History of Horses and Mules in the U.S. By hec11 Jan 1, 1500 Spanish conquistadors bring horses to America Jan 1, 1519 Coronado sets out for North America Jan 1, 1539 DeSoto sets out on an expedition of North America Jan 1, 1547 Antoni de Mendoza has 11 haciendas and over 1500 horses Jan 1, 1790 The average U.S. farm has 100 acres Jan 1, 1800 Horse becomes a central element in urban life Jan 1, 1800 Horse population grows rapidly Jan 1, 1800 Conestoga horse and Vermont Drafter are absorbed into the general horse population Jan 1, 1830 European draft horses are imported to the U.S. Jan 1, 1830 Farm machinery is invented Jan 1, 1832 First fire horse is purchased Jan 1, 1850 Horses become an essential part of urban fire protection Jan 1, 1855 Congress authorizes the raising of two horse-mounted regiments Jan 1, 1862 Congress passes the Morrill Land Grant Act Jan 1, 1867 Rural horse population is estimated at 8 million Jan 1, 1868 The first U.S. veterinary college opens at Cornell University Jan 1, 1875 First Kentucky Derby is run Jan 1, 1880 Horse-carlines are operating in every city Jan 1, 1883 National Horse Show begins Jan 1, 1886 First rodeo with paid attendance is held Jan 1, 1886 Over 100,000 horses and mules are in use on more than 500 street railways in 300 U.S. cities Jan 1, 1890 The average horse weighs 2000 pounds Jan 1, 1898 The calvary is epitomized in the Spanish American War by the Rough Riders Jan 1, 1900 Over 27,000 draft horses are in the U.S. Jan 1, 1900 The U.S. switches from horses to gas-powered engines Jan 1, 1906 There are 150,000 horses in the Fire Departments Jan 1, 1910 500-acre wheat farms are common Jan 1, 1910 More than 3 million horses are used in nonfarm capacities Jan 1, 1911 Team events begin in the National Horse Show Jan 1, 1917 America enters World War I
