Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about horses?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about horse facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About Horses
1 – The average lifespan of a horse is 25 to 30 years.
2 – There are over 350 breeds of horses in the world.
3 – Horses have been domesticated for at least 5,000 years. Horses are the largest of all domesticated animals.
4 – Horses can’t sweat like humans do and they cool themselves by sweating through their skin or panting when it’s hot outside.
5 – Horses sleep standing up.
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6 – A horse’s heart beats up to 45 times per minute while at rest.
7 – Horses are herbivores and eat hay, grasses, grains, vegetables and fruit for food.
8 – Horses can communicate with each other through body language and vocalizations.
9 – A female horse is called a “mare” while a male horse is called a “stallion” or “horse” when referring to an adult animal.
10 – A newborn foal can stand up within minutes after birth and run around within hours after being born! A newborn foal is called a colt or filly.
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11 – The average horse weighs about 1,000 pounds.
12 – The first horse was tamed around 3,000 BC by nomads who used horses for transportation and hunting.
13 – Horses can run up to 40-48 kilometers per hour (25-30 miles per hour).
14 – The word “horse” comes from a Proto-Indo-European language, which is where English also derives its word “horses.”
15 – Horses have four gaits, walk (slow), trot (medium speed), canter (fast) and gallop (very fast).
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16 – The horse’s name was first recorded by Ancient Egyptians around 3100 BC when they wrote of their use of chariots pulled by teams of two or more horses.
17 – Horses are often used in therapeutic programs for children with disabilities and special needs.
18 – Horses have a wide range of emotions which include anger, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.
19 – Horses need about 18 hours of sleep each day on average.
20 – Horses have the largest eye of any land mammal.
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21 – The hoof of a horse is actually made from the same protein that makes up human hair and fingernails.
22 – In 1872, a man named Leland Stanford made a bet that he believed that at some point in the gallop all four of a horse’s legs were lifted off the ground at the same time. It was proved right by Eadweard Muybridge who used a series of 24 cameras to photograph a racehorse named Sallie Gardner.
23 – A horse has 205 bones – less than a human skeleton.
24 – Much like meerkats, there is always at least one look out when a group of horses are sleeping. One horse will remain awake to watch out for the safety of others.
25 – Despite their size, a horse has a brain that weighs approximately 22 ounces – about half the size of a human brain.
BONUS FACTS
Horses are measured in hands – not feet or inches.
Horses love water and drink at least 25 gallons every day. In warmer weather, they will drink even more.
