FUN HORSE FACTS: Just a few fun facts from "1OOO Facts on Horses" published by Barnes & Noble.
Horses have more highly developed senses of sight, hearing and scent than humans. Touch is one of the most developed senses.
Horses can sleep standing up.
Horses prefer to be stroked rather than patted.
The rodeo developed out of ranch riding and includes skills, such as saddle-bronco riding, bareback-bronco riding and bull riding. There are aiso timed events involving roping, barrel racing and steer wrestling. The first rodeo is believed to have been held in Arizona in 1866.
Mustang horses were used by both Native American Indians and cowboys. These horses were introduced to the US around 1700 by the Spanish settlers, but were eventually abandoned or broke free to form huge herds. The word Mustang is Spanish for "stray" or "ownerless".
Hay, did you know....Horses have small stomachs for their size and need to eat little and often. On average, a horse at grass eats for 15 out of every 24 hours. Horses cannot vomit. Horses are attracted by sweetness and sugar. Like humans, they will reject sour, bitter or unusual tastes.
Baby horses are called foals. At birth, a foal's legs are almost the same length as when they are fully grown. Within an hour of birth, a foal can stand up and walk. Within a day, a newborn foal can gallop to keep up with it's mother.
The oldest horse on record is Old Billy, who died in November 1822 at the age of 62.
A horse drinks at least 5.5 gallons of water a day, about 13 times as much as an adult human.
The height of a horse is measured in hands. One hand is equal to 4 inches. The measurement is taken from the ground up to the withers. Animals measuring above 14.2 hands are horses and those measuring below 14.2 hands are ponies. The tallest horse on record was a Shire named Sampson - he measured just over 21.2 hands.
Horses are odd-toed animals, having only one toe or hoof on each leg. Hooves are made out of keratin, a protein that is the same substance as human hair or nails.
Horses have 16 muscles in each ear, enabling them to detect sound coming from any direction. Each ear can rotate 180 degrees.
The whiskers that grow from a horses muzzle and around its eyes are like an insect's antennae - they are used to feel nearby objects.
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