Interesting Facts About Horses

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.