Horse

Horse

The horse of today - Equus caballus, belongs to the Equidae family, which also includes asses and zebras. Equidae are placed in the Perissodactyla order of animals to which tapirs and rhinoceroses also belong, who all descended from the Condylarthra, a group of primitive, long extinct mammals which were the ancestors of all hoofed mammals. (If you watched "WALKING WITH BEASTS on the ABC, this makes sense).

The horse was originally considered just another food source by Early man, but when Nomadic tribes learnt how to ride - the lives of horse and mankind swiftly changed.
Horses soon became the main means of transport, with the added ability to help move heavy loads, and they were also a new form of sport and recreation.

Nowadays, with selective breeding, there are more than 150 different breeds and types of horses in the world today.