A horse is one of the first animals (along with a dog) that a man domesticated. Throughout history, it has performed two important functions: vehicle and traction. This article provides amazing and curious facts about horses that are not known to many.
How old are horses?
The story about interesting facts about horses is logical to start with this question. According to archaeological data, a horse is much older than a person. It is believed that the ancestor of modern artiodactyls was the so-called hyracoterium - a mammal that lived on our planet about 50 million years ago. It had a size of 60 cm in length and 20 cm in height, that is, in its parameters did not exceed the modern fox.
When was this animal domesticated? Many historians agree that the first to tame the horse were Mongol tribes. It happened about 5,000 years ago. Nevertheless, one should not say so categorically: firstly, there is no consensus on where the modern horse comes from, since their ancient remains are found in Europe, America and Asia; secondly, in some ancient caves, in which there are cave paintings of ancient people, these artiodactyls are depicted, while the drawings date back 15,000 years BC.
Water is a substance that animals cannot live without.
We now turn to the question of the vital need for water for this mammal. No animal can exist without this fluid, but for horses it is of fundamental importance.
How many liters of water does a person need to drink per day? About 2-3 liters. And what is the amount for horses? At least 10 times more! According to statistics, these artiodactyls drink from 25 to 55 liters per day. At the same time, they get part of the water from various feeds (60-70% of grass, hay - 10-12%).
Another interesting fact about horses is briefly noted. To find out that your steed needs fluid to enter his body, it is enough to collect a fold on his skin with two fingers, in which case it will not straighten up quickly when released.
Eye and vision features
One of the amazing facts about horses is that they have the largest eyes among terrestrial mammals. If we take all the animals known to people, then the horse’s eyes in the “Biggest” category will take 4th place after the whale, seal and ostrich.
Due to the location of the eyes on both sides of the head, these animals have two types of vision: monocular and binocular. The first of them (monocular) provides "panorama", the horse sees almost 360 o around him (for comparison, we note that for a person this figure is about 120 o ). There are only two narrow corners located directly in front of the animal and behind it, which are called "blind", that is, if the object is in these areas, the horse will not see it. This fact explains why they are known for their ability to kick: thus, the animal protects itself from the "invisible" danger from behind.
Binocular vision, that is, a situation where two eyes see the same object at the same time, provides the ability to distinguish the shape and dimensions of the object, or, as it is now customary to say, to observe it in 3D. However, the area for binocular vision is only below and in front of the animal.
An interesting fact about horses for children, who often ask their parents a question about whether these animals distinguish colors, is a positive answer. Yes, they distinguish color shades, but not in such scale as it is peculiar to the person. Scientists have found that horses see yellow, green and shades of gray, but do not distinguish the long-wave part of the spectrum, that is, red. We can say that the perceived color gamut of a horse is similar to that of a dog.
Movement speed
Listing the facts about horses for children, one cannot fail to mention how fast they can ride. It is difficult to unequivocally answer this question, since many factors must be taken into account. The speed of the indicators is primarily affected by the breed of the animal. So, the fastest horses in the world are considered to be English thoroughbred horses, which demonstrate speed up to 70 km / h in equestrian competitions. It should be noted that these values correspond to distances of 400 meters. If we talk about distances of 1-3 miles (up to 6 km), then here the speeds drop to 60 km / h or less.
The average horse can maintain a speed of up to 44 km / h for a sufficient time. If we talk about movements over distances such as 40-160 km, then the animal overcomes them at a speed of about 27 km / h.
Considering world records, it should be noted a thoroughbred horse named Winning Brew, which in 2008 at a distance of 1/4 mile (about 400 m) showed an average speed of 70.76 km / h, while in some areas it accelerated to 80 km / h .
Considering the facts about horses and equestrian sports, one cannot but mention the legendary Secretariat. A horse with this nickname was considered and is considered the fastest in the world. He was born in 1970 in the USA (Virginia) and at the age of 2 he began to win first places in competitions at various levels. This horse lived for 19 years. Unfortunately, at that time it was not yet routine to record the speed of animals at the races, but the Secretariat can rightfully be considered the fastest, because its heart weighed 9.8 kg (the heart of an average horse has a mass of 3.8 kg).
Movement immediately after birth
Another amazing fact about horses is that almost immediately after birth, the foal can walk and even tries to ride. This can be explained from the point of view of the evolutionary factor, because a horse is a herbivore animal that has many enemies in nature (a vivid example is African zebras), therefore it is forced to flee from the moment it sees white light.
It is interesting to note that the foal's leg size reaches 90% of that of an adult animal. And his hooves will finally get stronger and “stiffen” only 9-12 months after birth.
Is there a burp in horses?
Listing brief facts about horses, you should pay attention to this question. The answer to it will be negative. The fact is that in these equids, the digestive system is designed in such a way that food can enter only in one direction: into the stomach and further into the intestines. This is due to the fact that the animal has a special valve at the base of the stomach, which is called cardia.
What does this “invention” of evolution lead to? Moreover, if a horse eats food that is toxic to it, then it will inevitably lead to colic, and if it gets further into the intestines, it will cause poisoning of the whole organism. This situation is often the cause of the death of the animal. It is curious to note here that of all toxic plants, most of the deaths of these artiodactyls are related to ragweed.
By the way, if you hear that something is grumbling in the horse’s stomach, it means that it is in perfect order.
Amazing ears
This part of the animal has 16 different muscles. However, the amazing facts about horses and their ears do not end there. With the help of them, the artiodactyl expresses its mood and emotional state. The following main positions of the ears are distinguished:
- They stand and are in constant motion. This is a normal condition.
- Sluggish and falling. In this case, the horse is either tired, or sad, or she is ready to obey someone. Flaccid and weak ears can also indicate a painful condition.
- Directed forward. This means that the animal does not trust us, so you need to be vigilant, because it is not known how it will respond to the next gesture.
- Directed back. This is a clear sign that the horse is afraid of something.
- Literally lie on the back of the head. This is a state of aggression towards someone.
- One ear is turned forward, the other is turned back. The animal is in doubt, so you need to explain to him again.
Life span
Of course, this fact about horses is certainly interesting to everyone. As in the case of speed, there is no definite answer. For example, in the wild, a horse does not live longer than 25 years. A pet can live 30 years or more.
Depending on the type of horse and the type of work that it performs, the following categories are distinguished:
- Traction, or heavy horses. Their mass lies in the range of 700 - 1000 kg, they are from 1.63 to 1.83 meters tall. These animals usually live 25-30 years.
- Horses Their weight is in the region of 550 kg, and their height is 1.42-1.63 meters. This will seem strange to many, but they live less than heavyweights (25 years is the upper limit).
- Pony. These are real centenarians. The average duration is about 40 years. In addition, they are distinguished by a beautiful mane and tail and have a calm character, that is, they are suitable for teaching children how to ride.
The main long-liver is considered a horse named Old Billy, who was born in 1760 in England and lived for 62 years.
Developed scent and good memory.
Both of these qualities are characteristic of horses. Many animals have excellent scents, but not everyone can boast of the ability to smell water under the ground. This ability is very useful for desert horses.
As for good memory, it should be said that the animal remembers its enemies well and for a long time, as well as places where it was offended or scared. Horses, thanks to a developed scent, are able to independently bring a rider along the road that they once passed. They can do it even at night.
Statues of famous people on horseback and their significance
I would like to complete the article with one curious fact about horses, or rather, about the monuments, which are famous military leaders and political figures of the past, riding on horseback. Initially, among the sculptors of such monuments, there was a rule that the position of the legs of the animal reflects the cause of death of the rider. So, if two front legs are torn off the ground, that means a person died in battle, if only one leg was raised, then the rider died from the wounds that he received in the battle, if all the legs of the animal are on the ground, then death came along natural reasons.
Currently, this rule has been abandoned.