Horses have been a part of society for a long time and for a variety of reasons. Horses are working animals, friends, and equestrian athletes, to name a few. Although horses are well-known animals, the following facts about these wonderful creatures may surprise you.
1. Horses are unable to breathe through their mouths.
Horses are "obligate nose breathers," which means they can only breathe through their nostrils and not their mouth like humans.
2. Horses can sleep while standing.
Horses have a "stay-apparatus," which is a system of tendons and ligaments that allows them to lock their legs in place so they can relax without falling over. Horses use this contraption to relax while standing for long periods of time when they are not sleeping. This permits them to conserve energy when standing, allowing them to take flight if necessary. However, it is a fallacy that horses never sleep; they do, however, spend a small amount of time each day laying down for deeper slumber.
3. Horses have superhuman reflexes.
If they are forced to fight, they can get from standing still to throwing a powerful kick in 0.3 seconds, compared to 1.6 seconds for humans.
4. Horses' ears have ten distinct muscles.
This enables them to spin nearly 180 degrees and move independently. The ears have only three muscles in humans.
5. Horses have a nearly omnidirectional field of vision.
This is because their eyes are on the sides of their heads. They do, however, have two blind spots: one just behind them and one slightly in front and below their nose. This means they can't see the grass they're grazing on or the carrot you're offering them! Instead, they utilize their mobile and sensitive lips, whiskers, and sense of smell to determine what is in front of them and whether it is edible.
6. Horses lack teeth in the center of their mouth.
The teeth of a horse can also be used to assess its age.
7. Horses are extremely intelligent creatures.
They, like dogs, may be taught a variety of tasks through positive reinforcement and clicker training. One study found that horses may convey their wants to their guardians by tapping symbols on a board; these horses learned to communicate whether they wanted a blanket on or off by pressing symbols on a board.
8. The horse's first ancestor is said to have lived 55 million years ago.
This ancestor was no bigger than a Labrador retriever. Horses have domesticated roughly 6000 years ago, according to archaeological data. They were first domesticated as a source of food.
9. Because horses have fixed pelvis, they cannot perform the splits.
They can scratch their ears with their hind foot since they have some lateral movement.
10. Horses are extremely gregarious creatures.
Because horses are prey animals, they seek safety in herds and create strong social bonds with one another. They use their senses to identify known horses and spend time with those with whom they have developed friendships. In the wild, one horse will stand guard to keep an eye on the herd while the other horses eat, relax, and sleep.
