How specialized breeding turned horses into athletes

For most of human history, horsepower made the world go. Then came the machines. So why are there still seven million horses in America? (Part one of a series, “The Horse Is Us.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Ann N. Greene, historian of 19th century America, retired professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Constance Hunter, chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
  • Elizabeth Bortuzzo, professional horse rider.
  • Mark Paul, professor of economics at Rutgers University.
  • Peter Frankopan, professor of global history at Oxford History.

• RESOURCES:
  • "2023 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. Horse Industry," (American Horse Council Foundation, 2024).
  • Riding to Arms, by Charles Caramello (2022).
  • The Horse in the City, by Clay McShane and Joel Tarr (2011).
  • Horses at Work, by Ann Norton Greene (2008).

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