In 2004, Congress designated December 13 as National Horse Day and, since then, Americans have been taking the day to celebrate and appreciate the role of the horse in not only helping our country become what it is today but also its current role in the modern era. Horses, in general, contribute roughly $9.2 billion to the US economy. Whether they’re helping plow fields; move food and supplies into rural areas; move livestock in ranches; or just provide sweet, thoughtful equine therapy; horses have woven themselves into the fabric of life in America.
After the primitive Native American horses died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, today’s wild-horse species were reintroduced to America by European colonists in the late 1400s. They’ve since flourished in the great plains and mountainous west, where wild herds’ thunderous hooves are still heard to this day. Rodeos are still a vibrant and celebrated part of the culture of the American West, and, in many rugged and rural areas, horses are still necessary for getting work done. While the history of Horse Day may be new to the millennium, horses themselves have always been intrinsic to the lives of many Americans.
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