NATIONAL DAY OF THE HORSE

The domesticated horse we know today, also known as Equus Caballus, was introduced into North America by Spanish explorers. Escaped horses eventually spread across the American Great Plains... Interestingly, there is a debate about the origin of Equus Caballus. There have been recent mitochondrial studies of an ancient horse called Equus lamei. Equus lamei once populated North America and died out more than 11,000 years ago. The studies suggest it is genetically equivalent to what we know as the modern, domesticated horse. This could mean that Equus Caballus is technically a native species and its evolutionary origin is North America... Did you know A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy' is said to have lived 62 years?