Horse Facts

About the horse

Over 45 to 55 million years, horses evolved in North America from a small, many-toed animal called Eohippus into today's large single-toed form. People began domesticating them around 4000 BCE in Central Asia, linked to the Botai culture, and the practice was widespread by 3000 BCE. Genetic evidence, though, traces modern domestic horses to the western Eurasian steppes near the lower Volga and Don, and those horses spread across Eurasia from 2000 BCE.

Some domestic horses now live wild as feral herds, but they are not true wild horses, which have never been tamed. Horses have a keen sense of balance and react fast to danger by fleeing or fighting. They can sleep standing up or lying down, and young horses sleep much more than adults. A mare carries her foal for about 11 months, and the foal can stand and run soon after birth.

Did you know?

• The horse's scientific name is Equus ferus caballus, one of two living subspecies of Equus ferus.
• Horses belong to the family Equidae, a group of hoofed mammals.
• A large, specialized vocabulary describes horse anatomy, colors, markings, breeds and gaits.