The Colombian Exchange was the exchange of products and ideas that led to the transformation of the world. A product of the Columbian Stock Exchange in the period 1450-1750 was the horse. Horses were introduced to the Americas by the Spanish. Politically, horses aided in the conquest of land by instilling fear in their opponents. Socially, horses became the most effective form of transportation which allowed society to cover more ground at a greater speed. Economically, horses benefited agriculture by pulling plows to increase the rate of farming. The horse exchange had more negative than positive impact on the Old World in the long run. The original habitat of the horse equus was in North America about 4 million years ago, where they crossed the Bering land bridge into Eurasia 2 or 3 million. years ago (Jay F. Kirkpatrick). They were then brought back to their homeland years later by Europeans. Christopher Columbus was one of the first documented people from the Old World to bring horses with him on his voyage. His journey was originally to India, but he sadly found his way to the New World. However, Christopher Columbus' voyage was not where the official horse exchange occurred. Hernán Cortez brought horses greater visibility to the Aztecs in 1519. The primary form of transportation in the Old World was the horse. Between 1450 and 1750 there were no automobiles, trains or buses. It was not possible to travel large distances due to the lack of transportation in South America. The company was blocked because the landscape was difficult to navigate on foot. Horses were a quick and efficient means of transportation that allowed Native Americans to cover greater distances and terrain that they could not… middle of paper… negative impacts crowding out positive ones. The horse was used as a feared figure against Native Americans. The Native Americans could not resist the military advantage that horses represented and so the New World was easily conquered and defeated by the Old World. The Columbian Stock Exchange brought a disadvantage to the New World and an advantage to the Old World. Works Cited Kirkpatrick, Jay F. "The Surprising Story of America's Wild Horses." WordsSideKick.com. WordsSideKick.com, July 24, 2008. Web. November 17, 2013. "The History of Horses." PBS. PBS, 2005. Web. November 17, 2013. Stuart, Schwartz B. “The World of the Incas, Home Page.” World of the Incas, Home Page. International World History, 2002. Web. 17 November. 2013. .