New research challenges the long-held belief that horses were introduced to the American West by Europeans

Native Americans may have spread the animals across the region, long before Europeans arrived.

The arrival of horses in North America is a well-known story. Spanish explorers brought them to the Americas in the 16th century, and they quickly spread throughout the continent. However, a new study suggests that horses may have arrived in North America even earlier than that, and that Native Americans may have played a role in their spread.

New resear…