CHAPTER XXX 



HOKSES 



A horse / a horse ! my kingdom for a horse / SHAKESPEARE. 



293. The Story of the Horse. The horse was domesti- 

 cated before historic times. Herds of wild horses roamed 

 over Europe before Greece and Rome became prominent 

 in human affairs. " It is a well-known fact," says Pro- 

 fessor Marsh, "that the Spanish discoverers of America 

 discovered no horses on 

 this continent, and that 

 the modern horse was 

 consequently introduced 

 from the Old World." 

 Yet America was the 

 original home of the 

 horse. Here from a 

 five-toed animal about 

 the size of a sheep it was 

 evolved. 



This was perhaps a 

 million years ago. First, 

 there was an increase in 

 size ; second, in speed 



and bone development ; and third, elongation of the head 

 and neck. While Alaska and northeastern Asia were still 

 connected by land (these countries being much warmer 

 then than at present), the wild horses migrated across the 



395 



BLOODED SADDLE MARE. 



