Earthly Equine Evolution

[labelwench]

There have been ancient horse skeletons found in Yukon, and readers as well as yourself may find the following of interest, as it directly relates to the evolution of the horse in this northern region of the world.

Horses originated in North America, the first Eocene (about 56 to 35 million years ago) horses of the genus Hyracotherium ("Eohippus") were of terrier size with four toes on the front and three on the hind. They were browsers adapted to forest-floor surroundings. Through time, horses increased in size, reduced lateral toes emphasizing the middle one, grew larger teeth with higher crowns and more complex grinding surfaces, etc. By Miocene time (about 24 to 5 million years ago) horses had branched out, many adapting to life on the spreading grasslands. Modern horses (Equus) arose in North America from a progressive Pliocene (5 to 2 million years ago) horse Pliohippus that occupied the continent during the Pleistocene (2 million to 10,000 years ago) and spread to other continents at the beginning of the Pleistocene. In the Old World Equus is represented by species designated as horses, zebras and asses. After dying out in the New World, modern horses were introduced to North America from Europe by sixteenth century settlers.

Yukon horses probably arose in Beringia 200,000 years ago. Fossils have been found as far north and east as Baillie Islands, Northwest Territories; as far west as Ikpikpuk River; near the northern coast of Alaska, and as far south as Ketza River and Scottie Creek, Yukon. Many excellent specimens derived mainly from placer mining sites, came from the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska and the Dawson City area, Yukon. Twelve radiocarbon dates on the species range from about 31,500 to 12,300 BP and indicate that it occupied Eastern Beringia through the cold peak of the last glaciation – sometimes considered a "bottleneck". There appear to be similarities between Equus lambei of Eastern Beringia and Equus caballus lenensis from Western Siberia, but it is worth considering whether the former species ever spread southward. Comparisons should be carried out with excellent specimens referred to the small Mexican horse (Equus conversidens) from places like the 11,000 BP St. Mary Reservoir site in southern Alberta. Further, Equus conversidens dominates the excavated fauna, and the presence of horse-protein residue on two stone points from the site indicates that horses were killed or scavenged by Clovis people.

Bluefish Caves in the northwestern Yukon have yielded the earliest in situ evidence of human occupation (about 25,000 BP) of Eastern Beringia associated with one of the largest and most diverse Late Wisconsinan faunas in the region. Equus lambei fossils from the caves have been radiocarbon dated between about 17,500 and 13,000 years ago. Research on teeth of the Yukon horses from the caves indicates that predators were mainly responsible for gathering the horse bones in Cave I, whereas Caves II and III bones seem to have accumulated through accidental or natural deaths. This research also suggests that Bluefish Basin was not a polar desert, as some have claimed, during the Late Pleistocene.

Yukon horses seem to have died out about 12,000 years ago in Eastern Beringia likely due to rapid climatic change near the close of the last glaciation, possibly exacerbated by human hunting. But it is difficult to imagine that Paleoindians alone ("human overkill" hypothesis) could have wiped out so many, widespread herds both north and south of the continental ice sheets.

C.R. Harington
August, 2002

http://www.beringia.com/research/horse.html

[labelwench]

Mare's milk is actually quite palatable, and it was used by the cowboy's of old when out in line camps, where they did not have access to modern amenities. I am planning to relieve Madelaine of a small amount of milk to have on hand for my coffee. The milk of the mare is quite different from cow's milk, being thinner (less fat) and sweeter. The laxative effect does not apply when the milk is taken in small quantities, as in a warm beverage, used similar to cream. I may also see how it fares in cooking, as Morgans are generally prodigious milkers. A dessert custard perhaps.......LW

Airag

Fermented Mare's Milk
(sometimes transcribed Ayrag, known as Kumys in many languages)

The mongolian beverage every traveller is talking about. The most important animal of the Mongols is the horse. Horses don't only serve as riding animals, the mare's milk also has a special significance.

Preparation

The milk is filtered through a cloth, and poured into a large open leather sack (Khukhuur), which is usually suspended next to the entrance of the yurt. Alternatively, a vat from larch wood (Gan), or in modern times also from plastic, can be used. Within this container, it gets stirred with a wooden masher, in order to introduce air, and especially oxygen.

The stirring then needs to be repeated regularly over one or two days. Traditionally, anyone entering or leaving the yurt would do a few strokes. The added oxygen helps the fermentation process by a combination of lactic acid bacteria and yeast, similar to Kefir.
Use

Airag refreshens and sparkles softly on the tongue. It contains a small amount of carbon dioxide, and up to 2% of alcohol. The taste is slightly sour, but quite agreeable after getting used to it. The exact taste depends both of the characteristics of the pastures and the exact method of production. The beverage is a rich source of vitamins and minerals for the nomads.

Hospitality mandates to present a bowl of airag to each visitor. A Mongolian will normally empty it, but it is also ok to just take a sip and return the bowl. To reject the offer right away would be gravely impolite.

Similar to Isgelen Tarag (Kefir), it is possible to distill Airag into Mongol Arkhi (milk liquor)
Health Questions

Mare's milk is usually not consumed raw, because it tends to have a strong laxative effect (on the other hand, that effect can be applied for medical treatment). Instead, it almost always gets fermented into Airag.

Fermentation destroys the lactose in milk, converting it into lactic acid, ethanol, and carbon dioxide. This makes Airag acceptable for lactose intolerant people, which includes most Mongolians. Without fermentation, mare's milk contains significantly more lactose than cow's milk.
http://www.mongolfood.info/en/recipes/airag.html
Copyright © 2005-2009 mongolfood.info

[RascalPuff]

Dear LW:
A little autobio traveling music if you please?

My divorced mother married 'the only Indian in town' (William Henry Oshie), when I was 12 years old (Ojibway Chippewa - same tribe as 'Hiawatha').

This was back in '53, in a small town in northern Minnesota, and you may imagine the social chatter their relationship evoked from the local natives, both on and off the Reservation (my Reservation name is *'Crazy Horse'; although *he was Lakota Sioux, when the Plains Indians were imposed upon by the westward migration of (post Civil War) White Settlers, the formerly adversarial Plains Indians tribes united, and, one of their rituals of unification was to name their children with the names of their former antagonis. When translated to Sioux, 'Crazy Horse' meand 'Mystic Horse'; not what it means in English at all...

My Mongolian name is Kaidu, aka, 'Kai', which you are welcome to call refer to me as you wish - 'RascalPuff' is a dragon of course, my chosen Mongolian sobriquet; which certainly isn't intended to be humorless, of course : ) I was once politely asked how the name 'RascalPuff' came to be my nickname, I replied that it was not without hyperbole and was beginning to explain furthermore, when the kindly peson said, "hyperbole" - 'that's also a funny name'; I said 'Thank you'. : ). I have heard others refer to you as 'Lorraine', is that your first name?

Anyway, a lot of the controversy that sometimes orbited my Mother and Stepfather had of course to do with their so called 'mixed marriage' - this was ironic, since in fact, they were both of Mongolian derivation, though that genetic fact was not very obvious with my mother, who had Asian features and bone structure, but light skin and strawberry blonde hair.

The 'mixed marriage' (of my Mother and Stepfather <William Henry Oshie> ) evoked a mixed variation of (kindly and unkindly) responses from both the White people and the Native Americans (on and off the Reservation) - some applauded their marriage and others frowned - and sometimes vocalized - upon it. It was a very educational experience, with regard to perspectives of people. My stepfather was a physically powerful yet very gentle and kind man. He didn't have trouble with 'rednecks' personally (his potential formidability was obvious), but they were verbally abusive behind his back.

Mother was a White Mongolian ('Sami Finn') from northern Finland... It is only obsurely known that Finland is not a Scandinavian country, she (Finland) is Mongolian - northern Finland in particular is populated with 'Sami Finns', who are aka 'White Mongolians' - having migrated to northern Finland from Mongolia, in past millennnia; lost all the melanin of their skin, due to the minimally manifest solar effects of the 'land of the midnight sun'. I was raised in several foster homes, including some on Native American reservations in northern Minnesota. Because my genetic father was Scot, I am Eurasian, though do not appear to be so. I have often wished that my Asian side was more apparent.

I have known the privileged experience of befriending wild horses rather than 'breaking them'. There are advantages and disadvantages to that method, as you may know and/or appreciate... The mixed advantage and disadvantage is that a Native American domesticated horse won't let anyone but the person or people who have befriended it, ride it, or even approach it, for that matter.

I was also assigned as a caretaker for an Apaloosa named 'Apples'. She was quite large for a mare, though I don't know how many hands. Because I enjoyed feeding and maintaining and caring for her and grooming her often with a horse brush, she really got to favoring me and 'we' went riding frequently, sometimes at night, where we knew the touraine. I am not an equestrian kinda person as regards riding. I always hadda hang on to the saddle horn at a gallop. I don't mind talking about these things and hope it's all right with you. I've written a 'novel journal' (fiction based on fact) about it, one chapter in particular focuses on my subjected childhood. You can access it via Googling 'Butterfly, Owl & Eagle: Athena Marie Prima'.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/waboose2/

There's also a book I've written about Einstein's work, w'out mathematics that you might enjoy.

http://www.toequest.com/forum/toetheory-articles/2516-total-field-theory-reinstatement-cosmological-constant-steady-state-theories.html

Best regards,
- RP

[labelwench]

Thank you for sharing Kai.

There is much to keep me occupied for a time.

On the topic of hard to catch horses, I once went in the middle of the night, at the call of the local Livestock Control Officer, to see if I could catch a free-ranging horse that was a hazard on our winter highways.

With a couple of friends, we drove 20 miles, and soon found horse tracks along the road allowance. With my headlamp, I hopped out and tracked while they followed with the truck, until we could clearly see where the horse had left the highway, heading toward a meadow and a frozen lake. Truck parked, my friends helped to carry the oats and ropes and horse bell, following in my tracks. The horse was about 1/2 kilometer from the road, and looked up suspiciously at our approach, so I bade my companions to hold up and get comfortable, as this would likely take a while.

With a bucket and some few oats, I approached until the horse began to move away, at which point, I set the bucket down and moved away to an equal distance. The horse waited for a time, then approached the bucket and eyed the offering. He watched me warily before taking the oats, while I watched, the halter in plain evidence. The oats gone, the hungry horse poked in the bucket for more.

I began to approach with the larger bucket of oats, and he was gone in a shot, stopping at the earlier distance. I put a few more oats in the feeding bucket, and backed away, but not quite the earlier distance. The horse took note of this, and after a moment, accepted my new position, came in, ate the oats, then started pawing for meadow grass. I moved in, he moved out, oats in the bucket, retreat, ever closer.

Our little dance took almost an hour, not long in the big scheme of things, but quite long for those waiting in the cold, so they retreated to the truck to warm up, leaving my additional equipment close to hand.

My small baits of oats had the desired effect, and the horse allowed me to continue standing closer at each time, which brought the large bucket of oats temptingly closer as well. The poor hungry fellow eyed the bigger bucket, and tried one 'grab and go' attempt, at which I now chased him away from 'my oats' just like a boss mare. I wasn't trying to catch him, I was keeping him away from my food.

The horse understood the change in dynamics and realized that he would have to respect the oats as mine.

The next time he approached, he dropped his head, and exhaled through his nostrils, allowing me to put the halter on without resistance, whereupon I allowed him a generous serving of oats. I put the horse bell on him and tied him to a stout tree nearby, tied high and short with a 'neck-rope' fed through the halter as security. If he pulled, the pressure behind the poll would encourage him to give it up. He stood quietly and looked comfortable after his meal of oats.

I flagged the way back to the road with survey ribbon, knowing that the Livestock fellow could find the horse, as he was the son of a big game outfitter and guide and a horse wrangler as well.

Only later did I learn that the old gelding had been running wild for near onto ten years and no one had slipped a halter on him in all of that time.

The secret to catching a horse, is that the option needs to look better than present circumstances.......

[RascalPuff]

This 'Yukon horse' has a particular aesthetic magnetism, I think.
It seems quite a lot - to my colloquial observation - to be related to the 'Steppe Pony': "Przehevalski", of the Eurasian Steppes. Of course I derived the illustration and text from the url you provided - the close of which specifies that it's copyrighted but may be used for educational and non commercial purposes. I'm going to see if I can print it out and enlarge it. Thank you very much, LW. : )


Your adventure with the maverick horse is conveyed with skill, certainly including the way you dealt with the situation as I don't think many other people in the whole world would have known how to do. If you'll pardon the pun, your understanding of the bucket of oats as 'your' possession is uncanny. HeeHaw.

It is certainly an education - in many (often unexpected) ways - to communicate with you, and to read your communications with other people.

Best regards,
- RP

[labelwench]

Dear LW:
A little autobio traveling music if you please?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s42lZ...eature=related

As requested, LOL....

[RascalPuff]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s42lZ...eature=related

As requested, LOL....

LW - Yer a Peach!

Thank you.

[RascalPuff]

Free horse pictures:

www.copyright-free-photos.org.uk/horses/

[labelwench]

The lineage of various horse breeds is often hard to unravel. When the horse was our engine of commerce, a great deal of attention was paid to such matters. Since the advent of the internal combustion engine, horses have been replaced by machinery for transportation and agriculture, their primary use now being in recreation and sport, with some few actually working on cattle ranches or in the mountains.

The Morgan horse is generally recognized as the oldest American breed of horse, likely with roots that trace to the Narragansett Pacer, now extinct.

The Narragansett Pacer was the first North American horse breed. It first appeared in the area of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island prior to 1676. Some believe it was produced from Irish Hobbies and Scottish Galloways, others believe from the Spanish Jennet.
They were hardy, sure of foot, and easy moving horses. At the time of the American Revolution, the Narragansett Pacer was considered the aristocrat of North American horses. It was the horse that carried Paul Revere on his famous ride and was the favorite mount of George Washington.
Narragansett mares were crossed with Thoroughbreds, which the colonists began importing from England in the early 1700s. It led to a new breed. Called the American Horse, it was a recognized breed by 1780. It had the size and beauty of the Thoroughbred, but retained the ability to learn the easy riding gaits. They were also exported to the West Indies where they were bred with Spanish stock to form many of today's Paso breeds. By 1800, the original Narragansett had been bred out of existence.
It had laid the foundation for the pacing horse in America, and it's influence would carry on where ever pacing horses existed. The little horse had served its people well.
Since the Narragansett Pacer made significant contributions to the Walking Horse breed, its characteristics are worthy of attention. By modern standards, the Narragansett Pacer would be classed as a scrub. It was small: the average height of the Rhode Island horses in 1769 was 14:1 hands, which was a step up from the 1750 average of 13:2. They were judged even at their time to be "not very handsome, but good", plain in their form and low in their carriage. They were fleet, hardy and docile, surefooted, but not beautiful, and it is reasonable to suppose that the lack of style and beauty was one of the leading causes of its becoming extinct.

The Narragansett Pacer has influenced many modern breeds, especially the gaited breeds, including the Standardbred, the Tennessee Walking Horse, and even the Morgan and the American Saddlebred. They were exported to the West Indies and Caribbean Islands, where they were bred with the Spanish stock, and may have contributed to the Paso Fino breed. The Narragansett Pacer is also thought to have possibly influenced the Canadian Pacer, which, in turn, has influenced many of the above breeds and developed into the modern day Canadian Horse.

It seems quite likely, that my mare, Caramel, selected for her foundation breeding, may well have inherited her endurance and exceptional gaits from the genetics that are in her background prior to the establishment of the Morgan breed registry. LW

[RascalPuff]

Dear LW:
My wife was just talking about one of the Arabians - said she knew it did 'western style' gait, and was very happy with the animal. One day a lady friend of her's - also an equestrian biologist - rode the horse, and wife says she was amazed, because that's when she learned that the horse also did a 'dressage' gait, which she hadn't seen the animal do before.

Your knowledge of horses is very impressive to say the least. My studies of them came about via my studies of every kind of human conflict (causes, effects and potential remedies) - from the living room to the trenches and battlefields. As you know, on the battle fields, quite unfortunately, the horse has been methodically abused; with cataclysmic casualties.

Mongol cavalry (for example) divided their horses into two classes - war horses, and those used to sustain the army with food. Most of the war horses were mares, and as you have already said, the horse also provided milk, which was a terrific advantage as regards the logistics of feeding an army. All of the army - in the case of the horsepeople cultures - were cavalry, of course. Moreover, several different kinds of horse cultures (esp. Sarmatians, near the Black Sea) over the millennia have included women, who were free to volunteer as warriors when they excelled in the art of cavalry warfare tactics and fighting on the ground.

My motive for studying war - unnecessary human conflict of every kind - is derived from the I Ching and Sun Tzu's Art of War, both of which emphasize an aversion to war and consider it only as a last option, albeit, one must be prepared for it, which is the classic dilemma of warfare.
Of course 'expansionist' motivated warfare is a much differently motivated than 'defensive' warfare (Refer, 'Just & Unjust Wars', by Michael Walzer). My ongoing motive is to minimize human conflict of every description, with the objective of extinctifying warfare altogether. Ergo, like microbe causes of pandemic plagues and such, one need study the problem in order to approach and possibly reveal possible solutions.

Still thinking about how you captured that maverick horse with the equine psychology of 'I'm not after you, I'm maintaining possession of this bucket'.
Fascinating.

THE HEAVENS BEGAT THE GALAXY
THE GALAXY BEGAT THE SUN
THE SUN BEGAT THE EARTH
THE EARTH BEGAT THE GRASS
The Grass Begat Seeds,
Flowers, Insects, Reptiles,
Mammals and Humankind
Humankind, link between Heaven & Earth, Begat:

NOMADS, CIVILIZATION & WAR
The Hinges of History
The Grass Roots of Human Civilization
The Forbidden History of Europe & the United States
EuroAmerica’s Undone Homework & How It Is Done
THE FULL CONSEQUENTIAL CIRCLE OF WARFARE
____________________

Nomads, Civilization & War:

A history of the obscurely known, massively influential evolution of barbarian technology via the incentive of killing more accurately at greater distances; for food and warfare. From the chariot empires of 2000 BC to the Yuan dynasty 1260 AD to 1360 AD.

A Great Continental Eurasian Green Grass RiverDragon Production

http://forums.delphiforums.com/subedai/

Best regards,
- RP