Horses stamp catalogue

16,587 items

The term horse is reserved for the species Equus ferus (including a number of forms, the taxonomic status of which is unclear). This includes the tarpan, the Przewalski's horse, the konik and of course all forms of the domesticated horse. More

The term horse is reserved for the species Equus ferus, including a number of forms whose taxonomic status is still unclear. This includes the tarpan (Equus ferus, the wild progenitor), the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus przewalskii) and of course all forms of the domesticated horse (Equus ferus caballus or Equus caballus), including the konik.
The horse originated in North America. From there it reached Eurasia. While it became extinct in North America, the horse survived for a long time in Eurasia. The last tarpan died in 1887 in the Munich Zoo.
Humans certainly played a major role in the disappearance of the wild horse. The horse served as a food source, but habitat loss by humans also played a role. On the other hand, the horse became increasingly important to humans when they succeeded in domesticating the animal. The horse was important as a riding animal, as a draught animal and as a food source for scarcer times. Sometimes these domesticated animals escaped and became feral again, such as in America and Australia. In the case of the Przewalski horse, it is unclear whether these are feral kept animals or whether the animals are direct descendants of wild horses.
Nowadays, the horse has become an indispensable part of our society. Nowadays, the horse is also used in sports and for all kinds of recreational functions. It is therefore not surprising that the horse is frequently depicted on stamps.

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Number of stamps

16,587

Number of related items

Oldest item

Kingdom of Naples - Coat of Arms (1858)