- 2 days ago
Focuses on the wild ancestors of the horse and the mysterious beginnings of how humans first tamed and harnessed these animals thousands of years ago
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AnimalsTranscript
00:13Horses, no other animal has done more for us, they're bigger, stronger, and faster than we are.
00:30And not so long ago, all horses were wild.
00:37So how did this huge animal end up as our companion?
00:45My name is Niobe Thompson. I'm an anthropologist. And I just love horses.
00:54I've discovered that's something I share with people all over the world.
01:03So I wonder, what makes horses and humans so perfect for each other?
01:11Come with me on a journey around the world and back in time to the origins of this magnificent creature.
01:49A horse in motion.
01:51A horse in motion is poetry.
01:55We call them the aristocrat of animals.
01:59For a reason.
02:01Their beauty is hypnotizing.
02:06But there's more to a horse than meets the eye.
02:10Like their unparalleled speed.
02:14A horse can gallop twice the speed of humans.
02:19With a rider on its back.
02:24No horse is bigger than this.
02:28A Belgian draft horse can pull four tons.
02:35But that is it all.
02:40The body of a horse works in some very strange ways.
02:50Horses have enormous eyes.
02:54The biggest eyes of any animal on land.
02:59In daylight, horses see almost as well as humans.
03:04But at night, they see better.
03:08They have almost 360-degree vision.
03:13They have only two blind spots.
03:16Just behind.
03:18And directly in front.
03:22But even here, horses have a kind of second sight.
03:28Like a human hand, their lips are loaded with nerve endings.
03:36Their whiskers are so sensitive, they can detect what their eyes can't see.
03:46Like beavers, their teeth never stop growing.
03:54And at the end of their long, thin legs, horses have shock absorbers.
04:01They're called hooves.
04:05These natural gifts add up to an incredible animal.
04:11But the most amazing thing of all, is they give those gifts to us.
04:19When I ride my horse, I forget how much bigger he is than me.
04:26He's just so eager to please.
04:30So how did nature create such a perfect partner?
04:38What are the origins of the horse?
04:44It's a story that began 45 million years back in time.
04:50The Eocene.
04:54Dinosaurs had gone extinct.
04:57Tiny primates.
04:59Our ancestors had emerged.
05:01And so had the earliest horse.
05:08Few traces remain of that ancient world.
05:12The best place to find them is this abandoned mine in Germany.
05:18Called Grubemessel.
05:20Evolutionary biologist Martin Fischer began his career digging for fossils here.
05:25It was a good choice.
05:28This is the world's richest source of Eocene fossils.
05:33It's beautiful.
05:34Is that an alligator or a...
05:35It's a fish.
05:37It's a fish?
05:37It's a fish.
05:39Nearby is a museum built to hold the discoveries from below.
05:45These are all original fossils.
05:48It's 100% original.
05:50This is the treasure room.
05:53It holds some of the most perfectly preserved fossils ever discovered.
05:59Crocodiles.
06:01Birds.
06:03Even bats with their wing tissues still visible.
06:07And the crown jewel.
06:09A 40-million-year-old fossil of Dawn Horse.
06:15A creature like this led to all horses today.
06:21Amazing.
06:21I've never seen such a well-preserved fossil from this era.
06:25Yeah.
06:25It's just wonderful.
06:27But we have special permission to take it out, to see it from very close.
06:32And I can explain the anatomy.
06:34Oh, it's heavy.
06:35It's heavy.
06:36Okay.
06:38The fossil is so complete, we can even see its last meal.
06:44Grapes.
06:46Dawn Horse was a fruit eater.
06:50It's perfectly preserved in here.
06:52And we have the four toes in the front.
06:56You see these huge canines here.
06:59It looks like a dog.
07:00It really does.
07:01I mean, this looks like a meat eater to me.
07:03If you ask yourself, why today's stallions have a canine, the answer is here.
07:09But still, Martin, I look at this animal.
07:12I mean, it's tiny.
07:13It has these big padded feet.
07:16I just don't see anything of the horse in this fossil.
07:19I totally agree.
07:21And actually, this horse never thought of becoming a horse.
07:26Like always in my life, I wanted to see things moving.
07:31And I would love to see this horse moving.
07:35Martin made his name by showing us how animals really move.
07:39From the inside out.
07:43Dogs.
07:46Cats.
07:50Even lizards.
07:56But with Dawn Horse, he's tackling something much more difficult.
08:02Using what he's learned about living animals, Martin is going to rebuild Dawn Horse bone by bone.
08:10And then bring her to life.
08:14It's the very definition of an educated guess.
08:19We can show you a first attempt.
08:21You've got some of the bones in movement now.
08:23Yeah.
08:24Yeah, I'd love to see that.
08:25Wow.
08:25Okay, so now there's a sense of life there.
08:28Those legs seem to be moving realistically to me.
08:31Even though there's nothing attached to those legs.
08:33There's no animal above them.
08:34The legs are moving.
08:35How long is it going to take you to get to the full moving animal?
08:39I would guess that what you would say, another three months, two to four months, simply difficult.
08:48Okay, Martin.
08:48Well, I'm going to come back in three months and we'll see how far you've gotten.
08:52How about that?
08:53Okay.
08:53There is no more weekend.
08:55No holidays, no nothing.
08:58Doing all this work, it is fun.
09:01That's science.
09:02It's sailing to an unknown island.
09:05And our island in the moment is Dawn Horse.
09:09This is what an explorer or scientist does.
09:13And it's great fun.
09:17All Martin's hard work finally pays off.
09:23He can now reveal how Dawn Horse's bones fit together.
09:39And how this creature moved.
09:43And how this creature moved.
09:47Unlike a horse, she had a flexible spine.
09:57She could turn and corner.
10:04Dawn Horse didn't gallop.
10:06She scampered.
10:12Compared to horses today, she was tiny.
10:17A vulnerable animal.
10:21Desperate for cover.
10:25It's true, this creature was nothing like the horse we know.
10:32But she was a perfect reflection of her own tropical world.
10:37There were dangerous predators.
10:41But also places to hide.
10:47Dawn Horse was built to survive in dense forests.
10:51But I wonder, how did this evolve into this?
11:00What on earth happened to horses?
11:06Well, the answer is...
11:09Earth happened.
11:13Early horses were perfectly suited to their world.
11:16Full of dense, lush forests.
11:18Full of cover from predators.
11:20I'm only a few feet away from you.
11:22But look how easy it is for me to hide.
11:24And look at all the succulent leaves.
11:27A herbivore's feast.
11:30This was a greenhouse world.
11:32It stayed hot for millions of years.
11:35And in all that time, Dawn Horse hardly changed at all.
11:39And then, about 18 million years ago,
11:42the earth began to cool.
11:46With the cooling climate,
11:48tropical forests began to disappear.
11:53A cooler world was also a drier world.
11:56And now, early horses were challenged to adapt.
11:59As new kinds of horse emerged
12:01to survive the cooling climate,
12:04new plants also appeared.
12:06And the result was that large parts of the planet
12:09were covered by an entirely new habitat.
12:14Grasslands.
12:25Grasses were nature's answer
12:27to this cooler, drier world.
12:33Pound for pound,
12:34grass isn't nearly as nutritious
12:37as the fruits and nuts of the Eocene forest.
12:40But this was now the habitat horses chose.
12:45And it's amazing just how much
12:47this plant shaped the horse.
12:53Blades of grass are like sandpaper on teeth.
12:59So horses' heads became longer
13:01to make room for rows of molars
13:03that never stop growing.
13:07Their enormous eyes
13:09moved up their long heads,
13:11perfect for spotting danger
13:13while eating.
13:16Horses even developed
13:17a special kind of stomach,
13:20able to quickly digest grasses
13:22and immediately run.
13:25No cow can do that.
13:31Horses now lived
13:32in a world without cover.
13:35Keeping a distance
13:36from predators was critical.
13:39So horses had to get faster.
13:47As horses grew,
13:49their legs became longer
13:51and thinner.
13:53The legs of a runner.
14:01But the most amazing change of all
14:04was in their toes.
14:10They lost them all
14:12except one.
14:17Martin Fisher helps me understand.
14:21Remember the Dornhouse?
14:22Four in the front
14:24and three in the back.
14:25That's right.
14:25The phalanges,
14:26the finger bones.
14:27This is the upper arm.
14:29And this is the lower arm.
14:31That's the wrist joint.
14:33These are the bones here.
14:36And this is the finger.
14:38This is the finger.
14:39Amazing.
14:39And they stand on the end
14:41of that finger
14:41and run on it.
14:43I mean, that's incredible.
14:44That's the point.
14:44And you say running.
14:46How does this structure
14:48make running more efficient
14:49or faster?
14:50The lesser surface you have,
14:53the lesser friction you have.
14:54The lesser friction you have,
14:56the faster you can go.
14:58Right.
14:58Stands to reason.
15:00So it makes sense
15:00that you would go up
15:01on one toe
15:02and have a delicate connection
15:04to the earth.
15:04This is really
15:06an extreme adaptation.
15:07The epitome of a runner.
15:12Standing on a single toe,
15:15the horse sits far out
15:16on the end
15:17of its evolutionary branch.
15:20An animal built to run.
15:25Specialized for speed.
15:29Millions of years
15:30after it evolved,
15:31that extraordinary ability
15:35has us bewitched.
15:42In the modern world,
15:43machines do the work
15:44horses once did.
15:46But our fascination
15:48with the running horse
15:49hasn't ebbed at all.
15:53For good reason.
15:55There's no other animal
15:56on earth
15:57that can carry a human
15:58this fast.
16:02It just shouldn't be possible.
16:05How does this huge mammal
16:07practically fly?
16:14If you want to understand
16:15just why horses
16:17are so fast,
16:19Kentucky is a good place
16:20to start.
16:22David Lambert
16:24has spent a lifetime
16:24studying the thoroughbred,
16:27breaking down the physics
16:29and chemistry
16:30of a running horse.
16:34I pulled David away
16:35from his work
16:36to help me understand
16:38with the help
16:39of a special
16:41slow motion camera.
16:42There we go.
16:43So we'll be able
16:43to see the footage
16:44on this monitor
16:45as the horse runs by.
16:46Perfect.
16:46Yeah, let's do it.
16:50Whoa!
16:52Honestly, all I see
16:53is a blur of moving parts
16:54as it goes past.
16:55If we take that run past
16:57and slow it down
16:58a little bit,
16:58tell me what you're seeing
17:00there in the body.
17:01So let's look
17:02because he puts his foot
17:03onto the ground
17:03right there
17:04and now he's loading
17:05that tendon
17:06and that ligament
17:07and it's bouncing
17:07and throwing the leg forward.
17:09That leg's being thrown
17:11by elastic stored energy,
17:12not by muscle.
17:13And it's like a catapult.
17:15The size of the forces
17:17just throw those bones
17:18out there
17:19and back again
17:20and onto the next stride.
17:21So that's very efficient
17:22when those elastics
17:24give the energy
17:25back to the horse.
17:26Yes, without that
17:27elastic energy
17:28he'd have to have legs
17:29which were 100 pounds
17:31in weight
17:31just in muscle
17:32to move his big body.
17:35We're dealing here
17:36with a very heavy animal
17:371,000 pounds,
17:3911, 1,200 pounds.
17:41As that weight descends
17:42it loads up
17:43all the soft tissues
17:45in that limb.
17:46The load is suddenly released
17:48and then the leg
17:49is simply propelled
17:50out into space
17:51driven by stored
17:53elastic energy.
17:56It's happening
17:57all over the horse's body
17:58along his back
17:59on his hind legs.
18:01When he gets going
18:02he's going so fast
18:04and there is so much
18:05stored energy
18:06it reaches a point
18:07where it's beyond control.
18:20when you compare him
18:21to all the other
18:22mammalian species
18:23he kind of stands alone
18:25in terms of his size
18:27and his speed
18:28he's out there
18:29on a little pinnacle
18:31all on his own.
18:41I've noticed one thing
18:42when we're listening
18:43to the training horses
18:44as they go past
18:45you hear this enormous
18:46breath every stride.
18:48It sounds like
18:49they're struggling
18:50for breath.
18:51Their stride is linked
18:52one-to-one
18:53to their breathing.
18:54When the horse runs
18:55he must breathe out
18:56when his front legs
18:57hit the ground
18:58and he can only breathe in
19:00when he's up in the air.
19:06When we run and breathe
19:07we're using our ribs
19:08he's not doing that.
19:09His ribs are locked closed
19:11and when he puts his weight
19:12on his front legs
19:13like that
19:14the weight
19:15and the momentum
19:16of his viscera
19:17is pushing against
19:18the diaphragm
19:19and creating like
19:20a big piston
19:20inside his body
19:21so it pushes
19:22the air out.
19:23and then when he comes
19:24up in the air
19:25the viscera drop back
19:26and it sucks the air in
19:27so he's a big piston
19:29doing this.
19:31Front legs down
19:32breathe out
19:34up in the air
19:35breathe in
19:39and that creates
19:40certain limitations
19:42the faster he goes
19:44the less time
19:45he's got to breathe.
19:46It sounds to me
19:47like it's not
19:47it's not like breath holding
19:49but it is like suffocation.
19:50It would be suffocation
19:51for you and I
19:52but again the horse
19:53is different.
19:54His body has adapted
19:55to tolerate
19:56this unique situation
19:57that allows him
19:59to keep going
19:59far longer
20:00than you and I
20:02could keep going.
20:05We don't think
20:06of racing
20:06and the first step
20:08of a race
20:08as being the first
20:09event in asphyxiation.
20:12If you or I
20:13were to run
20:14we can't drop
20:15our oxygen level.
20:17It's too painful.
20:19A horse however
20:20doesn't seem to have
20:21those same restraints.
20:22He'll take all the last
20:25little drop of oxygen
20:26and drain it all out
20:28right to the very
20:29very last drop.
20:34He's at a point
20:35at the end of a race
20:36which would render
20:37you or I
20:37unconscious.
20:40For some people
20:41it would almost kill them.
20:42It's extraordinarily severe.
20:47Severe for us
20:49but not for a horse.
20:53That ability to run
20:54on very little oxygen
20:56is a gift of evolution.
20:59And in the past
21:00it kept wild horses alive
21:02as they outran
21:03their predators.
21:05all horses can do it
21:08but some
21:09can do it better.
21:13To Peeta Farm
21:15in Maryland
21:16a kind of
21:17exclusive private school
21:19for thoroughbreds
21:21and the home
21:23of legendary trainer
21:24Michael Dickinson.
21:26Owners send Michael
21:28their most promising horses
21:29and he tells them
21:32how promising
21:33they really are.
21:34That's nearly perfect.
21:37He works closely
21:38with David
21:39who spent a lifetime
21:40building a system
21:41to predict
21:42how fast
21:43a horse will run.
21:47Easy girl.
21:49Today
21:50David and Michael
21:51are taking
21:52three horses
21:53out for testing.
21:55He needs these horses
21:57to sustain
21:5845 miles an hour
22:01for a full mile.
22:03That's twice as fast
22:05as humans
22:05have ever gone.
22:13Perfect.
22:24Well done Alex.
22:26I went egg-a-roda.
22:28So they all went
22:30alright didn't they?
22:32Did nothing wrong
22:33did they?
22:34A hard gallop
22:35is punishing
22:37but it turns out
22:39the cost
22:40is even higher
22:41than I thought.
22:43when a horse
22:44tries to run
22:45flat out
22:46he's so big
22:48and he's going
22:48so fast
22:49so there's a price
22:50to pay for that.
22:51The blood gets more
22:52and more acidic
22:53all the time.
22:54The carbon dioxide
22:55in his blood
22:55builds up and up
22:57and up and up
22:57and gets really high.
22:59These are all things
23:00that when we're running
23:01or we're swimming
23:01feel really painful
23:03and tell us to stop.
23:04Yes exactly.
23:05It's like a break
23:05or an erection.
23:06Yes exactly
23:06and horses
23:07switch those brakes off.
23:10It's not altogether
23:12surprising
23:12that horses
23:13should be able
23:13to do this
23:14because there are
23:15other animals
23:16that seals
23:16when they dive
23:17he can go down
23:18there in the water
23:18and swim around
23:19for a long time
23:20without having to breathe.
23:22Essentially
23:23it's the same process.
23:26So when we get
23:27a pain signal
23:28that tells us
23:29to stop running
23:30something different
23:31happens in a horse
23:33it begins to
23:34metabolize energy
23:36without oxygen.
23:38Humans can do this
23:40but not as well
23:42as horses.
23:44Some of the
23:45byproducts
23:46of this process
23:47are euphoric.
23:49He's feeling positive
23:51he's feeling energized.
23:53Basically
23:54he's high.
23:54So the typical picture
23:56that a person
23:57would have
23:57of a thoroughbred racehorse
23:58is that bouncing
24:00lively
24:01snorting animal.
24:03All of that
24:04is coming from
24:04this euphoria
24:05they're feeling
24:06having gone
24:07to a level of fatigue
24:09that we couldn't
24:10even tolerate.
24:11The physiology
24:12of the horse
24:12is set up
24:13to sacrifice
24:14everything
24:14for a run.
24:15Absolutely.
24:16Can you think
24:17of another animal
24:17that would do that
24:18for us?
24:19No it's amazing.
24:27All those things
24:28that we feel
24:29when we're
24:30around a racehorse
24:31encourage
24:33admiration
24:36there's something
24:37special
24:38about these animals
24:39because they've
24:40endured
24:49and there's
24:50something
24:51unbelievably trusting
24:52about the way
24:53they will respond
24:54to the care
24:55of the humans
24:57and come around
24:58and do it again.
25:04Horses take us
25:05to speeds
25:06we could never
25:07reach
25:08on our own
25:08two feet.
25:11Yet without
25:12a human
25:13in sight
25:14horses
25:15still love
25:16to run.
25:19It's just
25:20their nature.
25:23So I wonder
25:25in the horses
25:26past
25:26was their
25:27amazing speed
25:29how they
25:30survived?
25:32Only one
25:33animal can
25:34answer that
25:35question.
25:40deep in
25:41Mongolia's
25:42Gobi Desert
25:43there's a
25:44cousin of
25:45the modern
25:45horse
25:46very different
25:47than the
25:48animal we
25:48know.
25:49We call
25:50them
25:51Shavalski
25:52horses.
25:55Incredible.
25:56It's gorgeous.
25:58Right down
25:59there
25:59is a
25:59green
26:00valley
26:00running right
26:01along the
26:01sands of
26:02the Gobi
26:02Desert
26:03and
26:03somewhere
26:04in that
26:04valley
26:05is the
26:06closest
26:06living
26:07relative
26:07of the
26:08horse.
26:09This
26:10species
26:10went extinct
26:11in the
26:11wild
26:12but
26:13now
26:13it's
26:14back.
26:15Here.
26:16Come on.
26:33A stallion
26:35group.
26:38No mares
26:39in sight.
26:40For now
26:42this is
26:43play fighting.
26:45Rehearsal.
26:51The
26:52Shavalski
26:52horse
26:53is so
26:54rare
26:54I've
26:55only ever
26:55seen them
26:56in
26:56pictures.
26:57At
26:58one point
26:58there
26:59were
26:59only
27:0012
27:00animals
27:01left
27:01all
27:02of
27:02them
27:03in
27:03captivity.
27:06Few
27:07people
27:07believed
27:08these
27:08horses
27:08would
27:09ever
27:09return
27:10to
27:10the
27:10wild.
27:13They're
27:13here
27:14today
27:14because
27:14of this
27:15woman
27:15conservation
27:17biologist
27:18Claudia
27:18Faye.
27:19For
27:20decades
27:21Claudia
27:21fought
27:22to bring
27:22a handful
27:23out of
27:24captivity
27:25and
27:26eventually
27:26back
27:27to their
27:27native
27:28habitat.
27:29Now
27:30there are
27:3167 in
27:32her reserve.
27:33Most of
27:34them
27:34were born
27:35here
27:36in the
27:37wild.
27:39Claudia's
27:40project
27:40is a
27:41fragile
27:42success.
27:45Because
27:46the
27:46Shavalski
27:46lives in
27:47the closest
27:48thing there
27:48is to
27:49the
27:49original
27:49home of
27:50horses,
27:51I think
27:52they can
27:53tell me
27:53how horses
27:54survived
27:54before we
27:56tamed them.
28:01At
28:02dawn,
28:03Claudia
28:03takes me
28:03out to
28:04find the
28:04biggest
28:05herd.
28:06To
28:06survive,
28:07wild
28:07horses
28:08need a
28:08big
28:09territory.
28:10But
28:10that
28:11means
28:11they
28:12can
28:12be
28:12very
28:13hard
28:13to
28:13find,
28:14even
28:14for
28:15Claudia.
28:16Yeah,
28:17I don't
28:17see a
28:18thing.
28:19I see
28:20many
28:20things,
28:21but
28:21no
28:21horse.
28:22For
28:22the
28:22ro
28:23crudas,
28:23it's
28:2410
28:24rongas
28:24that are
28:2511
28:28in
28:28the
28:29sun
28:29depart,
28:30really
28:30strange.
28:32Usually
28:32when they
28:33are in
28:33unusual
28:34places,
28:35something
28:35happens
28:36in
28:36the
28:36night.
28:37Either
28:37there were
28:38stallion
28:39problems,
28:40stallion
28:40fights,
28:40or a
28:41wolf
28:41attack.
28:46Just
28:47a
28:47generation
28:47ago,
28:48all
28:49Chevolskis
28:49lived in
28:50zoos.
28:51But
28:52out
28:52here,
28:53nothing
28:53is
28:54protecting
28:54them
28:54from
28:54predators.
28:57The
28:57Mongolian
28:58wolf
28:58is a
28:59constant
28:59threat.
29:02So
29:02is it
29:03speed
29:03that
29:03keeps
29:04these
29:04horses
29:04alive?
29:06Or
29:06is it
29:07something
29:07else?
29:09I
29:09chose
29:10the
29:10animals
29:10in
29:11such
29:11a
29:11way
29:11that
29:12they
29:12would
29:12be
29:13compatible
29:13because
29:14I
29:14really
29:14hoped
29:15that
29:15they
29:15would
29:15form
29:16a
29:16herd
29:16again.
29:17The
29:17big
29:17herds
29:18are
29:18much
29:19more
29:19efficient
29:20against
29:20predators.
29:22Horses'
29:22typical
29:23predators
29:23are
29:23wolves.
29:24They
29:24hunted
29:25ducks.
29:25I've
29:26seen wolf
29:27attacks.
29:27The whole
29:28herd
29:28gathered
29:29together
29:29and the
29:31stallions
29:31attacked.
29:32The
29:32stallions
29:32attacked?
29:33Attacked.
29:33The
29:34attack
29:34tried to
29:34bite and
29:35tried to
29:35kick them
29:36with the
29:36forelegs.
29:37So you
29:37have
29:37cooperative
29:37predators
29:38and
29:39cooperative
29:39prey.
29:39So the
29:40fact
29:40they're
29:40being
29:41predated
29:41by
29:42groups
29:42of
29:42wolves
29:43has
29:43forced
29:44horses
29:45to be
29:45cooperative.
29:46They
29:47do
29:47have
29:47a
29:47sort
29:48of
29:48real
29:48cooperation.
29:49They
29:50know
29:50what
29:50task
29:51sharing
29:51is
29:52in
29:52the
29:52highly
29:52complex
29:53social
29:54herds.
29:58But
29:58not all
29:59herds
29:59are the
30:00same.
30:01There
30:02are
30:02bachelor
30:02groups,
30:03a
30:04collection
30:04of
30:04stallions
30:05without
30:05mates.
30:07and
30:08there
30:08are
30:08family
30:08groups,
30:09mares
30:10and
30:10foals
30:11with a
30:12single
30:12stallion.
30:15The
30:16bonding
30:16behavior
30:17is
30:17constant.
30:19Mutual
30:20grooming,
30:21subtle
30:22hierarchy
30:22displays,
30:23and
30:24sometimes
30:25not so
30:26subtle.
30:29The
30:30horses
30:31are
30:31constantly
30:32negotiating
30:33for a
30:34rung
30:34on the
30:34ladder.
30:35Each
30:36horse
30:36has
30:37its
30:37place.
30:38Hierarchy
30:39gives
30:39the
30:39herd
30:40strength
30:40and
30:41ensures
30:42only
30:43the
30:43fittest
30:43stallions
30:44get
30:44to
30:45mate.
30:47But
30:47I'm
30:47surprised
30:48to
30:48learn
30:48it
30:49isn't
30:50just
30:50the
30:50toughest
30:51stallions
30:51who
30:52rise
30:52to
30:52the
30:52top.
30:54The
30:54dominance
30:55hierarchy
30:55in
30:55horses
30:56is
30:56not
30:56based
30:56on
30:56size.
30:57It's
30:58not
30:58based
30:58on
30:58physical
30:58strength.
30:59It's
31:00mental
31:00strength.
31:01It's
31:01personality.
31:02It's
31:03recognizing
31:03character.
31:04You
31:04recognize
31:04the
31:04character
31:05of
31:05the
31:05leader.
31:05Yeah.
31:06And I
31:06think
31:06that
31:07translates
31:07to
31:08the
31:08horse
31:08human
31:08relationship
31:09because
31:10obviously
31:10if you
31:11ride a
31:11horse,
31:12I mean,
31:12the horses
31:13are what?
31:13About ten
31:14times heavier
31:15or five
31:15times heavier.
31:16So how
31:17can we ride
31:17a horse
31:18being so much
31:19smaller and
31:19dominate the
31:20horse?
31:20It's
31:21mental.
31:30These
31:31wild horses
31:32can fight
31:32and run.
31:34But
31:34according to
31:35Claudia,
31:36that isn't
31:37really why
31:37they're still
31:38here.
31:40For
31:41them,
31:41survival
31:42is about
31:42working
31:43together,
31:44about
31:44social
31:45life.
31:47perhaps that's
31:48why they
31:49accept
31:49Claudia
31:49almost like
31:51one of
31:52the
31:52herd.
31:55Left to
31:56themselves,
31:57horses build
31:58a community.
31:59And just like
32:01for us,
32:01it's the
32:02community
32:02that protects
32:03them.
32:05and try
32:06to help
32:07them have
32:07a more
32:08natural
32:08life.
32:10Horses
32:10do not
32:10need to
32:11be ridden,
32:12you know?
32:12They don't
32:13need us.
32:14They are
32:15independent,
32:16happy to
32:17be independent.
32:19This
32:20amazing
32:21spectacle,
32:22truly wild
32:23horses
32:23living without
32:24humans,
32:25it's like a
32:26vision from
32:27the past
32:28with a
32:29message about
32:29horses today.
32:31It turns
32:32out,
32:33speed and
32:34power aren't
32:35so important
32:35as the
32:36quality they
32:36share with
32:37us.
32:39A
32:39social
32:40mind.
32:44And
32:45everywhere we
32:46see horses
32:46today,
32:47we see that
32:48social mind
32:49at work.
32:51What the
32:51Shavalski
32:52horses do
32:53in the
32:53wild,
32:54our own
32:54horses do
32:55in our
32:56fields.
32:57If we
32:58only let
32:59them be
32:59themselves.
33:05it's
33:06amazing how
33:07eager horses
33:08are to
33:08please.
33:10Without a
33:11language in
33:11common,
33:12that's like
33:13mind reading.
33:14An incredible
33:16ability that
33:17English animal
33:18psychologist Karen
33:19McComb is
33:20trying to
33:21understand.
33:23At a
33:23riding stable,
33:24Karen's
33:25researchers are
33:26preparing for a
33:27day of horse
33:28testing.
33:29For Karen,
33:30this is
33:30science.
33:31But for the
33:31horses,
33:32it's play.
33:34I mean,
33:35anyone who's
33:35worked with
33:35horses,
33:36they sense
33:36this enormous
33:37personality that
33:38differs from
33:39individual to
33:40individual.
33:41No one has
33:41looked at that
33:42in an animal.
33:42We're used to
33:43the way humans
33:44express emotion,
33:45but actually
33:46horses are
33:47making these
33:48very subtle
33:50facial movements
33:51and have an
33:52incredibly mobile
33:53face, and
33:54they are
33:55expressing emotions
33:56as well.
33:59What we really
34:00want to do is
34:02work out what
34:04the emotional
34:05life of horses
34:06really is,
34:07what their
34:07emotional world
34:08is really like.
34:10To build her
34:12library of horse
34:13emotions, Karen
34:14has designed a
34:15set of experiments
34:16to trigger them.
34:18She plays
34:20recorded horse
34:21talk and
34:23observes the
34:23response.
34:25startled and
34:26afraid
34:28or curious.
34:32She shows
34:33them photographs
34:34of horses
34:35and of humans.
34:41Toffee likes
34:42this one.
34:46This one
34:47isn't so popular.
34:53Karen's team
34:54has made
34:54the surprising
34:55discovery that
34:56horses have
34:5717 different
34:58facial expressions.
35:01That's three
35:02more than
35:03chimpanzees.
35:04And one
35:06more than
35:06dogs.
35:09They're
35:10subtle.
35:12But by
35:12playing the
35:13images back,
35:14Karen can
35:14show me what
35:15the untrained
35:16eye might
35:16miss.
35:18He's sniffing
35:19the ground
35:20ostensibly.
35:21And you'd
35:21think, oh,
35:21he's just
35:21sniffing the
35:22ground,
35:22another horse
35:23was in here.
35:23But stop.
35:24Actually,
35:25that sniffing
35:25the ground
35:26again occurs
35:28consistently
35:28and in
35:29response to
35:29something that's
35:30a bit more
35:31negative.
35:31So that he's
35:32unsure about
35:33this.
35:34Humans do
35:35that as well.
35:36You know,
35:36when we're a bit
35:36uncomfortable,
35:37we might scratch
35:38ourselves or
35:38we glance away
35:39from something.
35:40Just it gives
35:40us a little bit
35:41of time to
35:43adjust.
35:45So this is,
35:46now this will
35:47be interesting.
35:47Look at what
35:48part of the
35:48face he's
35:48going to go
35:49to.
35:50Look, he's
35:51going towards
35:52the mouth.
35:53Yeah.
35:54And sometimes
35:54they go right
35:55up to the
35:55eyes.
35:56Yeah.
35:56It's interesting
35:57that sweep
35:57between the
35:58mouth and
35:58the eyes.
35:59It's almost
36:00as if they
36:00understand that
36:01the mouth and
36:02the eyes are
36:03the most
36:03significant bit
36:04of the human
36:04face.
36:05They have
36:06enough
36:07understanding
36:08to interpret
36:09not only
36:10emotion in
36:11the faces
36:12of their
36:12own species
36:13but emotion
36:13in our
36:14faces.
36:16It makes
36:17sense that
36:18horses use
36:18emotions to
36:19communicate with
36:20each other.
36:21But what
36:22fascinates me
36:23is they can
36:24read our
36:25emotions as
36:26well.
36:27They're capable
36:29of putting
36:30together the
36:32sort of
36:32representation
36:33of the
36:33person with
36:34the emotion.
36:36To me that
36:37shows a very
36:37acute emotional
36:39awareness.
36:41I mean that
36:42means really
36:42horses are
36:43eavesdropping
36:44on the
36:45human world
36:45all the
36:46time.
36:49Horses
36:49are mind
36:50readers.
36:51But that's
36:52not all.
36:54Karen is
36:54also interested
36:55in another
36:56quality.
36:57Curiosity.
37:01So this is
37:01interesting.
37:02Leanne is
37:03going to do
37:03what she calls
37:04a novel
37:05object test
37:06which means
37:06walking into
37:07a paddock full
37:08of horses with
37:09a great big
37:10beach ball and
37:11leaving it
37:11there and
37:12observing what
37:12the horses
37:13do.
37:13Will they run
37:14away from it
37:15or will they
37:16come and
37:16investigate it?
37:19Horses are
37:20naturally very
37:21inquisitive.
37:23We are also
37:24trying to see
37:25where personality
37:26fits into the
37:28whole thing.
37:29For example,
37:30how bold an
37:31individual is
37:32versus shy.
37:35It's these
37:36differences which
37:37we also see in
37:38humans that
37:39are going to
37:40be the stuff
37:42of their
37:43emotional lives
37:45too.
37:47With these
37:48tests,
37:48Karen is
37:49able to
37:50identify
37:50outgoing horses
37:52and introverts
37:54just like we
37:56see in humans.
37:58Popular horses
37:59like to spend
37:59time with other
38:00horses.
38:01But the horse
38:02standing at the
38:03edge of the field
38:04might prefer
38:05human company.
38:09Children who
38:09don't fit in
38:10will turn to
38:11their pets.
38:12But it's quite
38:12interesting that
38:13horses that don't
38:14quite fit in will
38:15also turn to
38:16humans.
38:18And our tests
38:19are actually
38:19showing that.
38:23These experiments
38:24paint a picture
38:25of an intensely
38:27social,
38:29curious,
38:30emotionally
38:31alive creature.
38:34If we pay
38:35attention,
38:36we can read
38:37a horse's mind
38:38and they
38:39can read
38:40ours.
38:43And wherever
38:44we bring horses
38:45to work,
38:46mind reading
38:47is just part
38:48of the job.
38:51On the eastern
38:52slopes of the
38:53Rocky Mountains,
38:54horse power
38:55still means
38:56just what it
38:57always has.
39:00Working cattle
39:01is one of the
39:02most demanding
39:03jobs a human
39:04can ask a horse
39:05to do.
39:06And that's why
39:08cowboys created
39:09the quarter horse.
39:12A remarkable
39:13breed combining
39:15endurance,
39:17agility,
39:19power,
39:21and smarts.
39:31in horse country,
39:32Jimmy Anderson
39:33is a bit
39:34of a legend.
39:35They say
39:36he can read
39:37a horse's mind,
39:39but maybe
39:40it's the other
39:41way around.
39:43Either way,
39:45he seems to have
39:46a secret language
39:47with his horse,
39:48a gelding
39:49called maverick.
39:51Up.
39:54He likes
39:55sitting.
39:58Whoa.
40:02People who are
40:02not working with
40:03horses the way
40:04you work with
40:04horses,
40:05they're just
40:05seeing the tip
40:06of the iceberg.
40:06There's a whole
40:07animal they haven't
40:08discovered.
40:09The person really
40:09doesn't see and
40:10look at that
40:11horse.
40:11They just kind
40:12of treat it
40:13like a motorbike.
40:14And a motorbike
40:15is not a smart
40:15animal.
40:16Not compared
40:17to a horse.
40:17Not compared
40:18to a horse.
40:19That is so true.
40:21Cutting calves
40:22is standard
40:23ranch work.
40:24But it
40:26fascinates me.
40:27In nature,
40:29wild horses
40:29were chased
40:30by predators.
40:31So how does
40:33Jimmy get
40:33maverick to do
40:34this?
40:35It's the
40:36behavior of
40:37a sheepdog,
40:38not a horse.
40:40When you're
40:41cutting,
40:41are you giving
40:43maverick directions
40:44to go right
40:44and left?
40:45It's happening
40:46too fast.
40:47If you're trying
40:47to give them
40:48directions to go
40:49right and left,
40:50most times you're
40:50late.
40:51When I drop
40:52my hand,
40:53that's signaling
40:54to him,
40:55okay,
40:55now it's your
40:56turn,
40:56your responsibility,
40:58take over.
40:59Takes over.
41:00Yeah.
41:00Knows what to do.
41:01Knows what to do.
41:02They just look
41:02after that,
41:03yeah.
41:03That's kind
41:04of the exciting
41:05part is how
41:06smart these horses
41:08are when you can
41:09really train a horse
41:10to do anything.
41:11We could train it
41:12to fetch if we
41:12wanted.
41:13Horses are so
41:15smart,
41:15they can learn
41:16to do things
41:17that go completely
41:18against their nature.
41:20But it takes
41:22training.
41:23We used to call
41:24it breaking a horse,
41:26but that isn't
41:27it at all.
41:31In the past,
41:32when we've talked
41:33about colt starting
41:34and colt breaking,
41:35that's what it was.
41:36They wanted
41:37to get a job done,
41:39kind of just force
41:40everything onto
41:42this horse.
41:43They expected
41:44the horse to jump,
41:45they expected
41:45the horse to rear,
41:46they expected
41:47him to buck,
41:48because there was
41:49no relationship.
41:51Talk about breaking
41:52the spirit,
41:53and now it's almost
41:54the opposite
41:55of what we're wanting.
41:56Now we want
41:57that spirit,
41:57we want that heart,
41:59we want that desire.
42:02I'm here to see
42:03Jimmy start
42:04a two-year-old colt
42:05called Shiver.
42:06Until now,
42:07Shiver's only seen
42:09humans from a distance.
42:10He's never been ridden.
42:16Now what I'm gonna do
42:17is start working myself
42:19a little bit closer
42:20to him.
42:22I've come for the week,
42:23but Jimmy figures
42:25he'll get a saddle on
42:26sooner than that.
42:30That seems a little
42:31optimistic to me.
42:34And so,
42:38he's trying.
42:43There.
42:46There we go.
42:49You'll hear me
42:50talk about two eyes.
42:51Mm-hmm.
42:52When that horse
42:53can start to give me
42:54them two eyes,
42:55he also gives me
42:57his focus.
43:07Nice.
43:11He really needs
43:12to get used to this.
43:14He can't take that touch.
43:15He won't take a saddle.
43:16Now we're getting him
43:18used to an external
43:19pressure.
43:20Tap this hind end
43:23and have him yield
43:25that hind end.
43:27Nice.
43:29Tap this hind end.
43:35There.
43:37Nice.
43:40I'm gonna come up here
43:41and see if I can't
43:43get some petting in there.
43:49Jimmy knows horses
43:50are prey animals.
43:52Dogs are always
43:53looking for supper,
43:54but horses are
43:56looking for safety.
43:57And that need
43:59is Jimmy's magic key.
44:02When I look at horses
44:03that are spooky,
44:04if he's away from the herd,
44:07he doesn't have a leader.
44:08When you get that trust
44:10and that confidence
44:11and that relationship
44:12with a horse,
44:13I mean,
44:13really sky is the limit
44:15of what you can do.
44:21When I start a colt,
44:23it's never a competition.
44:25It's more of a partnership
44:29and a relationship
44:29that we can start
44:31to get working together.
44:33I'm gonna come up here
44:35and now with the rope,
44:36I'm gonna move them
44:38hindquarters.
44:39Move those hindquarters.
44:41Move those hindquarters.
44:43Nice.
44:52How do you know
44:52how far to take it
44:54and when to stop?
44:55You know,
44:55we're looking at the expression
44:57in his face,
44:58looking at that tightness
45:00through his neck.
45:01He's telling me,
45:02Jim, you can do more,
45:03or Jim,
45:04I'm getting too worried.
45:05I can't take this.
45:06So that's where
45:07I'm just reading him
45:09and letting him tell me
45:11how much.
45:14And so when I can go
45:15through this
45:16with him not getting worried
45:19and just no big deal,
45:21that's when it's gonna tell me
45:23he's ready to saddle.
45:30Now he's getting good
45:31with the tarp.
45:42Nice.
45:43Good boy.
45:45So what are you doing
45:45now, Jim?
45:46I'm just bringing
45:47Maverick in.
45:49Maverick's gonna give him
45:50a little bit of confidence
45:52as I put this saddle on.
45:59And that's the first time?
46:01That's the first time,
46:03right there, yeah.
46:18And that's totally
46:19okay with me.
46:20He kind of got worried.
46:22He had to deal with it
46:24that way a little bit.
46:25That's totally okay.
46:27Good.
46:28There, he moved his feet,
46:29kind of tightened up,
46:31but come back.
46:33And so the next thing
46:35that I'm working here,
46:37see, every time he stops,
46:40I want him to start
46:41to look for me.
46:53There we go.
46:55Nice.
46:58That's what I want to see.
47:01That focus,
47:02that looking to me
47:03for that answer.
47:04He's come a long way
47:05since Maverick.
47:06He's come a long ways,
47:07yeah.
47:19I need to get him used
47:20to me jumping up
47:23and down here
47:24because if I want
47:25to get on him...
47:35Really, really
47:36good changes here.
47:37All right.
48:07Just amazing.
48:09Completely calm.
48:17My partner's helping me.
48:26Yeah.
48:57That was just superb.
48:59That was incredible to watch.
49:00Good boy.
49:02You know,
49:02couldn't have asked
49:03for a better first day.
49:05Good boy.
49:08And here he is
49:10for the first time.
49:11Yeah, he's your best friend
49:12now, isn't he?
49:13Yeah.
49:14When I take the halter off,
49:16what I want to see
49:17is him not leaving me.
49:24His focus isn't there.
49:28Nice.
49:29Perfect.
49:30See,
49:31and I want to be hooked up
49:32to these,
49:33not through a rope
49:34or through manhandling
49:36or force them
49:37or force them
49:37through their mind.
49:41In a single morning,
49:43Jimmy and Shiver
49:44have found
49:44a common language.
49:48It's truly incredible
49:50what we can do together
49:51when a horse agrees
49:52to trust in us.
49:56after all,
49:58we sit on a horse's back
50:00exactly where a wolf
50:02would have leapt up
50:03to attack.
50:04It shows us.
50:06Horses judge humans
50:08and some of us
50:10pass the test.
50:11horses are really amazing
50:14how much they will
50:17be a partner
50:18and they try
50:19crazy amount
50:20and I want to try
50:22that same amount
50:23back for them.
50:25When they give me
50:26that much trust,
50:28I can never let
50:29anything bad happen
50:30to them.
50:32When I lay Maverick
50:33down in the arena,
50:35he has given me
50:37his trust.
50:39Maverick knows
50:40I won't let
50:41something happen
50:42to him.
50:51The more time
50:52I spend with horses,
50:53the more I understand
50:54what a gift they are.
50:57A body loaded
50:59with the most amazing
51:00physical attributes,
51:01yet also a mind
51:03that connects
51:04with our own.
51:06That's what makes
51:07our partnership
51:08unique.
51:11But I wonder,
51:13how did it all begin?
51:18In the final episode,
51:21travel back in time
51:22and discover
51:23how horses
51:24spark the beginning
51:25of art.
51:27These guys had
51:28a spiritual connection
51:29with these animals.
51:31Join me on a journey
51:32into the incredible
51:34world of horses today
51:35and be amazed
51:38at their diversity.
51:41From the coldest
51:42place on Earth
51:43to the hottest
51:46and even
51:48to an uninhabited
51:49island
51:50where horses
51:51rely for survival
51:53on seals
51:55and learn why,
51:57no matter what,
51:59horses are here
52:00to stay.
52:01We are still
52:02on our horses,
52:03just like our
52:04forefathers.
52:05That's our way
52:06of life.
52:11From their
52:11incredible power
52:12and speed
52:13to their intelligent
52:14and social nature,
52:16it's no surprise
52:17we built our world
52:18with horsepower.
52:20When you get
52:20that trust
52:21with a horse,
52:22sky is the limit
52:23of what you can do.
52:24But how did we
52:25shape this remarkable
52:26creature
52:26into the 350 breeds
52:29that exist today?
52:30Let's take a global
52:31tour of the most
52:32fascinating members
52:33of the Modern Horse Club.
52:35time for F anch cop.
52:51We'll be right back to
52:51About F lucky
52:55and have never
53:05wanted each indig
53:13To learn more about what you've seen on this nature program, visit pbs.org.
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