As we relaunch horse-web, let’s talk about some interesting facts about horses first:
- Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.
- Horses can run shortly after birth.
- Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years.
- A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years.
- Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.
- Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years.
- Horses are herbivores (plant eaters).
- Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land.
- Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.
- Horses gallop at around 44 kph (27 mph).
- The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph).
- Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world.
- Scientists believe that horses have evolved over the past 50 million years from much smaller creatures.
- A male horse is called a stallion.
- A female horse is called a mare.
- A young male horse is called a colt.
- A young female horse is called a filly.
- Ponies are small horses. More pony facts.
