A Basic Expose on the History of Horses

Dear readers,

Today I was informed by my Human Origins Professor that I will be giving a presentation on the history of the evolution of horses sometime this semester and so I would like to use this post as a starting point in order to get thoughts together on the issue.

First, my credentials: I rode horses in competition over the course of about three or four years and I have done barn work when I fed, watered and cleaned the horses and the stables. Over the course of this time I made a point of learning horse morphology and its origins and how we are effecting the horse today.

The sum total of what I know so far is that horses started as smaller, multi toed creatures. Over time they grew and kept only one toe, which is now called a hoof. The major issues of their morphology are that their eyes are on the side of their head (meaning that they have two blind spots; One directly in front of them and one directly behind them) and a delicate digestive system.

Perhaps the larger problem is the digestive system, although the ramifications of the blind spots will be touched upon next. The largest problem for a horse posed by its digestive tract is known as colic. Colic is an upset stomach which is a problem that is exacerbated by an inability for the horse to vomit. Colic can be caused by things as simple as overfeeding or missing a few meals so great care must go into making sure the horse eats the right amount.

On topic of the blind spots, they must be kept in mind when handling a horse. If you were to create a disturbance directly in front or behind a horse with out the horse knowing that you are there the horse may get spooked which will be trouble in close quarters as a kick will easily land you in a hospital.

As to what I know of our selective breeding of horses is that a lot of it has been for racing. The Thoroughbred, one of the most popular horse breeds, was bred to be good at racing. Race horses are characterized by lighter leg bones, which allow them to run faster at the price that they are susceptible to injury.

Before I close, I wish to give a safety note: Horses, ponies and miniature horses are not dogs. I know many people who seem to think that they are like dogs, although this seems to go for ponies in particular as not many people are savvy as to what a miniature horse is. All three of the animals I just mentioned are smarter and more dangerous than a dog. Dogs can bite you but so can horses. Horses can also kick you. People are often wary of this around horses but I will vouch from experience that all caution is thrown aside once a person is near a pony.

The problem this causes is that the pony to become spoiled and makes it more likely to act up. Anything a horse can do, so can a pony. As such, to prevent any accidents, I'd like to ask my readers to treat all varieties of horses as horses and not as dogs.

I hope I didn't bore you,

Michael Hand