Available Images
For media use only.
For other usage, please contact Media Relations.

PLEASE NOTE: These images are supplied free solely for one-time use by print, broadcast, and online media for publicity purposes related to the exhibition The Horse. No other use of these images is permitted without express written permission of the Museum and/or the owners of the images.

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Friesian
This Friesian horse is featured in an interactive exhibit showing visitors characteristics of different breeds, in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s The Horse, on view from February 28 to May 24, 2009. This Friesian horse, named Flying Dutchman, is owned by Vladimir Plochaninoff.
© American Museum of Natural History/R. Mickens.

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Holsteiner
Holsteiner horses, known for their stamina, are featured in an interactive exhibit showing visitors characteristics of different breeds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s The Horse, on view from February 28 to May 24, 2009. This Holsteiner, named CaraMia, is owned by Kelly McGuiness.
© American Museum of Natural History/R. Mickens.

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Celestial Horses
This small bronze figurine of a horse depicts the legendary celestial horses that have been revered in China for two millennia. This figurine was made during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.). During this period the Chinese mounted an expedition to Fergana, in present-day Uzbekistan, to acquire their renowned horses. This two thousand-mile trip is credited with opening the eastern leg of the trade routes that would become the Silk Road. Fergana horses were famous for sweating blood—a mystery now thought to be caused by parasites under their skin.
© American Museum of Natural History/D. Finnin.

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The Darley Arabian
Based on English painter John Wootton’s original painting, this hand-colored lithograph by an unknown artist depicts one of the three English stallions of the 18th century that began the thoroughbred horse lineage.
© American Museum of Natural History/C. Chesek.

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Pony Express Mochila on Saddle
Riders of the Pony Express made quick transfers (within two minutes) at each station on their cross-country route. To speed things up, a removable leather mochila (Spanish for pack or pouch) for carrying mail, like the one shown here, was laid over the saddle. At each transfer station, the mochila was removed and slapped onto the saddle of a waiting horse. No mochilas used by the Pony Express have survived, but replicas were made for demonstrations like Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show for years afterwards.
© American Museum of Natural History\D. Finnin.

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Muybridge Photo—The Gallop
Pioneering British photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) was the first person to freeze the movement of a running horse in a series of still photographs. He set up rows of cameras that snapped pictures as the horse moved past. In the gait known as the gallop, all four feet leave the ground, but not when the legs are outstretched, as you might expect. Instead, the horse leaves the ground as its hind legs swing closest to the front legs, as this photo shows (second row).
© American Museum of Natural History, Library Special Collections.

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Terra-cotta Horse
In the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, village potters create horse figures as offerings to Aiyanar and other local gods, who are said to patrol village borders and protect people from harm. Many village shrines contain hundreds of these votive horses, some standing more than 5 meters (16 feet) tall. This horse is trimmed with garlands, like the stone horses in grand Indian temples. The face on its chest is Yalli, a spirit who protects Aiyanar.
© American Museum of Natural History /D. Finnin.

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Ancient horse diorama
Some ten million years ago, up to a dozen species of horses roamed the Great Plains of North America. These relatives of the modern horse came in many shapes and sizes. Some lived in the forest, while others preferred open grassland. Here, two large Dinohippus can be seen grazing on grass, much like horses today. But unlike modern horses, a three-toed Hypohippus tiptoes through the forest, nibbling on leaves. A small, three-toed Nannippus, shown here eating shrubs, ate both grass and leaves. In the background are several other large mammals living at that time, including Procamelus, a camel relative; a herd of Dinohippus horses; Gomphotherium, a distant relative of true elephants; and Teleoceras, a hornless rhinoceros.
© American Museum of Natural History /M. Shanley.

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Overview
The Horse, a comprehensive exhibition on the enduring bond between horses and humanity, opens at the Carnegie Museum of Natural on Saturday, February 28 and remains on view until May 24, 2009.