Fascinating Facts

  1. Horses are equids, an animal group that includes zebras and asses.
  2. Horses are divided into 3 classifications: ponies (for example, Shetland), light horses (Arabian) and heavy horses (Clydesdale).
  3. Horses have special names based on their age and sex:
    • Newborn: foal.
    • Six months old: weanling.
    • Less than 2 years: yearling.
    • Female under 5 years: filly.
    • Female at 5 or older: mare.
    • Male under 5 years: colt.
    • Male at 5 or older: stallion.
  4. Horses have keen senses. They have excellent eyesight, and their smell and hearing are superior to a human's.
  5. Horses are social animals. They form strong associations with members of their herd and possess a keen ability to recognize subtle social cues.
  6. Horses can run very fast. A Thoroughbred or Quarter horse racing at a full gallop can reach 40 miles per hour.
  7. Horses are herbivores that thrive in grasslands.
  8. Wild horses in the United States are free-living descendants of domestic horses that escaped or were turned loose.
  9. Horses have a lifespan of about 30 years.