Horses, Grass and Climate

The evolution of horses goes hand in hand with the evolution of vegetation over the last 50 million years. The predecessors of modern horses lived in dense rain forests. With the cooling of the atmosphere and a reduction of carbon dioxide, forests retreated and were constantly replaced by grass, as these plants were better adapted to the environmental conditions. In a parallel devolopment, horses began to swith their diet from leaves to grass and grew bigger. The evolution of grass and horses is therefore linked.

Exhibit of Przewalski's horse and a primeval horse