:This article discusses ungulate mammals. For other meanings of horse, see Horse (disambiguation).
The Horse (Equus caballus) is a large ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. It has long played an important role in transportation; whether ridden, or when pulling a chariot, carriage, horse-drawn boat, stagecoach, tram, etc.; also as plough horse, etc. as well as for foodFood is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. The term food also includes liquid drinks. Food is the main source of energy and of nutrition for animals, and is usually of animal or plant origin. The study of food is called food scienc; see also domestication of the horseThere are a number of theories regarding the domestication of the horse . Although horses began appearing in cave art as early as 30,000 BCE, these were truly wild horses, and were probably hunted for meat; how and when they became domesticated is less cl. Until the mid 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre, armies used horses extensively in warfareWar horses are horses specially trained for use in battle or individual combat (see also: Jousting). A war horse's training would generally address its responsiveness to being controlled without reins, tolerance for the noises of battle, and its adaptabil: soldiers still call the groups of machines that now take the place of the horse on the battlefield "cavalry" units, sometimes keeping traditional names (Lord Strathcona's Horse, etc.)
1 Evolution of the horse
250px White horse
In comparison to our understanding of the development of most animals, evolutionists have a good grasp on the evolution of the horseThe evolutionary stages of the horse (family Equidae) serve as an excellent illustration of the evolutionary process because it allows us to observe a step-by-step change in the shape of the bodies, the build of the limbs, and the structure of the teeth. from the very early (around 55 million years ago) Hyracotherium or eohippus to the wild equids listed below. By natural selection, the toes of early horse ancestors reduced to the single central toe which forms the hoof of the modern equine. (Compare animals with 'cloven' hooves (2 toes), like cows, pigs and sheep.) Vestiges of other toes remain as the splint bones, the callus-like "chestnuts" on the inner sides of all four legs, and the "ergots" hidden in the hair of the underside of the fetlock joint. In his 1983 book Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes (BooksEnthsiast.com), the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould ( September 10, 1941 May 20, 2002) was a New York-born American paleontologist, an evolutionary biologist and historian of science. He was the most influential and widely-read writer of research-based popular science of his generation. cited rare instances of modern horses with true extra toes as evidence that minor genetic mutations can reintroduce ancestral features.
In nature, horses function as prey animals. They have a natural tendency to flee from danger, though they will fight if cornered. Their eyes lie to the side of the head, giving them a wide view while grazing (slightly less than 180 degrees to each side, overlapped in front and leaving a blind spot in the rear). Even domesticated horses startle easily and must, for the safety of riders, undergo careful introductions to strange objects and situations .
Horses live in family groups in primarily grassland habitats. These normally consist of a mature stallion, his harem of about one to ten mares, and the mares' offspring. Once young males reach breeding age and begin to attempt to breed with mares or to challenge the herd stallion, the latter drives them out of the herd to form "bachelor bands" with other young stallions. Usually not until a stallion reaches 7 or 8 years old does he stand a real chance of acquiring mares, eventually becoming, if successful in the attempt, a "band stallion", i.e. having a harem of his own, having separated female equids from another stallion's band.
An alpha mare dictates the direction in which a family herd travels, while the stallion brings up the rear, "herding" his family. Recently, researchers have observed that a form of democracy appears to exist among horses. For instance, if the majority of the herd wants to stop and eat, the whole herd follows suit.
