Spectacular Equine Exhibit to Launch

An extensive exhibit that examines the continuing relationship between horses and humans is getting set to open at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and it’s not to be missed. The exhibit, aptly titled The Horse, opens to the public on May 17, 2008, and runs through Jan. 4, 2009. It explores the origins of the horse, extending back more than 50 million years and traces early interactions between horses and humans that eventually led to horse domestication. It will also show how horses have, over time, changed warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports and many other facets of human life.

The Horse will showcase spectacular fossils and cultural objects from around the world, many from the museum’s extraordinary collections. Other highlights include a “diorama” depicting several horse species that lived 10 million years ago; examples of the horse in art from the Paleolithic era to the present; horse gear and armor from 15th-century Germany; and a horse-drawn fire engine from the 19th century. Exciting new archaeological discoveries shed light on the domestication of the horse, and historical artifacts trace the role of horses in sport from early forms of fox hunting to modern polo, the Triple Crown and the Olympics.

Numerous interactive stations throughout the exhibition — including videos, computer interactives, hands-on activities, and touchable casts — invite visitors to measure their strength in horsepower; examine different gaits of a horse by looking through a zoetrope (a precursor to the modern movie projector); and learn about the latest developments in the study of horse biology and the role of the horse in modern society. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will see unusual objects and be asked to identify them, including such items as a Roman horse shoe, a stirrup, a bit ornament, and a whip used in buzkashi, a sport on horseback played in Central Asia.

For more information, visit www.amnh.org.