Kay Ferris, aged 14 of Wichita, Kansas for her question:

What happened to the other toes of the horse?

The modern horse trots along on tiptoe. For each hoof is one specially developed toe. The proud and beautiful animal is descended from ancestors who lived in America 50 million years ago. These ancestors were no bigger than foxes. And they ran along on toed feet. They had four toes on each front foot and three toes on each hind foot.

Our horse grew bigger and improved through the ages. He had to run faster to escape his enemies ‑ the wolf and the wild dog. So he got the habit of standing on tiptoe, all ready for a quick take‑off. Each generari on became more fleet of foot. Soon the horse was standing on tiptoe all the time. His extra toes were no use to him,

Gradually the one useful two developed into a hard hoof. The unused toes failed to develops any further. In time they even shrank as the horse grew bigger. Finally they disappeared from view. However, the modern horse still has same tiny bones that once were toes. They are hidden inside of his slender, graceful legs