Facts about horses and equestrian sports. Interesting facts about horses. Unusual hair and bones

When you see a horse, you understand that it is not only a strong animal. Gracefulness, plastic movement, chiseled forms, wonderful intelligence, sensitivity - these are only a small part of the amazing qualities of the animal.

Since time immemorial, the horse has become an indispensable friend and helper for humans. This animal was painted by many artists. She became the hero of many works by famous writers and poets. She left her mark on historical events and myths. Many feature and animated films have been shot with the participation of horses.

Let's look at the role of horses in history and their unique abilities.

The importance of chariots during battles was of great importance. IN military equipment harnessed from two to six horses.
A chariot without strong horses would not be the same military equipment, which was in those days. The first combat unit of the Sumerian chariots were donkeys harnessed by four. These are strong, hardy animals, but with a unique character. They had to give way to the tall ones, fast horses. The horses used for harnessing the shock chariot played the main role, or rather, their hooves and drawbar.

The horses were specially prepared: the preparation was carried out step by step (every moment combat combat worked separately), increased physical training, strict diet. One pharaoh said that thanks to the best horses, he survived more than once and had repeated victories in battles.

The famous Budennovsky breed appeared thanks to three English stallions: Kokas, Pretty, Inferno. The breed has proven itself well in sports. Budennovtsy were used in exciting races in carts. A strong constitution, endurance, smooth movement - this is impressive when a foursome harnessed to a cart rushes past. The First Cavalry Division for the Red Army was the main striking force.

The Macedonians were the first to use horses in battles, using the tactic of striking with the weight of the animal. Since then, horses have become more often used in the fight against the enemy.

Horses played a huge role in the Second World War. Vladimir heavy trucks were used to tow artillery equipment. Convoys for transporting the wounded, the movement of partisan detachments, cannot be imagined without horses. Many breeds took part in the war: , Kabardian, Kuznetsk.

The cavalry division played a huge role in the Battle of Stalingrad in November 1942. And this is not the only participation of mounted detachments.

The horses participating in the parades passed special training. The commanders were required to be able to sit well in the saddle, as well as perform the necessary actions under the thunder of the orchestra, without making mistakes. It is difficult to move around Red Square made of paving stones on horseback. It was necessary to move at a certain speed, at a gallop, in order to meet in front of the Mausoleum at a certain time and then detour the troops.

Stalin, once in the entire history of parades, demanded that Zhukov accept the parade on a silver-white horse, symbolizing Glory and Victory. For Marshal Zhukov, they found a stallion named Kumir, of the Terek breed. Idol's first participation in the parade occurred on November 7, 1941.

Since the 19th century, the main participants in performances have been horses and riders. Main types: training, riding school, equestrian acrobatics. The size of the arena (13 meters) was determined due to the specifics of equestrian performances. The Andalusian horse breed is ideal for circus performances. The main advantages are that they are highly trainable, kind, playful, and smart. The famous French equestrian theater at the Zingaro arena is a real show with the participation of thoroughbred horses.

The cowboys had to for a long time spent in the saddle, and their lives largely depended on the horse. Qualities that cowboy horses should have: sensitivity, speed, calm character, ease of control. Quarter Horse (cowboy horse) - the best choice. The varied qualities of the horse allow them to be used in harness, for transporting goods, to take part in rodeo shows, cowboy competitions, and also for leisure activities.

The famous mare Merlin took part in more than 200 fights in Portuguese bullfighting. A picador must be able to feel the horse and love it.

The horse is the hero of cinema

Many movie scenes cannot be imagined without the participation of horses. In fairy tales, a good fellow rushed to save his beloved on horseback. It is impossible to imagine a hero without a loyal and strong horse. There are films where the animal becomes the main character: “War Horse”, “East Wind”, “Born in the Sands”, “The Favorite”, “The Dreamer”, “The Trotter”.

are the main breed that is characterized by the isabella color. The color can change under different angles of light, acquiring a golden, creamy, pinkish hue. The Isabella horse tolerates heat calmly and also easily adapts to frost. Today Ak Gez beautiful horse Isabella suit.

Excellent swimmers

Horses are strong swimmers and move at a gait. They can easily cover long distances.

Horse Dream

There are few animals that have the ability to sleep standing up, and one of them is the horse. Three hours of sleep is enough for them to feel energetic. During the day, when they are not busy with anything, they begin to doze off. Deep sleep lasts no more than five minutes.

Mountain beauties

Kabardian (Circassian) is a mountain breed of horse. Among the Circassians, horse and brother sound the same. Horses in the Caucasus are raised like their own children, with great love. They are never hit, their voices are never raised, or spurs are used. Mares are not used for riding, only geldings. The special shape of the hooves in the form of cups helps them easily overcome steep mountain slopes and stay on rocks. The sabering of the hind limbs is another important feature beautiful horses. Excellent endurance and the ability to cover long distances (100 km per day) are valued by border guards at mountain outposts. Kabardian horses are widely used for tourist rides in the mountains.

And the horses have a holiday

August 31st is the holiday of the horse (Florus and Laurus Day). In Rus', this holiday was revered by horse lovers. On this day it was forbidden to use them in work, saddle them, or use a whip (to avoid death). The horses were groomed, taken for a bath, decorated with ribbons on their manes and tails, fed with high-quality oats and treated to salted crustaceans. In this way they showed their respect. Women baked horseshoe-shaped cookies and took them to church. The horses, fed and dressed, were brought to the church, where they were sprinkled with holy water.

Communication with a horse is a complex process, but by learning to understand the horse’s mood, you can make a true friend. Horseback riding is a great pleasure and a charge of positive emotions!

This educational article contains some interesting facts about horses: varieties, sense of smell and hearing, horse tongue, and much more.

According to various sources, there are from 160 to 250 breeds and varieties of horses in the world. But only three of them are purebred: Akhal-Teke, Arabian and English racing horses. In horse breeding practice, they were used in the development of many famous horse breeds. According to legend, Arabian horses appeared on Earth 2000-3000 thousand years before the birth of Christ.

Representatives of the progenitor breeds can cost a fortune. So, in 1983, a thoroughbred English horse named Shareef Dancer was purchased at an English auction for forty million dollars.

The horse's hearing system is much more developed than its vision. The horse's ear is capable of detecting sounds that are not perceptible to humans. Therefore, an animal that finds itself in an unfamiliar area “twists” its ears, scanning the sound space. The horse will hear the owner approaching before he appears in the stall.

Horses are capable of making up to one hundred vocal signals. The most famous is neighing. The mare calls the foal with a loud neigh, and a quiet uterine “moo” is satisfaction with the presence of the calf. The horse warns of danger by snorting. A high-pitched sound is a sign of ill health. With its voice, a horse is able to express anger, rage, fear, dissatisfaction, desire for love and friendship and other emotional states.

A horse sees the road with its hooves, since its sense of touch is highly developed. Horse lips are also sensitive. The power of smell of this animal is comparable, perhaps, to that of a dog.

A horse's dreams are colorful; it is able to distinguish its own image. Horses know how to make friends, and this animal is also the best compass created by nature. In the days of the dominance of horse-drawn transport, a traveler who lost his way had only to give up the reins, and the horse itself would find its way to housing. In a waterless area, a horse will find shortest way to a source of water, he will find a ford in the river.

It is believed that for the first time ancient man tamed a wild horse about 5,500 years ago, and this happened on the territory of Northern Kazakhstan. During their coexistence side by side with fast horses, people discovered many amazing facts, associated with these unique animals from the Equidae family of the order Odd-toed ungulates. So what interesting things do these creatures hide?

Origin

Beautiful and stately stallions trace their history back to an unsightly ancestor whose name is Eohippus. This creature, which lived on Earth about 60 million years ago, looked like a hairy dog. Even the animal’s hooves were not yet actual hooves, but were thin paws with toes at the ends. The height of Eohippus, who inhabited Western European lands, barely reached 1 m. This creature had an arched back, a short neck and a small head. The animal ate soft leaves and fruits, because... his teeth were completely different from strong and powerful teeth modern horses. Therefore, Eohippus did not chew the food they obtained, but rather ground it with their jaws.

After 20 million years, the climatic conditions on the planet changed, and therefore the appearance of Eohippus also transformed. To be more precise, several new and independent species arose at once - mesohippus, parahippus and anchytheria. All these animals were united by the fact that they no longer ate fruits or juicy leaves, because... the arrival of cold weather forced them to give up these rare delicacies and get used to dry, hard grass. This led to the development and improvement of the masticatory apparatus. The surface of the Earth became firmly solidified, and therefore Mesohippus, Parahippus and Anchytherium began to rely primarily on their middle fingers, which ended in hooves. The creatures also became larger in size - they already reached 1.2 m in height.

The ancestor, in whose appearance one can already detect all the features inherent in modern horses, was Hipparion, who lived about 5 million years ago in the Upper Miocene era. The remains of this animal were found in several areas at once - Europe, Asia, and even America, where ancient creatures arrived along a narrow isthmus that once connected America and Eurasia at the Bering Strait.

Three-toed species were finally supplanted by one-toed species, whose limbs ended with keratinized and durable hooves. Using the foot as a support turned out to be no longer tenable, because animals could not run fast this way, so they became prey to ancient predators, in particular wolves. At the same time, hipparions and their closest descendants, pliohippus, learned not only to run with the help of their hooves, but also to use them for survival - for example, for loosening snow and getting grass. It was these creatures that subsequently populated the planet and left behind rich offspring in the form of wild forest horses.

Hearing

Several interesting facts are connected with the acute hearing of horses. With its help, animals can recognize high-frequency sounds (up to 25 kHz) that humans cannot hear - it can only detect sounds with a frequency of up to 20 kHz. In turn, low-frequency sounds, such as a dull hum, etc., reach the ears of horses faster than the ears of humans. All this is necessary for the animal in order to respond to danger in time. The horse can also turn each ear separately towards the stimulus to focus on a particular sound. But if the horse is angry, it begins to hear worse, because... his external auditory canal is blocked due to the intense pressing of his ears to his head.

Horses are even known to be music lovers! Animals like to listen to calm melodies, while loud and heavy songs make them feel anxious and restless.

Hearing is a vital biological sense not only for the horse itself, but also for its owner. It is by capturing the intonation of the voice and recognizing the spoken words that the horse reacts to commands given to it or to its own name. Even in sleep, this equid mammal does not stop moving its ears, which indicates the tireless work of the auditory organs!

With the help of the acoustic perception of the world, horses are able to anticipate natural disasters - earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, rising groundwater, etc. If an animal begins to beat the ground with its hooves, rush from side to side, neigh and snort restlessly, it is quite possible that its hearing has caught some then distant signals and sounds, not yet discernible to human hearing.

Dream

The next interesting fact about horses is how they rest and sleep. If you observe your pet during the day, you will notice that from time to time it falls into a state of short and light half-asleep, which lasts from several minutes to half an hour. In this case, the horse does not lie down on the soft grass, but remains standing on its feet and simply closes its eyes.

There is a scientific explanation for this - the whole point is that horses have especially strong natural instincts and habits. A long time ago, these mammals simply could not afford to lie down and sleep for a few hours, because... such shortsightedness could cost them their lives. As a result, the horses learned to doze on their feet, because this way they could always rush off and escape from danger.

A horse's full sleep in most cases also takes place on its feet, even though average weight an adult is equal to 400 kg! To prevent this from causing discomfort and pain to the animal, nature has provided its body with the ability to “pinch” the joints. Thanks to this mechanism, the load exerted by body weight is distributed evenly, and knee joints– are blocked. The horse ceases to feel excessive weight.

In some cases, when the horse feels the need for a full sleep, as well as confidence in the safety of the environment, it lies down on the ground and falls into deep sleep. As a rule, this happens when the animal is in the company of its fellows. Horses are creatures that lead a herd lifestyle in the wild, so it is important for them to feel the presence of representatives of their own species nearby. For an adult, only a few hours of this state are enough to fully replenish its strength. In addition, excessive lying down is fraught with problems, because after 6 hours the horse may experience pulmonary edema.

This is interesting! It has been scientifically proven that when sleeping lying down (i.e. in the deep sleep phases), horses are able to dream. This becomes obvious from the quiet snorting and the involuntary movements that they make with their ears, jaws, hooves, imitating running, etc.

Intelligence and acumen

Horses have accompanied man throughout history not only because they served as a means of transportation or as an aid in the household. Since ancient times, people have discovered that these equid mammals have the ability to learn and have a lively mind. Chronicles and chronicles are familiar with the names of many horses, which acted as irreplaceable “partners” for their owners - emperors, generals, kings, scientists, etc.

Bucephalus

The favorite horse of Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia from the Argead dynasty, was called Bucephalus. An interesting fact is that, according to legend, at the age of 10, the future great ruler became the only person who could tame and ride this incredibly obstinate and wayward horse (at that time the latter was already 11 years old).

The stallion and his owner were together until Bucephalus was 30 years old - then, after all the battles and battles passed, the horse fell due to old age and heat. In honor of the faithful horse, which throughout its life was distinguished by its noble disposition and intelligence, Alexander the Great even founded the city and gave it the appropriate name - Bucephalus.

The most interesting thing is that this settlement exists in the world to this day on the territory of Pakistan, but today it is called Jalalpur.

Savrasy

There is also another horse known that corresponded to its owner in everything - we are talking about Savrasy, the faithful companion of Subedei. This man was an ally of Temujin-Genghis Khan and one of the greatest Mongol commanders. As the military leader’s contemporaries recalled, the horse always followed the orders of its owner and understood all the words addressed to it.

The loyal and brave horse even sacrificed himself when necessary. One day he and Subedei got stuck in a quagmire. The commander managed to jump out of the saddle and escape, but the animal was forever trapped in the swamp.

Several interesting facts are connected with the horse named Clever Hans. This horse, which lived in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, gained world fame as one of the smartest and most intellectually developed animals in history! Its owner was Wilhelm von Osteen, a school mathematics teacher. At that time, the public was especially fascinated by Darwinian theory, in which animals were represented as creatures endowed with intelligence. In this regard, von Osteen decided to test the intellectual abilities of his horse.

Imagine his surprise when it turned out that Hans really has abstract thinking and extraordinary natural talents! Wilhelm gave them a complete cut, namely, he developed in his horse such skills as the ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide, perform operations with fractions, indicate the exact time and dates, and also perceive by ear both individual words and entire statements in German. At that time, Hans's developmental level corresponded to that of 14-year-old children.

Hans communicated with his “teacher”, and subsequently with the general public, for whom von Osteen began organizing free street performances together with his ward, by tapping his hooves. It was in this way that he answered the questions posed. Despite the fact that the answers were not always entirely correct, in most cases Clever Hans still coped with the task.

In the homeland of Clever Hans, in Germany, scientists became very interested in the phenomenon of this horse and decided to study his intelligence more closely. A specially convened commission conducted a whole series of practical experiments. Hans was asked questions not only by his master, but also by other people. He was blindfolded so that he would not see the questioner and could not receive possible clues from him. The questions were of different types - the person himself knew the correct answer to some of them, while only observers could answer others.

The final statistics showed that when the asker (usually von Austin) knew the correct answer, the horse coped with the task in 89% of cases. But if Wilhelm himself was in the dark about the issue, Hans coped with the task only 6% of the time!

This allowed the German psychologist Oskar Pfungst to conclude that in reality the animal did not have unique intelligence, but was able to correctly interpret various expressions of “social communication”. In other words, Clever Hans did not receive any special tips from his master, but over the years of communication and interaction he learned to “read” his behavior, facial expressions, gestures and postures. Tapping the answer with its hoof, the horse watched the reaction of both its owner and the people around him in order to understand when to stop.

Apparently, Hans was very sensitive to emotional human reactions, such as excitement, tension, relaxation, a sharp glance, etc. Although Pfungst released a study exposing the mathematical and linguistic abilities of Clever Hans, he admitted that this horse could still be must be considered a phenomenally intelligent creature! Von Osteen himself categorically rejected the results of Pfungst's scientific research and continued to travel around the country with Hans until his death in 1909.

If you ask different people“Who is a horse?”, everyone will unconditionally say that this is a large animal on high legs with hooves. Few will add that horses run fast, jump well, and love oats and carrots. And with this, perhaps, the knowledge about some of the most beautiful and graceful animals will be exhausted. However, the world of horses is fraught with many fascinating and unusual facts, which will be interesting to both adults and children. We invite you to find out all the most interesting things about horses right now.

Horses are one of the most beautiful and graceful animals, whose world is fraught with many amazing facts.

Everyone knows about horses as herbivorous farm animals, but unlike cows and goats, the entire physiology and body structure of horses is oriented towards movement. Various gaits, jumps, and tricks are possible thanks to a very flexible skeleton, which consists of 205 bones and more than 700 muscles. It is surprising that horses do not have a collarbone, but it is precisely due to this that a good extension of the front legs is achieved for fast run and high jump.

Here are some more interesting facts about horses that you didn't know:

the lungs of horses are capable of pumping up to 115,000 liters of air per day;
the breathing rate of a horse in a calm state is about 16 breaths per minute, while when running it increases to 114-120 breaths;
horses cannot breathe through their mouths, so if their nose is closed, they will suffocate;
Of all domestic animals, horses have the most a big heart. Its average weight is 4-4.5 kg, for racing horses it reaches 8 kg;
No domestic animal sweats as much as a horse. Thin skin, strewn with large sweat glands, removes up to 85% of all heat.

Mare and stallion

Based on the size and dimensions of the body, it is easy to distinguish a stallion from a mare, regardless of their breed.

Sexual dimorphism in horses is well developed, so you can easily figure out where the stallion and the mare are. Visually, a stallion is distinguished from a mare, regardless of breed, by the size and dimensions of the body. Stallions are always larger and more massive, have higher height and chest girth. The character will also be different: stallions are bolder, more flexible and easily excitable.

The most reliable and error-free method of distinguishing horses by gender is examination of the genitals. The stallion has a prepuce (the location of the genitals and urethra) on the back of the belly, the testes are located between the hind legs, and the anus is under the tail. Mares have both an anus and a genital slit (entrance to the vagina) under their tail, and there are two mammary glands between their hind legs.

The strongest bones and hair

For horses, constant movement is vital, so their bones can withstand very heavy loads. In terms of strength, they can be compared to granite. However, a broken bone can cost the horse its life. Even at home and with good care, horse bones heal very slowly.

Horses also lead in hair strength. In ancient times, horse mane and tail hair were used to make bowstrings and strong ropes. Today they serve as material for hard brushes, tassels, fishing lines, and can even be used as a violin bow.

Broad outlook

Of all mammals, horses have the most voluminous eyes, for example, 9 times larger than those of humans. Thanks to this, they see almost 360 degrees around them. Nature made sure that while grazing with their heads down, animals could notice an approaching predator in time. However, not everything is so simple here, since there are some “blind” zones. They are located on either side just behind the animal's tail, and also right in front of the nose. This is why experienced horse breeders teach not to approach horses from the ground: without seeing what is happening, the animal may get scared and hit a possible enemy.

Thanks to their three-dimensional eyes, horses see almost 360 degrees around them.

Horses have color vision, but they cannot see blues or reds.

Ear for music

Horses' ears are very mobile and are able to pick up sounds from different directions several kilometers away. In addition, horses have an ear for music, which is easily demonstrated by participants in horse shows, as well as dressage athletes. Graceful horses change gaits to the music and perform various movement as if they were dancing. As scientific research shows, horses like calm and melodic music, while heavy and too loud music causes them anxiety.

Hoof shoes

The hoof is a very important part of the horse's body. It takes on the entire weight of the animal and experiences enormous impact force while driving. Therefore, hooves require regular inspection and careful care. To increase their safety and reduce impacts from hard surfaces, back in ancient times people came up with protective “shoes”. At first they were bast shoes woven from dry grass, then they were transformed into the form of modern horseshoes. They vary in size and material, but always provide a durable lining for the bottom layer of the hoof.

Smile of a horse

Many have seen horses raise their heads up and lift their upper lips. They say that this is how horses smile. Of course, such an unusual sight makes us smile, but in fact this phenomenon has a scientific explanation and is called Flehmen's syndrome. It is exhibited not only by horses, but also by other domestic animals, such as goats. Thus, animals try to catch the smell and better “sniff” the aroma.

With their "smile", called Flehmen's syndrome, horses try to catch the smell.

Praise to memory and sense of smell

Many legends and epics tell about how horses find their way home, make their way in the dark in dangerous areas without problems, and navigate the terrain even with their eyes closed. All this is possible thanks to a very strong sense of smell and wonderful memory horses. A special role in the sense of smell is played by the hooves and special hairs on the face - vibrissae.

Scientists confirm that, in the totality of all receptors and senses, the capabilities of horses cannot be compared with any other animal. Horses perfectly remember sounds, situations, numbers, events, can build a cause-and-effect relationship between them and even count.

Horses sleep standing

In nature, horses have a lot of predatory enemies, from which the horses flee by running fast. Therefore, allow yourself to sleep, as they say, lying “without hind legs", horses can do it extremely rarely. They spend most of the day on their feet and also sleep. The special structure of the limbs allows them to block the knee joints, thereby reducing the load on the legs. In this “standing” position, horses doze for several hours a day.

However, this does not mean that horses do not sleep lying down. Feeling safe and in need of proper rest, the animals lie down on their sides, falling into a deep sleep. They even dream in this position.

Horse professions

Horses are used in many areas of human activity. But if earlier these animals mainly served as transport or draft power, today the horse is a friend, police officer, artist, athlete and even a doctor.

Two in one - a magnificent horse athlete in the police service.

Horse policeman. Mounted police first appeared in 1806 in London. The advantage of a horse as a means of transport is that it allows you to maintain law and order in places where a car cannot pass. For example, in a park, in a residential area. On a horse you can easily catch up with a person and overcome obstacles. Today, mounted police units exist in many countries around the world. Particularly famous are the “redcoats” of Canada and the law enforcement riders of Spain and the United States.
Horse artist. Many movie scenes cannot be imagined without the participation of horses. For this purpose, specially trained animals are used that can safely perform various tricks. Even such a concept as a circus arose precisely from horse training and acrobatics. The diameter of the arena is 13 meters and was created specifically taking into account the characteristics of the horses.
Horse athlete. Equestrian sport is included in the list Olympic Games and is the most important industry for the use of horses throughout the world.
Horse doctor. The world has long known that a horse has an extraordinary effect on a person, giving positive emotions and health. Hippocrates, in his writings, recommended spending more time in the stable. And people who work with horses are half as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease. Horseback riding in many countries is a mandatory course of therapy for children with cerebral palsy. In this case, horses and children spend up to 8 hours a week together.

Conclusion

No animal is immortalized in all genres of art as much as the horse. Painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, theater and cinema - there is information about horses everywhere. However, this is not enough to understand the whole world of this amazing animal. Read other interesting facts about horses and the peculiarities of their life on our website.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of horses for humanity. For centuries, these animals have served people faithfully, and even today in some parts of the Earth they are still extremely important for survival. Of course, with the development of technology, the role of horses in the economy has decreased, but in some countries these animals are still widely used in farming.

Facts about horses

In the culture of more than two dozen peoples, the horse is considered a sacred animal.
The country with the most horses is China ().
Horses were domesticated about 6,000 years ago.
The African Maasai tribe believes that a person killed by a horse will definitely go to heaven.
IN North America Europeans brought horses. The famous mustangs are the wild descendants of these horses.
Horses see colorful dreams.
Many horses like coffee.
This is one of the few animals that can recognize themselves in a photograph.
The ancestors of modern horses appeared on our planet about 60 million years ago. They were distinguished by their modest sizes - 30-35 cm in height and about 5 kg in weight.
The only breed of these animals that has never been domesticated is the Asian wild one.
Horse eyes can move independently of each other ().
Horses living with people are able to distinguish different emotions sounding in the human voice.
Many horses love music, but not just any music - they like relaxing melodies, but hard rock usually irritates them.
A horse's hooves act as a pump, helping with blood circulation - when a horse steps on a hoof, the blood from it is forced up into the leg.
These animals really know how to sleep standing up.

There are about 160 horse breeds in the world.
Officially registered Weight Limit horse - 1520 kg. It was a stallion named Samson, and he was just huge and muscular, but not fat.
In Hinduism White horse considered one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu.
Cases have been recorded more than once when horses, who had learned how to open the doors of their stables, used this knowledge to release their locked brothers into freedom.
In packs of wild horses, the leader can be either a male or a female.
Particularly large horses were brought out in the Middle Ages in Europe, as troops needed powerful horses capable of carrying heavily armed knights ().
Their bones are stronger than those of most other living things on Earth, but if broken, they heal very slowly.
The smallest horses in the world are the Falabella, they are about the knee height of an adult.
The age of a horse is easily determined by an experienced specialist based on the condition of its teeth.
Unlike most other herd animals, horses do not necessarily have a male leader.
The wool of New Zealand horses is almost impossible to get wet - it repels water that falls on it.
There is chronicle evidence confirming the fact that the mighty horses of the crusaders, clad in armor, not only carried armored knights, but also broke through the adobe walls of Saracen fortresses at a gallop.