alt Hacker NewsWorse, it was just almost all horses. There are a few in Central Park pulling tourists and that’s enough for the Pollyanna’s to point to and go “See! We’ll be fine!”
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pfdietz • today at 7:22 PM
The number of horses in the US is down by about a factor of 3 from the peak in 1920. They're mostly recreational now though.
ForHackernews • today at 1:36 PM
Presumably you are a human, not a horse, yes? Presumably there is more to your life than dragging around carts all day every day?
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Horses where the plaything of the rich. Farmers were using oxen not horses for the most part. However the modern plow (invented in the mid 1830s - John Deere being the best known inventor, but others were inventing them about the same time) needed the faster speed of a horse to work well, but if the previous farming technology worked for you then oxen (or donkeys ... - there are several other work animals used in different areas for farming) were better.
There are likely more horses today than there were in 1900 - but now they are play things for the upper middle class living in the exurbs (commuting via car to their city job). Sure there are a few Amish (and other similar groups) making a living with a horse, but most of them are toys for the wealthy.