Pretty Horses
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Pretty Horses
- There are about 75 million horses in the world.
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Horses' hooves grow approximately 0.25 in a month, and take nearly a year to grow from the coronet band to the ground.
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In the state of Arizona, it is illegal for cowboys to walk through a hotel lobby wearing their spurs
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Cross-country jumps are marked with a red flag on the right side and a white flag on the left side; the horse has to jump through these two flags or it is considered out of bounds and you are disqualified.
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A healthy adult horse should have a pulse of between 36 and 40 beats per minute while at rest
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Arabians have one less rib, one less lumbar bone, and one or two fewer tail vertebrae than other horses.
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Mr. Ed, the talking equine star of the 1960s television series, was a golden palomino. He learned an enormous amount of tricks for his role, including answering a telephone, opening doors, writing notes with a pencil, and unplugging a light. Apparently, Mr. Ed would occasionally have a fit of temper, as befitting his star status, and would stand stock still, wheezing and refusing to move.
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7.1 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees and volunteers. 3.6 million and 4.3 million of those participated in showing and recreation, respectively, with some overlap in cases of people who participate in both activities. 941,000 people participated in racing in either a professional or volunteer capacity. 1.9 million people own horses. In addition to the people actually involved in the industry, tens of millions more Americans participate as spectators.
- The horse industry directly produces goods and services of $25.3 billion and has a total impact of $112.1 billion on U.S. gross domestic product. Racing, showing and recreation each contribute more than 25% to the total value of goods and services produced by the industry.
- The industry's contribution to the U.S. GDP is greater than the motion picture services, railroad transportation, furniture and fixtures manufacturing and tobacco product manufacturing industries. It is only slightly smaller than the apparel and other textile products manufacturing industry. .
- “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse” - Anon
- “The horse is God's gift to man”. - Old Arab Proverb
- “Show me your horse, and I will tell you who you are”. - Old English saying
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"The one great precept and practice in using a horse is this, never deal with him when you are in a fit of passion." Xenophon, The Art Of Horsemanship, 400 BC
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Adult respiratory rate is 8-16 breaths per minute
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A horse typically sleeps two and half to three hours a day
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Horses younger than 4 years can concentrate for a maximum of 10-15 minutes
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Horses lie down only about 43.5 minutes a day
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Horses sleep longer in the summer than in the winter
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A horse’s heart weighs nine pounds
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The horse is a herbivorous mammal
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All horses (including zebras) belong to the genus equus
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Horses began to evolve on the American continent over 60 million years ago, they later died out and were reintroduced by Spanish settlers
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A zedonk is the offspring of a zebra and a donkey
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No two horses are identical
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The left side of a horse is called the “near side” and the right side is the “off side”
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A horse has approximately 205 bones
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A horse is described as a ‘foal’ for its first year of life
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Foals have milk teeth, which are replaced by permanent teeth around 3-5 years old
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A horse’s teeth can be used to estimate its age
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Horses generally dislike the smell of pigs
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A female horse is called a ‘filly’
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Horses are traditionally measured in ‘hands’, this was originally the width of a man’s hand and has been set at 4 inches
Pretty Horses
Pretty Horses
Equus caballus, is a term given to modern-day horses.
A horse is a member of the "equus" family. This word originates from the Greek dialect, and means quickness.
More than 350 breeds of ponies and horses can be found.
The height of a horse is measured using the unit, "hand", where one hand equals four inches.
If you want to know how old a horse is, all you need to do is to count its teeth.
Equinophobia, is the fear of the horses.
An average horse's head weighs 11.84 pounds.
A horse's heart weighs an amazing 10 pounds.
A horse is able to drink 10 gallons of water per day.
If you hold your hand out to a horse and it approaches you, while then blowing warm air onto the palm of your hand, it means that he/she wants to be friends with you. If it rests its head on your shoulder, it means that he/she trusts you.
Horses use their facial expressions to communicate. Their moods can be determined with the help of their nostrils, eyes and ears.
Horses spend more energy lying down.
The hoof of a horse is like a fingernail; it keeps on growing and needs to be clipped.
The 1st of January is when all racehorses in the US celebrate their birthday.
A horse is able to walk, trot, canter and gallop, in horse behavior lingo.
Horses usually live for around 20 to 25 years. Some of them can live up to 5 years more.
In most cases, the foal (young horse) is born at night, away from danger and prying eyes.
After being born, it only takes a foal about 1-2 hours to stand up and walk.
A cross between a donkey and zebra is known as a zeedonk.
Foals are fully grown by 3-4 years of age.
Horses eat short, juicy grass, and hay. Foods like barley, corn, oats and bran are good for working horses.
A horse's mood mimics its owner's emotions. If you are in a bad mood, the horse senses this and acts out the same behavior. If you are in a good mood, the horse is well-behaved and isn't difficult to work with.
Horses are either a mixture of colors or the same color all over. Horses are usually, black, brown, cream or gray in color.
A horse has two blind spots; one is located directly in front of them while the other is located directly behind.
A breed of horses called Akhal-Teke from Russia can go for days without water or food.
One of the few breeds of horses that live in North America are called Mustangs.
A cross between a horse and a zebra, is known as a zebroid, or zorse.
"Old Billy," was the oldest recorded horse that lived to be 62.
Falebella of Argentina, is the smallest breed of horse.
"Little Pumpkin," is the smallest pony in history - it stood high at 14 inches and weighed 20 lbs.
"Samson," was the tallest horse recorded in history.
Another horse known for its height as one of the tallest, was Dr Le Gear, from the Pecheron breed.
A male horse is known as a stallion, whereas a donkey stallion is known as a jack.
A female horse is known as a mare.
A donkey mare is known as a jenny.
A baby horse is known as a foal.
A young female horse is known as a filly.
The father of a horse is known as a sire.
The mother of a horse is known as a dam.
A fully grown small horse is known as a pony.
A farrier or blacksmith is the person who cares for a horse's feet.
Head Markings:
A narrow white mark, which runs down the face from the forehead, is called a Stripe.
A white mark, which covers one or both the lips and proceeds up to the nostrils, is called a White muzzle.
A broad splash of white that covers most parts of the forehead between the eyes and carries, right down the nose to the muzzle is called a Blaze.
Any kind of mark, which appears on the forehead of a horse, is called a star, irrespective of whether it resembles one
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/horse-facts-interesting-facts-about-horses.html