Horses came to American West by early 1600s, study finds

This late 19th- or early 20th-century Native American Yokuts polychrome basket decorated with horses and figures sold for $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers
This late 19th- or early 20th-century Native American Yokuts polychrome basket decorated with horses and figures sold for $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers
This late 19th- or early 20th-century Native American Yokuts polychrome basket decorated with horses and figures sold for $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers

WASHINGTON (AP) – The horse is symbolic of the American West, but when and how domesticated horses first reached the region has long been a matter of historical debate. A new analysis of horse bones gathered from museums across the Great Plains and northern Rockies has revealed that horses were present in the grasslands by the early 1600s, earlier than many written histories suggest.

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