On the day of Bingwu, a new year begins, and the spring breeze guides the hooves of the horse. As a herbivorous animal of the family Malaceae in the order Quetziformes, horses have not only become runners in their long-term evolution, but also intimate companions that have grown alongside human civilization. It not only ranks seventh among the twelve zodiac animals, but also holds a revered position as the "head of the six animals". It has the grandeur of "ten thousand galloping horses" and the calmness of "old horses knowing their way", leaving a clear mark on its posture from ancient wilderness to modern society. Research on evolution spanning millions of years shows that the ancestors of horses were once only the size of foxes and underwent long-term evolution to grow into the tall horses they are today. Its evolutionary origin is widely believed to be the ancestor horse, which lived in forests about 56 million years ago. They had four toes on their forelimbs and three toes on their hind feet, with simple tooth structures and low dental crowns. About 40 million years ago, the Jianxin horse appeared, with a body size similar to that of a sheep, with three toes on both the front and back feet, but the dental crown was still low and could only eat tender leaves. A key change in the evolution of horses occurred about 18 million years ago, when ancient grassland horses had a body size similar to modern ponies, developed middle toes, and increased tooth crowns, adapting to grassland life; About 10 million years ago, the Shang Xinma was already the size of modern horses, with its front and rear legs reduced to a single toe, and its dental crown further increased, making it suitable for running on grasslands. More than 4 million years ago, true horses appeared in North America and later spread to Eurasia through land bridges, becoming the direct ancestors of modern horses: their lateral toes completely disappeared, and they ran only with their middle toes, greatly increasing their speed; The teeth and crowns are covered with complex patterns, which can efficiently grind grass. Horses have also evolved multiple collateral branches such as three toed horses, but these branches have all become extinct due to their inability to adapt to environmental changes, with only the true horse branch continuing to this day. Nowadays, in addition to commonly domesticated horses, the horse family also includes a wild horse, as well as zebras and wild donkeys. As a hoofed animal, the important feature of horses is that the center of gravity of their feet is concentrated on the middle toe. At present, only horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses remain in the family of ungulates, with the latter two being rare species. Horses have multiple sensitive senses and unique biological characteristics. The character "horse" in oracle bone script vividly outlines its shape with large eyes, long mane, and four hooves and long tail. It has a keen sense of multiple senses, with expertise in vision, smell, hearing, and touch. It has the largest eyes among land mammals, with a field of view of nearly 350 degrees, comparable to a panoramic camera. However, it is naturally color weak and cannot distinguish between red and green. Horses mainly rely on their sense of smell when recognizing people. Its olfactory system is well-developed, and the proportion of olfactory bulbs responsible for processing odors in the brain is much higher than that of humans. Olfactory signals can be directly projected to the amygdala and hippocampus, binding odors with emotions and memories - even if someone changes clothes and hats, as long as their body odor is similar, horses can still recognize them. Horses are extremely sensitive to human emotional changes, due to their ability to capture special changes in human voice: when people are nervous and anxious, there will be an increase in the fundamental frequency of speech, an increase in pitch fluctuations, and an unstable rhythm. These changes are difficult to deliberately conceal, and horses can accurately detect and respond. The snout of a horse (lips and nose) has a sensitive sense of touch, and the density of tactile receptors here is similar to that of human fingertips, which can distinguish millimeter level differences. Therefore, it can accurately pick up a grain of oats on the ground, and when encountering unfamiliar objects, it will first use its lips to lightly touch and explore the world with its "fingertips on its face". The intelligence of horses is also highly regarded by the scientific community, as they excel in learning, collaboration, and memory. In addition, horses also possess many "special abilities": strong spatial orientation ability, and the saying "old horses know their way" is not an exaggeration; Teeth continue to grow in response to herbivorous wear and tear, and veterinarians can accurately determine their age based on the degree of wear and tear; During shallow sleep, you can "lock" your joints and keep standing, that is, sleep while standing, and escape instantly in case of danger; The hoof fork of a horseshoe is like an "auxiliary heart", pumping blood back to the heart through compression and rebound during running, ensuring long-lasting running. In ancient times, horses were one of the core driving forces of social operation, permeating into various aspects such as agricultural production, transportation, and military campaigns. In the military field, warhorses were once a key support for the mobility of ancient armies, and the invention of stirrups directly rewrote the rules of war. China was the first country to invent and improve the stirrup, which can maintain the balance of the rider's body, free their hands, and allow them to focus on using weapons, greatly improving the efficiency of riding combat. In the fields of transportation and trade, post horses used to gallop on post roads and were the core carriers of long-distance communication in ancient times. At the same time, horses are also an important transportation force for land trade, carrying goods and shuttling along the Silk Road and the ancient Tea Horse Road, becoming an important link connecting different regions and promoting cultural exchanges. With the evolution of human civilization, although the traditional practical value of horses has gradually weakened, they have expanded into new dimensions of value in more fields. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when antibiotics were not yet available, diphtheria antitoxin prepared from horse serum was the core specific therapy for combating the infectious disease diphtheria; In the field of modern competitive sports, equestrianism has become a sport that combines both ornamental and competitive elements; In the field of mental health, Ma has become a warm partner on the path of human healing by gently interacting with disabled children, trauma survivors, elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, and other groups to soothe anxious emotions. From wilderness to civilization, horses have accompanied humans through the long river of time and gradually become an important part of human culture and spiritual world. In Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of strength and perseverance, indicating a stable and prosperous future. Globally, the United Nations has just designated July 11th as World Horse Day in 2025, calling on everyone to pay tribute to and better protect humanity's loyal partners. (New Society)