HORSES
Horses and Donkeys and Zebras are all members of the equine family, though all of these animals have their own qualities, the zebras ability to escape from a lion, tiger or leopard by using its stripy coat pattern to blend in with the grass, the donkeys ability to carry heavy loads for long distances, I think the he most magnificent and talented, for me, would be the horse. History Of The Horse Horses have bean around a very long time. The first ancestor of the horse was about the size of a big dog. It had 4 toes of it fount feet and 3 toes on its back feet. Scientists called it Eophippus. As the centuries went by, the horse went through a lot of changes. They were bigger and had longer necks and legs. All 4 feet had only 3 toes. It was called Mesohippus. Thousands of years went by. The 3 toes changed into one big, strong toe and the 2 extra toes shortened and became part of the lower leg. This one was named Pliohippus The it became the time of the cavemen. Believe it or not the cavemen used to hunt and kill the horses for food! No one knows for sure, but the cave men might have treated horse like cattle and used for food. They might have been milked like cows are today! About 5000 years ago the cave men must have became tired of walking every where and decided that they might be able to train the horse so that they might be able to ride them instead of walking everywhere. Once people learned that they were able to ride horses it wasn't long before horses started carrying soldiers into war, pull chariots in Egypt and carry Knights into battle. Horses were also used for transport. Rich people rode in carriages pulled by horses. In 1920 there were more than 2 million horse in the United States today there are less then 1 million horses. Our cars, trucks and tractors have taken the place of the horse, but people will always raise horses for some reason. Famous Horses There are many famous horses in the world. From Unicorns to famous horses in history. Here are a few famous horses.
BUCEPHAlUS Alexander's the greats father told him that he could have any horse he wanted. This was the horse he wanted. Alexander noticed he was afraid of his own shadow, so he did not have any trouble training this horse. Together he and Alexander won many battles together. NELSON Nelson was George Washington's horse. George rode Nelson through many battles. He was riding Nelson when the British surrendered. COMANCHE At the battle of Little Big Horn the only survivor was Captain Miles Keogh's horse. Comanche was found on the battlefield 3 days after the fight with arrows sticking in him. He was taken to Bismarck and nursed back to health. It was decided never to ride him again and he was only used in parades after that. ARISTIDES This horse was the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby in 1875. This is a very famous horse race that takes place every year in the United States. Many people attend this event from around the world. IROQUOIS Iroquois was the first American bred horse to win the English Derby, another big event that happens every year. PEGASUS Pegasus was a winged horse of the Goddesses. In the Disney movie, Hercules, Pegasus was the partner of Hercules. TROJAN HORSE The Trojan Horse was a giant wooden horse built by the greeks to invade the city of Troy. Soldiers hid inside it, and when everyone was asleep they snuck out and captured the city.