Historical

Origin—It is generally accepted that the horse descended from a small cleft-hoofed quadruped reaching its present characteristic development thousands of years ago in Asia.

APPEARANCE IN NORTH AMERICA-While fossil remains indicate that in prehistoric times horses existed in the North American continent, probably arriving by successive migrations from Asia, entire races became extinct. Horses were reintroduced to North America through Mexico by the Spaniards who brought horses with them from Europe on their voyages of exploration—the first by Cortez in 1519.

FIRST USE—Historians believe that the first use of the horse was by the Babylonians about 1700 B.C. to draw war chariots—low two-wheeled affairs of narrow trace. Others believe that primitive man learned to ride first.

The Greeks and the Assyrians used chariots extensively in battle and for racing. In 776 B.C, the Olympian Games commenced. The horse events were so popular that a separate arena was built for them called the Hippodrome.
FAMOUS HORSES OF FAMOUS MEN:
 
Alexander the Great            —        Bucephalus
Napoleon                           —        Marengo
The Duke of Wellington      —        Copenhagen
Robert E. Lee                     —        Traveler
George Washington            —        Nelson
Philip Sheridan                    —        Rienzi (later changed to Winchester)
Zachary Taylor                   —        Old Whitey

A Horse Running As Depicted In Old Prints

OLD PRINTS AND PAINTINGS-Horses depicted in motion prior to 1850 were characteristically incorrect. They showed a running horse with an action similar to that of a dog rather than a horse. Photographs put the artists right. Drawings and paintings, prior to 1850, also tended to exaggerate the length of the neck and legs and to depict the horse's head on the small side.

The Tang horses of Chinese art represent the war horses of Manchu princes. They are usually depicted with open mouths and heads tossed back wildly.

ARTISTS—(illustrators, painters and sculptors) famous for their rendition of horses, include:
 
Prior to 20th Century

Alken, Henry T. and John
Barlow, Francis
Bonheur, Rosa
Davis, Richard Barrett
de Dreux, Alfred
Degas, H. G. E.
Ferneley, John
Gericault
Goya
Hall, Harry
Herring, John Frederick, Sr.
Leech, John
Marshall, Ben
Pollard, James
Troye, Edward
Sartorius, Francis and John N.
Seymour, James
Stubbs, George
Vernet, Carle
Verrocchio
Wolstenholme, Dean
Wootton, John
 
20th Century

Alden, Cecil Anderson, C. W. Bowman, Jean Broadhead, Smithson Brown, Paul Dufy, Raoul Edwards, Lionel Hazeltine, Herbert Menasco, Milton Miner, E. H. Munnings, Sir Alfred J. Palmer, Lynnwood Reeves, Richard S. Remington, Frederic Russell, Charles Skeaping, John Voss, Franklin

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