We have delved deep and found 25 facts – some are crazier than others! It's not just about the horse's behavior and physiology, but also about the different breeds, sizes, and their numbers – both locally and globally. There's certainly something you already knew, but there might also be something that will surprise you.
Horse physiology:
- Horses do not see the world in black/white but are red/green color blind.
- Horses rest about 60% of their weight on their front legs.
- A horse's teeth take up more space than its brain.
- When a horse "smiles", it does so to detect a smell or because it has tasted/smelled something unfamiliar.
- A horse can only breathe through its nose.
- If a horse is cold behind the ear, it's often because it's freezing.
- Horses have a third eyelid located inside the eye.
- Horses very rarely lose their hearing.
Horse breeds:
- The Icelandic horse is considered the purest breed.
- Arabians have fewer ribs and lumbar vertebrae than other breeds.
- The Quarter horse got its name because it can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h over a quarter of an English mile (about 400 meters).
- A shire can weigh up to 1.2 tons – so watch out for your toes!
Horses Worldwide:
- The smallest horse ever recorded was 35.5 cm tall.
- The tallest horse ever recorded was 219 cm tall.
- The oldest horse that ever lived was 62 years old – Old Billy.
- There are about 58 million horses in the world.
- In 2003, a horse was cloned for the first time in Italy.
- In New York, it's illegal to open and close an umbrella if there's a horse nearby.
- In the town of Wilbur in Washington, you can be fined 2000 kr if you ride a horse that is "ugly" – however that's defined.
- In Oklahoma, it's illegal to let your donkey sleep in a bathtub after 7 pm. Yes, Americans have some quirky rules.
- Horses were not animals found in Australia before the year 1788.
- The world record for the length of a horse's tail is 381 cm.
