Abstract
In Western countries today, the horse is no more than a leisure animal. Even yesterday, however, they occupied a central place in our societies. Fast as lightning, they carried our ancestors around the world, their cultures, languages and germs, faster than they had ever been able to. From the moment the horse was domesticated, its history never ceased to follow that of mankind. Until very recently, however, this history remained largely unknown. But in recent years, with the deciphering of the genome of ancient and modern horses, the origins of the domesticated horse and the great stages that shaped what Buffon considered " the noblest " of our conquests, have finally unveiled their mysteries.
