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Horses and chariots played a crucial social, cultural and military role in the emergence and development of early states in China. Little research, however, has explored the life histories of individual chariot horses or assessed their role as working animals. Here, the authors present a detailed zooarchaeological and palaeopathological study of eight adult male horses, used for pulling chariots, recovered from a single chariot-horse pit at the burial site of Shijia in north-western China. The characterisation of key osteological differences between chariot horses and ridden horses is offered as a contribution to the toolkit available for the archaeological investigation of human-horse interactions around the globe. Keywords: China, Bronze Age, Shijia, horse riding, chariotry, zooarchaeology, palaeopathology, Introduction Domestic horses (Equus caballus) and their use for pulling vehicles (e.g. chariotry) and riding profoundly transformed the subsistence economy, trade, warfare and geopolitics of vast areas of Eurasia (Clutton-Brock [...]

The horse played a crucial role in China through the first millennium BC, used both for military advantage and, through incorporation into elite burials, to express social status. Details of how horses were integrated into mortuary contexts during the Qin Empire, however, are poorly understood. Here, the authors present new zooarchaeological data for 24 horses from an accessory pit in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, indicating that the horses chosen were tall, adult males. These findings provide insights into the selection criteria for animals to be included in the emperor's tomb and invite consideration of questions concerning horse breeds, husbandry practices, and the military and symbolic importance of horses in early imperial China. Keywords: China, Qin, Emperor Qin Shihuang, horse, mortuary, zooarchaeology, Introduction The Qin Empire (221-207 BC) marked the beginning of Chinese imperial history. The unification of China and subsequent economic, cultural and political reforms initiated by Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC), [...]

The authors examine the role of horses as expressed in assemblages from settlement sites and cemeteries between the Eneolithic and the Bronze Age in Kazakhstan. In this land, known for its rich association with horses, the skeletal evidence appears to indicate a fading of ritual interest. But that's not the whole story, and once again micro-archaeology reveals the true balance. The horses are present at the funeral, but now as meat for the pot, detected in bone fragments and lipids in the pot walls. Keywords: Kazakhstan, Eneolithic, Bronze Age, Andronovo, horse, burial rites, faunal remains, lipids, Introduction From the Palaeolithic onwards, the archaeology and cultures of Kazakhstan were heavily influenced by people's changing relationships with one particular animal species, the horse. Horses shift from being a [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.09.025 Byline: Catherine Marina Pickering (a), Wendy Hill (a), David Newsome (b), Yu-Fai Leung (c) Abstract: Hiking, horse riding and mountain biking are popular in protected areas in Australia and the United States of America. To help inform the often contentious deliberations about use of protected areas for these three types of activities, we review recreation ecology research in both countries. Many impacts on vegetation, soils and trails are similar for the three activities, although there can be differences in severity. Impacts include damage to existing trails, soil erosion, compaction and nutrification, changes in hydrology, trail widening, exposure of roots, rocks and bedrock. There can be damage to plants including reduction in vegetation height and biomass, changes in species composition, creation of informal trails and the spread of weeds and plant pathogens. Due to differences in evolutionary history, impacts on soil and vegetation can be greater in Australia than in the USA. There are specific social and biophysical impacts of horses such as those associated with manure and urine, grazing and the construction and use of tethering yards and fences. Mountain bike specific impacts include soil and vegetation damage from skidding and the construction of unauthorised trails, jumps, bridges and other trail technical features. There are gaps in the current research that should be filled by additional research: (1) on horse and mountain bike impacts to complement those on hiking. The methods used need to reflect patterns of actual usage and be suitable for robust statistical analysis; (2) that directly compares types and severity of impacts among activities; and (3) on the potential for each activity to contribute to the spread of weeds and plant pathogens. Additional research will assist managers and users of protected areas in understanding the relative impacts of these activities, and better ways to manage them. It may not quell the debates among users, managers and conservationists, but it will help put it on a more scientific footing. Author Affiliation: (a) International Centre for Ecotourism, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia (b) Environmental Science and Ecotourism, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia (c) Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7106, USA Article History: Received 6 July 2009; Revised 15 September 2009; Accepted 21 September 2009

Horse domestication revolutionized transport, communications, and warfare in prehistory, yet the identification of early domestication processes has been problematic. Here, we present three independent lines of evidence demonstrating domestication in the Eneolithic Botai Culture of Kazakhstan, dating to about 3500 B.C.E. Metrical analysis of horse metacarpals shows that Botai horses resemble Bronze Age domestic horses rather than Paleolithic wild horses from the same region. Pathological characteristics indicate that some Botai horses were bridled, perhaps ridden. Organic residue analysis, using [delta][sup.13]C and [delta]D values of fatty acids, reveals processing of mare's milk and carcass products in ceramics, indicating a developed domestic economy encompassing secondary products.

The khirigsuurs are large and complex ritual sites that are major features in the landscape of Branze Age Mongolia and represent considerable investment. The authors present recently investigated examples of this important class of monument, describe their attributes and offer preliminary deductions of the kind of society they imply--and whether it was truly nomadic. Keywords: Bronze Age, Mongolia, nomadism, ritual monuments, Introduction Spanning thousands of years, the broad emergence of mobile pastoralism across the vast Eurasian steppes encompassed the domestication, harnessing and consumption of the horse, the adoption of wheeled vehicles, [...]

A total of 12 horses of different breeds and ages were infected with West Nile virus (WNV) via the bites of infected Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Half the horses were infected [...]

Hippotherapy (HPOT), from the Greek Hippos for horse, is translated to therapy, or treatment, utilizing the horse. Currently, HPOT, as defined by the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA), is a physical [...]