TRIVIA:
INTERESTING
FACTS ABOUT HORSES
Focussed at Punters All. Enjoy some culled data.
1. In
the period before 2000 BCE, horses were wild animals, hunted for their skin as
well as flesh. Around this age, travelers through the Indian subcontinent
noticed that horses were being used to pull carts and also carry humans and
other loads. This may have stemmed from the fact that people on the Indian
subcontinent were mainly vegetarian and eschewed flesh in any form. Within a
hundred years, this finding had reached most corners of the world. People still
hunted horses, not for eating but for domesticating. Around 1900 BCE, horses
first appeared in Greece, most probably with the arrival of the Indo-Europeans.
2. The
horse is known as an Equus ferus caballus. The word Equus comes from ancient
Greece and means quickness. It is a hooved (ungulate) mammal, a subspecies of
the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years
from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. The
horse's single toe on each of its four feet is its most marked anatomical
characteristic and makes it a perissodactyl or odd-toed ungulate. The horse
shares this trait with the Rhinoceros and the Tapir.
3. There
are more than 350 breeds of ponies and horses.
4.
A height of a horse is measured with the hand,
where each hand, actually the breadth
of the fingers (excluding the thumb) equals four inches. The height is
measured from the ground to the withers.
5.
You can tell how old a horse is by how many
teeth it has. A horse gets all of its teeth by the time it is five years old.
After that, they just get longer. Adult female horses have 36
teeth. Adult male
horses have between 40 to 44 teeth.
6. A horse can only be called white if it is born
white which is very rare. Camargue horses are completely white as adults. Their
babies are pure black when they are born. Thus, Camargue horses are not white horses, but
gray.
7. An
average horse’s head weighs 5.5 kg.
8. A horse’s heart weighs around 4.5 kg.
9. A horse is able to drink 35-40 liters of
water per day.
10. Horses
use their facial expressions to communicate. Their moods can be gauged with the help of their nostrils, eyes and ears.
11. Horses produce approximately ten gallons of
saliva a day.
12. Horses expend more energy lying down.
13. The hoof of a horse is like a fingernail;
it keeps on growing and needs to be trimmed.
14. Horseshoes protect horses’ hooves from hard
surfaces. Since their hooves are trimmed regularly, new shoes are put on equally
regularly. Horses' hooves grow approximately 0.25 in a month, and take nearly a
year to grow from the coronet band to the ground.
15.
Any kind of mark, which appears on the forehead
of a horse, is called a star, irrespective of whether it resembles one!
16.
However, a broad splash of white that covers
most parts of the forehead between the eyes and carries down the nose to the
muzzle is called a Blaze. A white mark, which covers one or both of the lips
and proceeds up to the nostrils, is called a White muzzle.
17.
A horse is able to walk, trot, canter and gallop,
using different combinations of its muscles to vary its gait and speed.
18. Horses usually live for around 20 to 25
years, with some going up to 5 years more.
19. A young horse of either sex is known as a
foal. A 2-year old male horse is called a colt and becomes a horse at 5 years.
A 2-year old female horse is called a filly and becomes a mare at 5 years.
20. In most cases, the foal is born at night,
away from danger and prying eyes.
21. After being born, it only takes a foal about
1-2 hours to stand up and walk.
22. A foal should weigh approximately 10% of its
mother's weight.
23. Foals are fully grown by 3-4 years of age.
24. In equestrian circles, horses gain one year in
age on New Year’s Day. A horse born on 31 Dec 2009 became a two year old on 01 January 2010.
25. The gestation period of a horse is 330 days,
or about 11 months. Racehorses are planned for a birth in mid-February or early
March.
26. Horses
eat short, juicy grass, and hay. Foods like barley, maize, oats and bran are
good for working horses.
27. Horses are either a mixture of colors or the
same color all over. Horses are usually, black, brown, cream or gray in color.
28. A horse has two blind spots; one is located
directly in front of them while the other is located directly behind.
29. A breed of horses called Akhal-Teke from
Russia can go for days without water or food.
30. The Lipizzan is not fully grown until it is
about seven years of age and is late maturing. They can live for up to 35 years
old. Lipizzans aren't truly white. No horse is.
31. One of the few breeds of horses that live in
North America is called Mustang.
32. "Old Billy," was the oldest
recorded horse who lived to be 62 years.
33. Falebella of Argentina, is the smallest
breed.
34. "Little Pumpkin," is the smallest
pony in history, it stood 14 inches and weighed 20 lbs.
35. The rarest breed of horses is the Przewalski.
As of January 1998 only 60 Przewalski horses lived in the wild.
36. Arabian
horses have a dished face and many desert tribes believed this horse was a gift
from Allah.
37. The Clydesdale
breed are very big and cold-blooded. Before machines were invented, Clydesdales
were used for everything.
38. The
Moyle breed was developed in Idaho, by a rancher who traded one of his horses
for a Mormon's horse, who had galloped for 28 miles for the Pony Express. The
mare was in foal, and gave birth a month later to a filly. This line of horses
is recognizable due to the appearance of the frontal bosses above their eyes.
There are only two other horse breeds in the world known for having frontal
bosses, a strain of Andalusians, and the Datong of China. Another
characteristic is that most Moyles do not have chestnuts (the growth on the
inside of the front legs).
39. The
fear of horses is called Hippophobia.
40. Horses
were introduced to the Americas by Spanish Conquistadors and explorers in the
16th century.
41. The
Roman Emperor Caligula is famous or infamous for many things, but he was also a
horse lover. He was idiosyncratic too, once wanting to make his favorite horse,
Incitatus, consul of Rome.
42. The
moons of Mars are named for the mythical horses that drew the chariot of Mars,
the god of war. These two were Phobos and Deimos.
43. One
of the most famous horses in television history is Mr. Ed. His original name
was Bamboo Harvester and raised to be a parade and show horse. He lived to be
30 years old and died Feb. 28, 1979.
44. There
have been eleven (11) Triple Crown winners so far: Sir Barton, Gallant Fox,
Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, Citation, Secretariat,
Seattle Slew, and Affirmed. The last one was in 1978.
45. Horses'
display an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying
down. This is related to their need to flee from predators in the past. Their
anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a
well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight instinct.
46. The
Comtois, a light draft horse, is one of the older breeds, thought to originate
from horses brought into France by the Burgundians around the 4th century. In
the 16th century, the Comtois was used to improve the horses of Burgundy, and
was used as a cavalry and artillery horse. The Comtois is a short draft horse,
averaging around 14.3 hands. Its color is any variation of the chestnut, with a
flaxen mane and tail. Napoleon used this breed for his campaign of Russia.
47. The
Brabant, the heaviest horse breed in the world, weighing as much as 3,000
pounds, originated in Belgium, and was used as a farm horse.
48. The
Canadian Sport Horse and the Canadian Horse are not the same breed, despite the
similarity between the names. The Canadian Sport Horse was developed from
imported English Thoroughbreds and horses that belonged to the local farmers.
They are known for the ability to jump, and excel in events such as jumping,
dressage, foxhunting and driving. They can be any color but spotted (Appaloosa).
The Canadian Horse was used in the development of the Morgan, and can come in a
small variety of colors, mostly browns, bays and blacks.
49. The
Galiceno is a gaited, pony-sized breed from NW Spain, named after their place
of origin, the Galicia province of Spain. Some of their ancestors are the
Lusitano and Andalusian. They range from 12 to 14.1 hands, technically making
them a pony.
50. As
its name suggests, the Hungarian Horse originated in Hungary, with the
bloodlines going back several centuries. It's good at many events, including
jumping, eventing, dressage and driving. They can be any solid color.
Sometimes, a Hungarian Horse will be born with a slate-blue mark in the shape
of a three-leaf clover on its muzzle. Such a horse is said to bring the gift of
good fortune for the family, and the family would be safe from danger. If a
Clover horse was stolen, it would find its way back to the true owner. There is
at least one Clover horse alive today (as of 2007), a filly named "Magyar
Velvet," the first to be born in 50 years.
51. The
Mangalarga Marchador is the national horse in Brazil, and is the most popular
horse in the county. While it was developed in Brazil, it can trace its lineage
back to Portugal. The unusual name comes from the hacienda Mangalarga, which
was one of the first haciendas to promote the Mangalarga Marchador. The second
part of the name comes from the gait, a smooth, rhythmic gait that's natural to
the breed.
52. The
Marwari originates in India, and is known for its ears, which are hooked, so
much so that the tips touch each other. They are used for endurance and
pleasure riding, and dressage.
53. The
Pryor Mountain Mustang originated in the Pryor Mountains, which are between
Montana and Wyoming. The Pryor Mountain Mustangs are a gaited breed, with
smooth gaits that are good for a person with back knees or a bad back. They are
small horses, ranging from 13 to 15 hands. They have the typical conformation
for Spanish Colonial horses. They can come in a variety of colors, and many
horses have primitive markings, such as zebra striping, cobwebbing and dorsal
stripes.
54. Friesians
are mostly black, have feathers and are not allowed to be used for breeding if
they have a marking bigger than a five cent piece.
55. Shetland
ponies are stocky, short and have a thick mane and tail. They are very popular
among families. Some are so small that even a dog could look down on them!
56. The
Thoroughbred originated in 17th century England. The Thoroughbred is a product
of English racing mares and Arabian stallions. Most people are familiar with
the three founding stallions, the Godolphin Arabian, the Byerly Turk and the
Darly Arabian.
57. The
Thoroughbred is known as a race horse, but is not the fastest racer. In a short
race (a quarter of a mile), the Quarter Horse can beat the Thoroughbred.
58. There
is no such thing as an albino horse. There is, however, such thing as a sabino.
The white Thoroughbred you may have seen (White Fox) is not an albino, it's a
extreme sabino.
59. The
Arabian is one of the oldest and purest breeds, in fact even if a horse is
99.9% Arabian, it is still not considered to be a purebred. Arabian blood is
present in most other modern breeds, including the Thoroughbred.
60. Arabians
have one less rib, one less lumbar bone, and one or two fewer tail vertebrae
than other horses.
61. While
most horses have only four gaits, the walk, trot, canter, and gallop, there are
some breeds noted for additional gaits, usually smoother to ride, e.g. the
Peruvian Paso, the Tennessee Walking Horse, and the Icelandic Horse.
62. A
horse with a broken leg can be saved, however it is extremely costly, and hard.
63. Horse
Vision: Most of the time, a horse has "monocular" vision. This means
a different image is seen by each eye so that a horse is seeing two different
pictures at the same time. A horse can also have "binocular" vision.
Binocular vision is when both eyes work together to see one picture (humans
have binocular vision). A horse only has binocular vision when it is looking
down its nose. However, a horse has a wide range of vision. A horse can see
completely around its entire body except for small blind spots directly in
front of its face, underneath its head, and directly behind itself. This is why
it's very important not to walk up right behind a horse - you are in its blind
spot and if you startle it you may get kicked.
64. Most
often, wherever a horse's ear is pointing is where the horse is looking with
the eye on the same side. If the ears are pointing in different directions, the
horse is looking at two different things at the same time. There are exceptions
to this. For example, if a horse has its ears pinned back against its neck in
anger, this does not mean it is looking backwards with both eyes.
65. A
horse can see better at night than a human. However, it takes a horse's eyes
longer to adjust from light to dark and from dark to light than a human's.
66. Horse
Records:
Ø
The tallest horse on record was a Shire named
Samson. He was 21.2 hands (7 feet, 2 inches) tall. He was born in 1846 in
Toddington Mills, England.
Ø
The oldest horse on record is "Old
Billy," an English barge horse. He was 62 years old when he died, living
from 1760 to 1822.
Ø
The record for the highest jump made by a horse
is held by a horse named Huaso who jumped 8 feet, 1 and 1/4 inches on February
5th, 1949 in Vina del Mar, Chile. He was ridden by Captain Alberto Larraguibel.
Ø
The record for the longest jump over water is
held by a horse named Something who jumped 27 feet, 6 and 3/4 inches on April
25, 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was ridden by Andre Ferreira.
67. Horses
cannot breathe through their mouths (ibid).
68. Horses
have a prehensile upper lip. Prehensile means "adapted for seizing,
grasping, or taking hold of something." Their upper lips are very
sensitive and capable of feeling the smallest of differences in objects.
69. A
mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse.
70. A
hinny is a cross between a male horse and a female donkey.
71. A
horse's normal body temperature is 100-101°F.
72. A
healthy adult horse should have a pulse of 36 to 40 beats per minute while at
rest.
73. Horses
lie down only about 43.5 minutes a day.
74. A
horse typically sleeps two and half to three hours a day.
75. A
horse has approximately 205 bones.
76. Horses cannot digest their food while lying down so a horse
with a broken leg would have to be kept in a sling for recovery,
something very few horses would tolerate.
