Today's Horse in the Developed World and Historical Domestication

Vocabulary flashcards covering horse domestication, historical roles in warfare and agriculture, equipment developments, and modern society.

Hippotherapy

Therapeutic riding and physical therapy utilizing horse movement, in which horses play a distinct physical and movement-based role compared to other animals.

What can you do with a horses?

Ride it

drive it

lead it (walk it around )

pet it

bet on it (horse races and horse sports)

eat it

What horses first purpose to human society ?

food source that was hunted by early civilizations

• they appear in a lot of ancient art/ artwork

Top countries that produced horse meat by the tonnes

• china

• Kazakhstan

• Mongolia

• Mexico

• Russian Federation

• Canada

How do rescues and adoptions affect horse welfare, ownership, and the industry?

→ affects how we perceive the animal

→ rescue is expensive , meaning welfare at rescues centres may decline due to cost

→ decreases value of horse in the market

Bill C-355

Canadian legislation passed by the House of Commons in 2024 that prohibits exporting horses by air for slaughter or fattening for slaughter.

• bill did not go through, and is not in place

When did horse domestication occur ?

around 6,000 years ago

• horses were among the last animals to be domesticated

H.R. 503

The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act introduced in 2007 to prohibit shipping, transporting, or selling equines for human slaughter, which did not pass into law.

*individual states across America prohibit the slaughter of horse meat, but it is not a country wide ban

Which pathway were horses domesticated through ?

it is unknown which specific pathway horses were domesticated through, its most likely a combination of multiple pathways

→ Prey route: raised in captivity for food

→ Directed Route

→ Mutualistic Coevolution : both parties (human and horse) benefited from the relationship

Botai Culture

A culture in Kazakhstan dating to c. 3500 BCE where horses made up 99% of faunal remains, utilized for meat, milk, and potentially as beasts of burden or harness.

→ horses were a central part of their society

please note: these horses are not present in today’s horse genes

Przewalski's Horse

Feralized descendants of the Botai horse lineage (c. 3500 BCE) that do not contribute genetic ancestry to modern domestic horses.

What horse species DO NOT contribute to today’s genetic pool?

Przewalski's Horse , Iberian lineage, Yakut, Siberian , and Botai

DOM2 Lineage

The domestic horse lineage originating ~4000 years ago in the western Eurasian steppe that spread rapidly and gave rise to all modern domestic horse breeds.

ZFPM1

A specific gene variant found in DOM2 horses associated with reduced anxiety and aggression.

GSDMC

A specific gene variant found in DOM2 horses associated with changes in chronic back pain.

Advantage of horse over cattle for agriculture work

greater inertial motion and speed, allowing for faster transport and more efficient plowing.

greater endurance → can rest standing up due to stay apparatus

longer life span

lower water requirement

versatile

Con: not as strong or cheap as ox

Stay Apparatus

An anatomical mechanism in a horse's legs that locks the joints, allowing the horse to stand with minimal energy expenditure.

How did movement with horses benefit early society ?

increase mobility and ability to travel far distances

• this allowed for the dispersal of culture, technology, goods and genetics of both human and horse

How do horse relate to warfare practices ?

change the style of fighting and introduced war tactic/ strategy

• now that people could move far and fast, they had to plan strategically

Originally were driven, and would pull chariots behind them , then they transitioned to being ridden, allowing for more agility and direct combat engagement.

→ first had mounted warriors led by mounted servants to led the horse

Requirements for effective mounted warfare

• selective breeding for size, strength and agility → must be big to hold a human and agile to navigate rough terrain

• knowledge of sportsmanship

• increase in grain supplies → need to energize the horses and feed them

Tools used to control horses

bits

snaffles

curb bit / leverage bit

Scythian saddle

stirrup

what is a bit ?

Bits were originally made of bone, hard wood, horn or rawhide

• use to control and direct a horse's movements by placing pressure on the horse's mouth.

Snaffle Bit

A direct-action jointed metal bit developed around 3500–3000 BCE that provided an early and enduring method of horse control.

Curb Bit

A leverage bit developed around 300–200 BCE that enhanced rider control and enabled horses to collect and work from their hindquarters.

advantages of curb bit

provides better control of horse

• allows horse to work more from their hind end rather than front

Xenophon

An Athenian author born c. 430 BCE who wrote 'On Horsemanship', emphasizing systematic, effective, and humane horse care and riding.

Scythian Saddle

A saddle design developed c. 400 BCE with wooden or leather arches

• relieved pressure from the horse's spine,

• delayed fatigue because of less pain

• increased rider stability.

Stirrup

An equestrian innovation introduced to Europe by the Huns around 450 CE t

• dramatically improved rider stability

• enabled shock warfare with lances/spears.

Hippagogos

A 5th-century BCE naval ship designed specifically by the Greeks for transporting cavalry horses across water.

Horses in society

tool warfare

transportation

sport - part of entertainment

agricultural labor

companionship

protein source

what two forces created our civilization ?

1. neolithic revolution

2. domestication of the horse

Horsemanship

The art of riding, handling, and training horses, modernly characterized as exercising control with maximum discernment and minimum interference.

what percent of horses are owned by urban dwellers?

80% board their horses on someone else’s property’s

How are horses used in therapy ?

equine assisted therapy / psychotherapy

therapeutic riding →. great for people with mobility issues

equine assisted learning