The Advent of Movement in the Animal Kingdom

What evolutionary changes allowed the horse to become one of the animal kingdom’s great runners? This lesson for ages 11–18 explores the evolutionary changes that transformed movement, helping organisms become faster, more efficient, and better suited to their environments.

The BBC video clips from Evolution Episode 5: "The Horse" trace the development of movement in the animal kingdom, the evolution of the hoof, and the ways humans have shaped horses through selective breeding. Consider how structures such as muscles, tendons, leg bones, and hooves work together — and why certain traits can become more common when they provide an advantage.

Through observation, prediction, sequencing, and evidence-based activities, you'll examine the roles of environmental change, natural selection, and human intervention in shaping evolutionary outcomes. Then bring these forces together to explain how millions of years of change, followed by thousands of years of selective breeding, produced the modern horse.