In China, the horse is one of the most beloved zodiac animals. Its iconic galloping posture and spirited demeanor can give people a sense that, in the Year of the Horse, they will achieve career breakthroughs and accumulate wealth. It may even give a slight boost to China’s decliningbirth rate. Twelve years ago, during the previous Year of the Horse, regions throughout China saw double-digit increases in births as parents sought to give their child an auspicious start in life.But when and how did the relationship between the Chinese people and horses begin?
As far back as the Paleolithic age, several tens of thousands of years ago, humans were already hunting wild horses in what is now China, a practice that continued into the Neolithic age. For example, a stone carving dating back some 4,000 years that was unearthed at the Shimao Ruins, in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, depicts a person with a bow and arrow shooting a horse — presumed to be the now-extinct Equus ovodovi species. However, these sporadic hunting activities did not lead to the domestication of horses, which began elsewhere.
