Did you know that out of all the large animal species on earth, only 14 have ever been successfully domesticated by humans? Of those 14, there are none that have had the worldwide impact of the horse. Cultures which domesticated horses quickly gained leverage over their neighbors in a wide variety of areas, from food production and transport to combat. In fact, until the invention of the tank, the horse was mankind’s greatest advantage in combat transportation!

Today, horses are still found helping humans in many areas. On our continent, the horse has become less utilitarian and more of a hobby, due to the advantages of machine power. Horses remain a subject of fascination for many, though, so it’s worth it to have a look at the history of both this amazing animal and the way in which our relationships with it developed.

Evolution of the Horse

The earliest ancestor of the horse is thought to be an animal called the Eohippus, which means “dawn horse” in Latin. This tiny animal only bore a passing resemblance to the horses of today. It was the size of a rabbit, with unfused leg bones as well as “extra” toes. This horse ancestor was found on every continent, although it is thought to have done best in what is now North America.

Next up was the Orohippus, which had one less toe and different teeth. Epihippus followed, again with some major changes to the jaw structure, its teeth increasingly adapted towards grinding tough plant material.

True horses did not appear on the scene until about 2 million years ago, when the animals first described as Equus were to be found on the plains of North and South America. These animals looked like just slightly smaller versions of the domestic horse of today, and did well for millennia. They spread over land bridges into Asia and from there into Europe, where they continued to evolve into different species.

For some reason, the Equus, along with dozens of other species of large mammal, became extinct in North America about 11,000 years ago, for reasons unknown.

Horses and Humans

Fortunately for humans, those wandering bands of Equus that made it to the Old World would provide the stock for the partnership which became integral to our history.

Probably the first contact between horses and humans were detrimental for the horse, as they were most likely seen as a good food source. One can only speculate that over time, some enterprising group realized the possibility of using the big, fleet footed animals as transportation or to pursue other prey.

One theory suggest that individual humans kept foals alive after adults had been killed for meat, raising them and becoming aware of their potential. Whatever the exact cause of domestication (which is defined as control over breeding) it happened with horses in various parts of the world at different times.

Some of the earliest evidence of domestication are horses buried with chariots in places ranging from Egypt to Greece, and even in China. Evidence of a human/horse partnership dating back a couple of millennia BC has been found in France, Kazakhstan, Germany, and Mongolia as well.

One popular theory suggests that our modern domesticated horses sprung from four species of wild stock. These were the Forest horse of northern Europe, the Draft of the same location, the Oriental in western Asia, and the Tarpan of Mongolia.

Once the first horses were bred successfully, the course of human history would change. Able to travel longer distances, pursue bigger game, transport more goods, and with a significant advantage in battle, horse cultures would come to dominate those which did not have a partnership with these amazing creatures.