The Transformation of the Horse Sue Miller A look at

The Transformation

of the Horse

Sue Miller - Advanced PATH International Instructor & ESMHL

Ifind it amazing that the horses you see today are a marvel of qualities that have adapted from descendants some 56-million years ago. What is astonishing to me is that the horse started as something so far removed from the magnificent, majestic creature we know today. Horses have been called the noblest of creatures, and it’s easy to see why. Depending on which scientific accounts you believe, horses have been one of man’s best friends since anywhere from 4000 to 2000 B.C. They’ve taken us wherever we’ve asked them to including the fields of battle.

The domestic horse is an innovation – a never ending process of modification. From caterpillar to butterfly if you will. Watching horses is an invitation to fall in love with them, but also their longterm evolution.

Horses have been shaped and reshaped by ice ages, heat spikes, volcanic eruptions, and tectonic forces. Horses can live in the most challenging of environments. Horses are resilient and malleable to their surroundings.

The first horses were more the size of a fox and had toes. The front legs of the dawn horse, called Eohippus found around the time of the Eocene stage had four-fingered toes on each fore-limb and three-fingered toes on each hind limb making them an odd-toed ungulate. Today, horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal.

It’s hard to believe that Eohippus that stood not much more than 14 inches at the shoulder and was about 2 feet long could one day become the size of a Shire draft horse standing some 5 foot 6 inches at the shoulder and weighing close to a ton.

It is the large middle toe that was key to the horse’s survival. Over time horses placed more weight on the middle toes, until the other toes became useless. The vestigial toes are still present on horses today. They have become the chestnut and the ergot respectfully. The wart like areas on the inside of each of the horse’s legs and the small growth at the back of the pastern, above the hoof on each leg.

The five major changes that brought about modifications in the horse started with Eohippus at about 50 million years ago. Mesohippus had a larger body with longer limbs than its predecessor (Eohippus), it stood about 2 feet tall. Gradually it improved its body features suitable for running faster. The face of Mesohippus became longer and larger and teeth evolved suited to grind grass.

Next came the Merychippus at about 10 million years ago. Merychippus lived in the middle of Miocene to Pliocene age. This was thought to have been the first horse to have grazed. In this version of our equine friend, their middle toe started to become a hoof and the side toes began to recede.

This was followed by the Pliohippus at about 5 million years ago. Pliohippus became the first horse in the evolution with a single toe (hoof). With its long and slim limbs, Pliohippus was able to run faster than other creatures, had teeth similar to modern day horses, and stood a little over three feet tall.

It was originally thought that no horses had roamed the American West before the Spaniards brought over horses in the 1400s during their explorations, some of which escaped to roam free eventually becoming the American Mustang. However, fossil findings in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain regions of the west Spring 2021

Skeleton of Horse Eohippus 50 million years ago

dispel that notion. While the area was once covered by the sea, it now shares a plethora of history about the horse. Scientists think that much of equine evolution took place in North America. Horses became extinct around 10,000 years ago during another tectonic shift. Horses may have stepped onto a floating landmass and not arrived back to North America until humans began to explore the world and bring their steadfast companions with them.

It is interesting to note that along with the earliest known horse fossil, paleontologists found in the same time period the earliest known fossil of what is thought to have evolved into man. It seems that horses and humans have always shared a bond as evidenced in the cave drawings of France’s Chauvet Cave, dated to at least 32,000 years ago. Perhaps at some point in time past, horse & human were closer kin. Perhaps the visceral bond modern day humans feel toward their noble horses is a more tangible DNA particle found deeply in the bone. Perhaps time will tell.

Sue Miller is a PATH Registered

Instructor & ESMHL, PATH Vermont

State Chair, and President of the Vermont Horse Council. Spring 2021

Ready or Not: Here I Come!

Dorothy Crosby - Stoddard, NH

It has been said that it takes $10,000 to buy a horse; $1000 for the horse and $9000 for lessons…

At this time of the year, riders look forward to spring, summer, and fall riding seasons. With horse prices elevated and ads in abundance, one can find diverse and varied types of horses – and prices – to suit their preferences and needs. Occasionally there is a “free horse” ad out there. Everyone looks forward to acquiring their new trail, barrel, dressage, eventing, or jumping partner.

Parents might think it would be fun for their child and a young horse to grow up together; they can learn, bond, and have fun playing! A relatively inexperienced rider hears of an older been there/done that horse needing a home. It’s a perfect opportunity to care for, bond with, and ride (read: save) a horse; a win-win situation! Perhaps money is no object; an equestrian purchases a well-trained horse, thinking it should be easy since the horse knows more than they do.

No offense to anyone, but the saying that “green plus green equals black and blue” holds true, and there is no such thing as a free horse!!

I am a teacher; by definition, I am supposed to think that people need to have formal learning with someone to guide the process of increasing their knowledge and skillset rather than being self-taught. Personally, I wouldn’t presume to have any pet without knowing something about the habits and daily care of that animal. Or grow a garden without first learning something about planting it: what suits specific types of plants? There is always more to learn; I don’t have to be an expert, but there is a minimum level of proficiency needed for the best, safest, or most pleasurable results. Sometimes I don’t realize what I don’t know, but it’s my responsibility to research…and make choices based on actual information. That being said, some situations really do lend themselves well to learn-as-you-go adventures; the experiences that come from them are invaluable.

Not so much with a 1000 lb. prey animal whose strong instincts for survival, a pattern of learning by repetition, and very clear, but subtle, communication patterns which can escalate when not understood or training’s not reinforced.

As a prey animal, a horse’s first question is: “Is it gonna eat me?” Once established that something or someone is safe and trustworthy, the working relationship begins. But it’s not so simple; safety is paramount, but the natural herd hierarchy is essential to everyone having their role. Horses want to know whether you or they are in charge; it’s the way they operate with each other. However, I need to know enough about this role to be able to assume leadership over this 1000 lb. com-

panion or we are both not safe. I need to be able to speak horse, read the communication and know how to respond – not react – for the best results.

But that’s just the beginning.

While large and strong, horses require precise and regular care; without certain feeding and riding protocols, we endanger their health and well-being.

Training happens every time we handle them; the question is who is training who? Because neither of us is going to be the same in an hour…

There’s management and care: daily chores, grooming, tack, vet and farrier needs, stabling, and pasture issues. Can I efficiently and easily choose and adjust tack, fitting bridles, halters, and girths on my own? Can I lead a horse without being dragged to the grassy spot, or deal with any excitable moments that arise? Do I understand quantity, nutritional and calorie needs in relation to workload?

And then there is the matter of riding. Being overmounted is both unsafe and unwise; how will I know if I am? With so much more to riding than being atop the horse, all the previously mentioned aspects of horse care and knowledge come into play, as well as the partnership and working relationship that needs to be established, maintained, and nurtured. Reality check: how developed is my skill set, how clear my communication, how effective my horsemanship for those less than perfect moments?

“No worries; I’m ready for that!” “I’ll improve with practice!” True enough. But is the situation the right one for that to happen; is it beneficial for both of you to be partnered together on an ongoing, committed basis? Perhaps some regular lessons, and then the experience of leasing or finding a suitable horse with a reputable trainer is a good way to begin.

I am the last one to want to see anyone miss out on a wonderful horse ownership experience. But I am the first one to want it to be safe, constructive, and beneficial for both horse and rider!

Owner of Equi-librium and based in Stoddard NH, Dorothy Crosby is certified as both a Level III Centered Riding®Clinician/Instructor and CHA English and Western Instructor. Director of the Riding Program and Barn Manager at Southmowing Stables in Guilford VT, she loves working with riders and horses of all ages and abilities. Recently certified with Conformation Balancing, a program for fascia release in horses, Dorothy loves the softening and changes in the horses. Dorothy offers clinics, lessons, workshops, and fascia release bodywork sessions both on and off the farm.