Horses and ponies are actually members of the same species, equus calibus.

马和小型马其实是同一物成员，也就是马科动物。

Equids originally evolved in North America.

马科动物最初是在北美演化出来。

Various ideas have been tossed around in the last 150 years about the African equids' stripes.

在过去150年里，关于非洲马科动物身上条纹有观点。

So whether you're riding high up on a horse or practicing prancing with a pony, they're all equines in the end.

所以不管你是骑着马，还是和小型马一起练习跳跃，它们其实都是马科动物。

Equines are the subfamily of equids that includes modern horses.

马科动物是包括现代马在内马科动物亚科。

So, as they became increasingly adapted to their grassy new environment, equines thrived throughout the Miocene.

因此， 随着它们越来越适应新草地环境，马科动物在整个中新世蓬勃发展。

Bovids, equids and, in particular, canids, were put to work by H.sapiens; felids always took a slightly different view of the matter, but were indulged for their rodent-catching talents.

牛科动物、马科动物，尤其是犬科动物，都是由智人分工；猫科动物略有不同，但受宠原因主要是捕捉啮齿类生物天性。

And one of the most important likely descendants of Miohippus was an equid that was even better adapted to life on the plains: Parahippus.

Miohippus 最重要可能后代之一是一更适应平原生活马科动物：Parahippus。

Then, as the Pliocene Epoch opened about 4 million years ago, one of the single-toed groups of equines finally gave rise to Equus, the genus of the modern horse.

然后，随着大约 400 万年前上新世时代开始，单趾马科动物群中一个终于进化出了现代马属马属。

For instance, the eight species of wild equids (horses and their relatives) vary greatly in disposition, even though all eight are genetically so close to each other that they will interbreed and produce healthy (though usually sterile) offspring.

例如，八野生马科动物（马及其近亲）性情差异很大，尽管所有八野生马科动物在基因上非常接近，以至于它们会杂交并产生健康（尽管通常不育）后代。