Horses - How Well Do You Know Them? | Horses

By AazdakAlisimo
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Before oil came along, horses were the main source of transportation in the world. In many parts of the planet, they are still the main source for moving things around. While you probably realize this, how well do you really know horses?

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.

Horses make 8 basic sounds - snort, squeal, greeting nicker, courtship nicker, maternal nicker, neigh, roar, blow.

Depending on maturity, breed and the tasks expected, young horses are usually put under saddle and trained to be ridden between the ages of two and four.

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.

Horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. Their first response to threat is to startle and usually flee, although they are known to stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is not possible, or when their young are threatened.

The horse has one stomach. In contrast, cattle, sheep, goats, bison, deer, elk, caribou, moose, and camels are ruminants which means they have four digestive chambers instead of just one stomach.

A horse's upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw. During normal chewing sharp edges or points frequently form along the outside edge of the upper teeth and the inside edge of the lower teeth due to the uneven grinding surface created by the different width of the jaws.

On-average, miniature horses may live one-third longer than large horses. This size-longevity relationship is the same for dog breeds.

Horse meat has been used as food for animals and humans throughout the ages. It is eaten in many parts of the world and is an export industry in the United States and other countries.

Scientists believe that the first known ancestor of the horse lived about 50 million years ago. This prehistoric horse is called Eohippus and had four padded toes on the front legs and three padded toes on the back legs.

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds re ceived in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

A mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Mules are usually sterile.

About the Author

Aazdak Alisimo writes about horse riding stables and other issues for HorseRidiingBoardingStables.com.

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