Is it true that horses were brought to the New World [America] by the Europians and some of their horses escaped and became wild? Or did the Indians have them long before the Europians even came to the New World?

lanfranco

Ancestors of the modern horse had existed in the Americas but had become extinct long before ancestors of the Native Americans emigrated here. The first modern horses were, indeed, brought by the Europeans. Some did escape and become wild, but the Native Americans often obtained theirs through trade or sometimes through raids: http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/north-south-east-west/lakota/arrival.html Nov 01 06, 10:17 AM

trident87

Horses were originally indigenous to North America and found their way to the Old World by walking over the Beringia land bridge. Then around 10,000 years ago, horses disappeared from North and South America. It is not completely known why they disappeared. It wasn't until the sixteenth century when the Spanish brought horses over on their boats that North and South America once again saw horses. http://www.discoverseaz.com/History/Horse.html Nov 01 06, 10:19 AM

elburcher

Here is a good site on the evolution and migration and re-introduction of the North American Mustang. http://www.letemrun.com/Wild-Horse-Information-Origins-of-The-Horse.htm Nov 01 06, 2:21 PM

TTFAN1994

Thank's, lanfranco, trident87 and elburcher for the answers! Nov 08 06, 4:43 PM

Liz5050

The Spanish Barb is an ancestor of the American mustang. Oct 20 12, 7:05 PM