse or kill it
  from a distance but evidence exists that he would
  drive it over a cliff, killing the animal

4
Domestication of the Horse

• Between 4000 and 3000 BC the horse began to be
  used as a harness animal
• Tame horses were first kept for meat and possibly
  milk
• Horses began to carry goods of nomadic tribes and
  became important as more than a meal on the hoof

5
Role of the Wheel

• Because of its speed, the horse quickly became
  the favored draft animal
• By the time horses were numerous in the Near
  East, a light chariot with spoke wheels had been
  developed

6
The Yoke

• First developed for pairs of horses to pull under
• Secured with a strap around the throat that
  pressed on the windpipe
• Was developed further to include legs that
  would lie along the horses shoulder to take
  pressure off the throat
• Distributed weight more evenly

7
Riding

• Metal bits were used for control of chariot teams
  in war
• Riding was casual until after 1000 BC
• Scythians were nomadic horsemen occupying the
  middle East as early as 800 BC considered first
  group to use horses in a mannered, disciplined way

8
The Roman Army

• Cavalry-led force using military men on horseback
• The only way for those invaded to counter the
  Roman attacks was to form their own cavalry forces

9
China

• Chariots were used in war early on
• Light cavalry proved more effective as a defense
  against repeated invasion from the Huns
• Paintings show the Chinese as complete horsemen,
  with modern-looking equipment and an easy seat on
  the mount

10
Europe after the Romans

• Horse became largely a vehicle for battle or the
  hunt
• Chariots fell from use and the wagon remained
  primarily a farm vehicle
• Horses were expensive to own and keep compared to
  oxen or donkeys
• Hunting deer on horseback became popular during
  the Middle Ages

11
The Renaissance

• Horse anatomy became a subject of scientific
  interest and study
• Horse training became a disciplined art
• Vehicle design advanced and the horse was used
  for the transportation of goods and people
• Coaches and other vehicles were far superior to
  earlier cars and wagons

12
Questions for Review

• List the four fossil trends from Eohippus to
  Equus.
• When and for what was the horse domesticated?
• Discuss the evolution of the yoke.
• What is significant about the Scythians?
• Why did horses become less popular in Europe?
• When and why did their popularity rise again?