What Do You Know About Horses? Quiz

Answer: From the ground to the highest point on the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal

The height of a horse is measured from the hoof, standing flat on level ground, to the top of the shoulders; this place is named the withers - the ridge between the shoulder blades. Especially in quadrupeds, the withers are the tallest part of the body and are the standard point to measure the height of dogs and horses.

When talking about the height of a horse, the neck and head are not considered.

Answer: Hands

In many countries, the height of horses is measured in "hands", which is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, standardized to 4 in (101.6 mm) and used in many English speaking countries. This measurement was originally based on the breadth of a male human hand. It is abbreviated to "h" or "hh".

This measure continues to be used primarily in English-speaking countries while most European countries and others, including the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), use meters and centimeters.

Answer: Herbivorous

Horses, elephants, cattle, and antelopes are herbivorous animals, that is, they feed exclusively on plants. Cattle and antelopes are also ruminants.

The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore, which means that they do not have a multi-compartment stomach. The stomachs of horses are more like those of humans. However, their digestive tracts are different because they digest part of the food with enzymes in the foregut and ferments it in the hindgut.

Answer: 11 to 12 months

The mare, as a female horse is called, has a gestation period of about 320 to 360 days (11 to 12 months). The mare usually has a single foal, twins are rarely born among horses. The young animal, called a foal, can stand and run shortly after birth. Foals are weaned at 4 or 5 months; weaning can be gradual or abrupt when the mare is permanently separated from the foal.

Answer: True

True. While humans have 206 bones, the horse skeleton has 205 bones. However, Arabian horses are different: they have 201 bones, as they have one less pair of ribs, lumbar and tail vertebrae.

A horse's skeleton, like a human's, has basically three functions: protecting vital organs, forming the animal's structure, and supporting the soft parts of the body. Different bones have specific functions. Bones still store minerals and are the site of red blood cell formation. Like humans, they have ligaments (which hold bones to bones) and tendons (which hold bones to muscles).

Answer: They can't vomit

The act of vomiting, however unpleasant, has an important purpose; it is a quick way for the body to get rid of offending material, which from the stomach before it is absorbed.

Some animals such as rats, mice, and horses cannot vomit. A horse's digestive system is like a one-way street, different from the digestive system of other animals, especially ruminants. Horses have a powerful ring called "cardias" or "Swiss tie", acting as a one-way valve, at the entrance to the stomach. This structure does not allow stomach contents to be forced back up through to the throat. Any pernicious food that is in the horse's stomach goes into the intestines causing colic and even death.

Answer: An adult male that has been castrated and can not breed

Baby horses are named foals; a filly is a female foal under four years while a colt is a male foal under four years. A mare is an adult female, a stallion is an adult male that can breed, and "gelding" is the denomination of a male horse that has been castrated (and thus, it can not breed).

Castration makes the horse better behaved, calmer, more docile, and less likely to fight other horses. It is considered that geldings are more suitable for work and competition. Male horses with excellent genetic qualities are not subject to castration and are called stallions.

Answer: They are eight times bigger

Equines have huge eyes, which are larger than those of other land mammals. They are eight times larger than human eyes. However, this does not mean that they see better than other animals. Their view is totally different. They usually see better at night and on cloudy days but have difficulty adapting to changes in light. Their visual acuity is worse than that of humans.

As horses have eyes on the side of their head they have about a 350-degree range of vision whereas our vision is about 45 degrees on either side of our nose. However, horses have two blind spots: one directly behind them and, more important, they have a blind spot in front of their face, which prevents them from seeing the grass in front of them, or something that is in their mouth. It is vital for humans to know this when handling a horse: it does not see what is directly in front of it.

Answer: 25 to 30 years

It is estimated that the average life of a horse is between 25 and 30 years. Many factors, such as breed, genetics, diet, management, environment, and workload, can impact a horse's lifespan. Domesticated horses tend to live longer. Exercise, proper diet, and dental, medical, and hoof care increase a horse's chances of living a long and healthy life. There are several studies showing differences in life span by horse breed.

The English horse Old Billy, born in 1760, is considered the longest-lived horse on record. Old Billy was 62 at his death.

Answer: False

False. A typical adult horse's heart weighs 8 to 9 pounds (3.6 to 4kg), while an adult human heart weighs 0.6 to 0.8 pounds (0,27 to 0,36kg). Thus, horses have hearts 12 times larger than humans. A horse's heart can pump 55 gallons (250 liters) of blood per minute, almost twenty times the amount for humans.

A horse's resting heartbeats are slower than a human's but are quite sensitive to stimulation.