This Equid emerged about 40 mya during the colder, more seasonal climate in North America. It the had a shoulder height of about 50cm and only had three toes on each foot, with the middle toe being more pronounced. Compared to its ancestors, its back was less arched, its legs and neck were longer, and its skull was slimmer.
Its teeth indicate that its diet consisted mostly of leaves and some grasses, less of soft buds and berries like the diet of its ancestors. Its premolars were very similar to its molars, indicating that it was better adapted to chewing coarse plant material.