Transcript The Influence of Horses on Our Society IMS #8890

The Influence of Horses on
Our Society
IMS #8890-A
Objectives
• Explain the early history of the horse
• Describe the origin of the horse and its
arrival into the United States
Objectives
• Discuss the growth and decline of
horses in the United States
• Explain the current status of the horse
industry
• Discuss the future of the horse industry
Overview
• Humans - relationships with horses for
thousands of years
• Originally used as food source
• Eventually used for military, agriculture,
commerce, recreation, & sport
Overview
• United States - extremely influential in
development of country
• During the settlement of the West,
horses pulled families in wagons
• People used horses for transportation,
handling livestock, & carrying mail
Overview
• Utilization of horses as power source
declined after onset of mechanization
• People still employ them as source of
power
• Draft horses or mules appropriate for
small farms & selective cutting of
forests
Overview
• More economical
• Do less harm to the environment than
tractors & other mechanical equipment
• Mule - cross between a female horse
(mare) and a male donkey (jack)
Early History of the Horse
• Ancestors first appeared in North
America 55 million years ago
• Spread to Asia & Europe
• First horse was Hyracotherium
– More commonly known as eohippus
– “Dawn horse”
Early History of the Horse
• Size of large dog & had four toes on
front feet & three toes on rear feet
• Legs were thin, neck short, & teeth
could chew tender leaves
Early History of the Horse
• Modern humans first appeared in Africa
approximately 130,000 years ago
• Horses had evolved to current form of
genus Equus
– Evolved - having moved through process
of a continuous change from simpler state
to higher, more complex state
Early History of the Horse
• Humans first domesticated horses in
Asia 5,000 years ago
– Domesticated - tamed or gentled for any
use by man
• Historians believe Chinese were first to
use horses productively
– Rather than keeping herds for food
Early History of the Horse
• Humans began to successfully exploit
horses for war
– Led to first serious scholarship of equitation
• Greek horseman, general, & scholar,
Xenephon wrote book about training &
riding horses
– Advice written is as good today as it was
when written in fourth century B.C.
Horses in the United States
• 8,000 years ago - horses disappeared
from North America
• Reason unknown
• Some think they died out because of
some sort of contagious disease or
parasite
Horses in the United States
• Others believe combination of climatic
change, competition from other
species, & failure to adapt may have
contributed to the mysterious
disappearance of the species from the
continent
Horses in the United States
• 1493 - Columbus brought horses back
to New World second voyage
– West Indies in the Caribbean Ocean
• Conquistadors conveyed them to
mainland of South America & Mexico
Horses in the United States
• Cortez conquered Mexico in 1519, with
aid of Spanish horses
• First horses to enter U.S. came with de
Soto
– Explored terrain extending from Florida
Everglades to Missouri Ozark Mountains
Horses in the United States
• In 1540, Coronado guided expedition of
soldiers from Mexico into Great Plains
• Some horses in North America
originated from Spanish missions
Horses in the United States
• Catholic missions stretched from
eastern coast of Mexico to Pacific coast
• Missionaries brought other farm
animals such as:
– Cows
– Sheep
– Goats
Horses in the United States
• Possible these were foundation stock of
first horses of American Indians & wild
horses that exist in the American West
– Foundation stock - original animals of a
breed
• Also possible they originated from stray
& abandoned horses of de Soto &
Coronado
Horses in the United States
• Horses changed lives of Indians
– Could track & hunt buffalo over greater
territory
• European colonists transported
powerful workhorses to New England
– Pulling plows
– Riding
– Pulled stagecoaches in teams
Horses in the United States
• Colonists established plantations in
southeastern United States in 1700s
• Plantation owners bred horses with
smooth, comfortable gaits in order to
survey large properties
Horses in the United States
• Horse racing arose as pastime
• 1730 - plantation owners started
importing English racehorses
• 1750-1850 - large, heavy horses lugged
Conestoga wagons between Pittsburgh
& Philadelphia
– Major type of freight transportation
Horses in the United States
• During latter part of nineteenth century,
freight trains replaced wagons
• As West became settled & cattle
ranches established, horses used to:
– Herd
– Move
– Work cattle
Horses in the United States
• Tradition continues today
• Huge cattle drives of late nineteenth &
early twentieth centuries now
nonexistent
• Nonexistent due to advent of fencing &
extensive transportation networks
Horses in the United States
• Pony Express began in 1861 as mail
service
• Only operated for 18 months before
telegraph communication caused it to
be outmoded
Horses in the United States
• Riders would gallop horse hard for 1015 miles before passing mail pouch to
another rider on a different mount
• Mount - means of conveyance, such as
a horse, on which to ride.
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Golden age from 1890s until agriculture
became mechanized
• Everyone loved horses during this era
• Every town had livery stable, watering
trough, & hitching posts
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Livery stable - boarding stable for
horses or other animals
• Hitching posts - rails to which horses
are tied
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Several industries associated with
horses were fundamental parts of
national economy
• Kids revered village blacksmith
• Blacksmith - person who trims & puts
shoes on horse’s hooves
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Breed called bobtailed hackney owned the
streets
– Bobtailed hackney - large horse used to pull
carriages
• Around 1900, only wealthy owned cars
• Only 8,000 cars
• Most people disliked cars & complained about
noise
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• 1908 - everything changed when Henry
Ford invented assembly line
• Produced car that sold for only $825
• Trucks, tractors, & better roads followed
• Days of working horse numbered
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• As automobile, truck, & tractor
numbers increased, number of horses
declined
• Highest number:
– 1915 – 21,431,000 horses
• Lowest number
– 1960 - 3,089,000 horses
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Manufacturing & commerce greatly
affected rise & fall of horses
• During early growth phase of industry,
numbers increased in order to transport:
– Raw materials
– Manufactured commodities
– Agricultural products
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Eventually, trucks, tractors, &
automobiles replaced them
• Resurgence of use of draft horses for:
– Logging
– Carriage horses
– Small-scale & organic farming
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Horse numbers have increased in areas
of recreation and sport
• Currently there are 6,931,000 horses in
the United States
Growth and Decline of the Horse
Number of Horses & Participants By Activity
Activity
# of Horses &
Participants by
Activity
# of Participants
725,000
941,400
Showing
1,974,000
3,607,900
Recreation
2,970,000
4,346,100
Other
1,262,000
1,607,900
TOTAL
6,931,000
7,062,500
Racing
Growth and Decline of the Horse
• Largest number of
horses:
• Breeds with the
highest number:
– Texas
– Quarter Horse
– California
– Thoroughbred
– Kentucky
– Standardbred
Current Status of the Horse
Industry in the United States
• Horse industry expanding
• Produces direct goods & services
totaling $25.3 billion
• Impact of $112.1 billion on gross
domestic product (GDP)
Current Status of the Horse
Industry in the United States
• Racing, showing, & recreation contribute
more than 25% of entire value of goods &
services created by the industry
• Attendance at racetracks declined in recent
years due to off-track betting & other types
of gambling
– Attempting to draw crowds by combining
racetracks & casinos
Current Status of the Horse
Industry in the United States
• Many children and young adults
participate in horse activities
• 4-H horse projects lead the way in the
4-H plant & animal project category
Current Status of the Horse
Industry in the United States
• Forest Service employs horses as pack
animals
– Can travel into remote areas that no
vehicle can access
• Commonly seen in movies & parades
• Police use them to control crowds
Current Status of the Horse
Industry in the United States
• Therapists put people with physical or
mental challenges on horses to
improve their:
– Balance
– Coordination
– Thought processes
Future of the Horse Industry
• People often choose to spend leisure
time on a horse or just around them
• Human interest in physical fitness &
mental well-being also attract people to
horses
Future of the Horse Industry
• Riding horses is a challenging physical
activity
• Number of horses will hold steady or
increase
• Periodic economic downturns tend to
discourage breeders
Future of the Horse Industry
• Horse owners will continue to have
problems with access to property &
trails
• Urban & suburban expansion
• Development of rural “suburbs”
Summary
• Humans have had relationships with
horses for thousands of years
• In the United States, horses were
extremely influential in development of
the country
Summary
• Ancestors first appeared in North
America about 55 million years ago
• Spread to Europe & Asia where
• Historians believe Chinese were first to
truly use horses productively
Summary
• 1493 - Columbus brought horses back
to New World on his second voyage.
• Horses changed lives of the Indians as
they could track & hunt buffalo over a
greater territory
Summary
• Horses had golden age in United States
from the 1890s until agriculture became
mechanized
• As automobile, truck, & tractor
numbers increased, number of horses
declined
Summary
• Manufacturing & commerce greatly
affected rise & fall of horses
• Horse industry is expanding
• Contributes significant amount to
country’s GDP
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Instructional Materials Service
Texas A&M University
2588 TAMUS
College Station, Texas 77843-2588
http://www-ims.tamu.edu
2009