Horses are originally native to North America, where they first evolved over 55 million years ago. From there, they migrated across the Bering land bridge into Asia and then spread westward into Europe and other parts of the Old World
. However, horses went extinct in North America around 12,000 years ago during the end-Pleistocene extinction event. The horses currently found in North America are descendants of domesticated horses that were brought back from Eurasia by Europeans starting in the 15th and 16th centuries, primarily by the Spanish
. Domestication of horses occurred later in the western Eurasian steppes around 3000 BC, and modern domestic horses originate from central Asia, where they rapidly replaced other horse relatives about 4000 years ago
. In summary:
- Native origin: Horses evolved originally in North America millions of years ago.
- Extinction in North America: Horses disappeared from North America about 12,000 years ago.
- Domestication: Occurred in Eurasia (western steppes and central Asia) around 3000 BC.
- Reintroduction to Americas: Domestic horses were brought back to the Americas by Europeans in the 15th-16th centuries.
Thus, while horses are native to North America in an evolutionary sense, the modern horses in the Americas are descendants of Eurasian domesticated horses reintroduced after a long absence
