Enjoy these horse facts!
How many liters of water do horses drink?
One of the most surprising facts. Horses drink between 25-55 liters of water a day. Much more than us, right? This amount varies depending on the size and weight of the equine addition to its activity and the place where it is located.
The food that the horse eats contains water, but depending on whether it is pasture or preserved forages, the amount of water will vary. If we talk about pastures, the amount of water they provide is greater, between 60-70% water. The conserved forages contain less water: if they are hays between 10-12%, if they are henolajes between 30-40% and if silos between 50-0% water.
In addition to the water that this food contains, more water is generated during the digestion process that will serve to cover the horse’s needs.
Commemorative statues of historical figures on horseback
There are quite a few out there, right? Well, the position of the horse has a lot to do with the meaning of the statue. If the horse appears with both legs raised, this means that this person was killed in combat. If it only lifts one leg, the death was caused by injuries sustained in battle. On the contrary, if the horse appears with its four legs on the ground, this means that the rider’s death was due to natural causes. One of the most unique horse facts.
Horse teeth never stop growing
This rarity is due to the continuous wear and tear to which the horses’ teeth are exposed. Their dentures chew grass between 12-18 hours a day, a time that causes great wear and that is compensated by this incessant growth.
Horses are very intelligent and sociable animals.
Horses do not like to be alone, if they spend a long time without any company it is possible that the horse develops mental or behavioral problems, so to avoid this it is best that they are always in compan. Thus, they will not suffer any type of disorder.
The size of the eyes of the horses
One of the most striking horse facts. Only whales, seals, and ostrich surpass the horse in the size of their eyes. The position of these allows a panoramic view. The equine’s visual field is quite wide, it has monocular and binocular vision. Yes, although it seems strange, you can see different things with each eye and at the same time thanks to your monocular vision. With their binocular vision, with both eyes at the same time, they can see from their nose and downwards, so the forehead is a blind area that horses have.
Do horses distinguish colors?
Well, not like us humans, but they do distinguish some color. The cats, for example, see colors in pastel shades, the dogs instead have a similar view to that of a human that does not distinguish well between red and green. For horses are more similar to dogs and distinguish some color but not all.
Horses have a highly developed sense of smell
Surely, this is one of the horse facts that not everyone knows. Anyways, this sense of smell is due to the proximity of the olfactory sense to the brain. Horses are very sensitive to odors and thanks to this they can use this sense in many situations. For example to search for water, since they have the ability to smell water even while underground. Something very useful for horses that live in the desert, especially considering the daily amount of water they need.
They also use their nose to recognize friends, enemies, unfamiliar objects, and even other groups of horses by smelling manure or urine.
Can horses vomit?
As surprising as it may seem, the answer to this question is not yes. Now we understand why horses suffer so much from colic, often leading to death. The reason? Well, everything refers to the digestive system, specifically, the pit of the stomach. Here is a valve called the cardia or Swiss tie. In this valve are muscles that are so strong that they prevent the ingested food from returning to the mouth. Therefore, in the case of intoxication or very strong indigestion, horses are unable to vomit and ingested food passes directly from the stomach to the intestines, producing serious contamination and causing dangerous colic.
Arabian horses have fewer bones
This breed is characteristic for its appearance since it has an innate beauty. But the most characteristic thing is its morphology, due to the scarcity of bones it has. As for the ribs, the Arabian horse has a couple less than the rest of the horse breeds. The lumbar bones are also scarce, it has 5 compared to the 6 of the others and the caudal vertebrae add up to 16 instead of the typical 7 of the rest of the races.
Thanks to this composition, the Arabian horse has great resistance and this allows it to carry heavier loads or riders. In addition to being able to lift its tail due to the absence of the last vertebra, giving it that stately and distinguished air.
A foal is capable of running within hours of being born
Another of the most characteristic horse facts, since most animals need an adaptation period, such as dogs for example. The foal, however, is a precocious creature and is able to stand up within hours of being born, acquiring sufficient coordination in its limbs to be able to run and flee if in danger.
The size of the legs of a foal corresponds to 90% of the total that they will reach when they are adults.
But how fast do they gallop? An interesting question. The average is 44 kilometers per hour, but the speed record is just double, reaching 88 kilometers per hour.
What is the life expectancy of horses?
The answer to this question is somewhat complicated as it depends on many factors. One of them is whether it is a wild horse or a captive horse. A wild one usually has a shorter life expectancy not exceeding 25 years of age, on the other hand, one in captivity usually lives for about 30 years.
But it does not only depend on these two factors, within captive horses, the type of horse that it is and the work it does must also be taken into account. There are three different types:
- The heavy or draft horses: characteristic for its size. They measure between 1.63-1.83 meters and their weight is between 700-1,000 kilos. The life expectancy of these is between 25-30 years.
- The light or saddle horses: stand out for its agility, speed, and endurance. They weigh slightly less than the previous ones, about 550 kilos, and measure between 1.42 and 1.63 meters. However, although it may seem a bit contradictory, it is one of the categories with the lowest life expectancy, not reaching 25 years of age.
- The ponies: the mini horses with longer life expectancies. They do not exceed one and a half meters, they have a much more robust body than the previous ones and strong and shiny hair. They are characterized by their calm character, ideal for children to ride and learn. Their life expectancy exceeds 40 years, and they can even reach 45.
The oldest registered horse lived to be 62 years old, their name was Old Billy and they were born in England in 1760. So it is proven that registered stockings can be broken, so let’s take care of our horses so that they live long and well.
How horses express their state of mind
The ears of a horse have a double function: in addition to listening, they can also express their state of mind.
We are going to highlight 6 basic positions:
- Stiff and moving ears: this is the horse’s natural alarm state. It is the normal position of any horse that we should not worry about.
- Loose or floppy ears: This position can be due to three things. The first may be linked to the animal’s tiredness or sadness, the second may be due to submission to a stronger and more dominant rival, and the third and last may indicate that the horse is sick, but in this case without any kind of movement.
- Ears pricked forward: shows distrust towards something or someone that they do not know, we must be careful because we do not know how they can react.
- Ears back mean submission or fear. It usually occurs in young horses when you start riding them. If we see this position in an elderly horse, it may be that they fear their rider for being too rough with him.
- Ears attached to the nape: be careful with this position. Indicates aggressiveness towards another horse, animal, or person.
- One ear forward and one back: expresses doubt. If your rider tries to explain something new to you, it means that they have not understood it correctly, so you will have to explain it again.
If you enjoyed this article regarding horse facts, you may enjoy facts about Ragdoll Cats too!
