The first horse-like creatures were probably striped in much the same way.
These animals never ate hay and oats; and, at first, they did not eat much grass.
There was little, if any, grass at that time.
These horse-like creatures lived on marshes and in swamps bordering streams and lakes.
They probably ate stems and leaves of plants that grew on the marshy lands.
They did not run as horses do to-day, but they plodded along on the soft ground.
They spread out their toes as they walked along, so as to keep from sinking.
When the dry land began to be covered with grass, little by little they left the marshes.
They went to the grassy highlands to live, and became more and more like horses.
Some of the cat-like creatures went to the highlands, but they did not go for the grass.