The horse has several clues to its evolution. Thechestnut, a growth of horny substance on the bone below the knee and the ergot beneath the fetlock are the remains of toenails. The splint bones (second and fourth metatarsal in the back and metacarpal in the front) and canon (third metatarsal and metacarpal) bones were toe bones. The horse essentially stands on the tips of its fingers and toes.

Primitive horses were small, standing not much above 14 hands (56 inches/141 cm). The modern horse family is divided into three classifications: heavy horses, light horses and ponies. The size of the modern horse ranges from 5 hands (20 inch/ 50 cm) to 19 hands (76 inch/192cm).

The modern horse is believed to be descended from four primitive horse types; a pony type thought to exist in northwest Europe, a pony thought to exist in northern Europe and Asia, a horse thought to exist in Central Asia, and a desert horse thought to have lived in Western Asia. Fossil evidence suggests that these were the ancestors of all pony and horse breeds.

Until the arrival of Spanish explorers, the horse was extinct throughout the Americas. There is fossil evidence of prehistoric horses on the western continents. Changing climate may have forced primitive horses across a land bridge to northern Asia. The wild horses now in existence such as the Mustang, or Ponies of Assateague Island are feral—having escaped from captivity and adapted to their new environment.

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SHU KAWAHARA
shu@mercy.co.jp
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PROSPER COMPANY., JAPAN