The horse (Equus ferus caballus) was domesticated in the Eurasian steppes around 4,000 BC. In early times the horse was an essential form of land transport and traction but also provided meat, hair and leather. They quickly found their use in military operations and were the principle vehicle of warfare up until the end o f the Great War. Horses still fulfill these traditional roles in many parts of South America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Elsewhere it is of great economic importance to sport and leisure industries. Horses are not ruminants like cattle, sheep and goats but break down the cellulose in plant material through hindgut fermentation by symbiotic bacteria in the cecum.