Two new species of pseudo-horses identified by researchers
The mammals, with unusual dental features, lived about 37 million years ago.
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History
Articles on the history of horses and more.
Ancient horse-training techniques could serve as a blueprint for today – review
Careful feeding, interval training, swimming, massages, blanketing, clipping and turning out to paddocks. It was all happening 4000 years ago.
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I tölt you so: Early horses may have had an impressive range of gaits
“This wide range of gaits available to earlier horses seems to have been reduced in modern breeds through selection and breeding.”
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Researchers cast light on how the ancestors of modern horses moved between continents
Molecular biologists studied the DNA of horses that migrated from North America to Eurasia and back.
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Gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses revealed by ancient DNA
Ancient DNA reveals that horses were not only dispersing between the continents, but they were also interbreeding and exchanging genes.
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Prehistoric horses and bison had similar diets, research shows
Tooth wear offers clues to how a diversity of Ice Age mammals co-existed in Alaska.
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Ancient wolves shifted diet away from horses in successful survival strategy
It was possibly only the ability of gray wolves to adapt their diet to other species that enabled them to the survive beyond the last Ice Age.
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Researchers suggest the Botai people never used horses for transport at all
The Botai may have represented the final chapter in a millennia-long tradition of mass harvesting of wild horses, they said.
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Ancient genomes reveal insights into horse-riding Scythian warriors
A new study analyzes genome-wide data for 111 ancient individuals spanning the Central Asian Steppe.
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The mystery of the Roman cavalry saddle: Did it ever have a wooden tree?
A researcher in Britain has come up with a construction method that questions whether the saddles were ever fitted with wooden elements.
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New revelations on the evolution of the horse revealed in fresh study
Using analysis of ancient DNA sequences, researchers have shown that Hippidion was, in evolutionary terms, close to true horses, with origins considerably more recent than the currently accepted date of around 10 million years ago.
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Ancient Siberian horse remains tested for evidence of paleoviruses
“We hope that paleoviruses will be found at our facilities and interesting discoveries in the world of viruses await us.”
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North American extinctions, including horses, were likely climate driven, say researchers
The loss of some 37 species of megafauna a little over 10,000 years ago cannot be blamed on overhunting by humans, findings suggest.
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African American dominance of early US horse racing in spotlight
The profound impact of Black horseman in US horse racing is being brought to life in a new immersive exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
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Research to explore effects of iconic horses on habitat of Canadian island
Researchers hope to build their understanding of Sable Island so that all elements of the ecosystem, including the horses, can be effectively protected.
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Unearthed skeleton sheds light on how Native Americans cared for their horses
“This study demonstrates a very sophisticated relationship between indigenous peoples and horses.”
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Preparing for the ride into the afterlife without a horse
Horses were essential in the daily lives of the ancient nomadic tribes of west Kazakhstan. How did those who could not afford a horse make the ride into the afterlife?
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How horse hitching posts in China became cultural treasures
“Some of its original functions vanished, and the value changed from a practical implement to a standard of wealth, good taste and culture.”
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Remarkable depictions of ancient South American horses found in “Sistine Chapel of the ancients”
“The ice-age horse had a wild, heavy face. It’s so detailed, we can even see the horse hair. It’s fascinating.”
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Climate change destroyed river civilisations, not Genghis Khan’s horsemen – study
“Our research shows that it was climate change, not Genghis Khan, that was the ultimate cause for the demise of Central Asia’s forgotten river civilizations.”
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