HORSE SENSE
DID YOU KNOW...
HORSES HAVE FIVE HEARTS?Each hoof has a leathery V shaped center that not only helps cushion their step but it also pumps blood from their feet back to their hearts! HORSES ARE WATER WITCHES?Yes! Horse can smell water underground and when they are thirsty they actually dig at the ground to get the water! A HORSE WAS A PARTNER IN MAKING THE BIGGEST CIVILAZATION EVEN KNOWN TODAY? Yes! Alexander the Great was only able to build the empire of Ancient Greece with the help and friendship of his beloved horse BUCEPHALUS! THE VERY FIRST HORSE WHISPERER WAS BORN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO?Yes! Alexander the Great was about 12 years old when he amazed his father and friends when he gentled BUCEPHALUS. The horse was beautiful and grand but did not like people! Dad was ready to give up when the little boy named Alexander asked for the chance to work with the horse! THE WOMEN ARE IN CHARGE OF THE HERD?Yes in the horse society the Mares or Horse Women are in charge. This is a serious duty. The life of the herd depends on the mare and her ability to lead!! THE FIRST MOVIE EVER INVENTED WAS DONE BECAUSE OF A HORSE?Yes! Two men at Standford University invented moving pictures to settle a bet they had. Did the horse’s feet ever leave the ground all at the same time when the horse ran? Yep they did and now because of horses we get movies like STAR WARS and the HOBBIT and HARRY POTTER? HORSE CAN SEE ALMOST ALL AROUND THEIR BODIES! Yes they can! Their eyes are on the sides of their heads and each eye sees a separate picture and both eyes together see a complete picture. They have blind spots, but only have to move their head slightly to see everything! OF ALL MAMMALS HORSES HAVE THE BIGGEST EYES IN RELATION TO THEIR BODY? Yes it is true! Their big and beautiful eyes tell us a lot about our horse! We can understand how they feel, what they are trying to say and how they are seeing if we pay careful attention! MINIATURE HORSES ARE USED TO GUIDE BLIND PEOPLE?Yes it is true! Mini horses wear special tennis shoes so they do not slip on floors. They are very good friends and they are smart and helpful! MINI HORSES LIVE LONGER THAN THEIR BIG FRIENDS?Yes it is true that minis can live from 30 to 50 years, while their larger friends live about 30 years. MINI HORSE HAVE THE SAME SIZE TEETH THAT THEIR BIG FRIENDS HAVE?Yes this is true and their heads are much smaller! That means that it is very important to take care of their teeth. They need a special vet to do this. Not only does the vet need to be a HORSE DENTIST, they must also understand and have equipment for minis! A HORSE CAN FEEL YOU SQUEEZE THE ROPE ATTACHED TO THEIR HALTER OR BRIDLE?Yes it is because they have lots of nerves running through their face. When we pick up their lead rope we have declared our self a LEADER to them. Be a good leader! We should be as gentle as possible. These sensitive nerves are very close to the surface. TOO MUCH GREEN GRASS CAN MAKE A HORSE SICK ENOUGH TO DIE?It’s true. It is called Laminitis. Rich green grass makes toxic bacteria in the horse stomach that gets into the blood and makes the tissue (lamina) in the hoof swell inside the very hard hoof wall. The horse is also sick and is not using the food that it eats very well. HORSES SPEAK MOSTLY WITH THEIR BODY LANGUAGE?Horses are mostly mute. They make only a few sounds and do not use them very often. They do speak constantly with body language. To a horse, every single movement they make and that we make means something. Even standing up straight says a lot to a horse. IN A NATURAL HERD SETTING THE LEAD STALLION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAINING FOALS?Yes and it takes a lot of patience and kindness. This is truly a job for a LEAD STALLION. When they are about 7 months of age, they spend most of the next 6 months with him. He teaches them most of the manners they need to have as members of the herd. A good LEAD STALLION is very gentle but firm. HORSES DO NOT EAT MEAT?Horses do not have a digestive system that can handle meat. It would kill them to eat meat! This means the horse would never want to hurt us for food. They are prey animals. This means that many other animals, including humans who are predators and eat meat just might hurt the horse! HORSES HAVE EXCELLENT MEMORIES? Yes it is true that horses can remember people, events, places and things for decades. HORSES ARE VERY CURIOUS BY NATURE?They are very curious about everything. After they have decided a new thing in their world will not hurt them, they cannot help themselves. They must see what it is and also they look for grain, hay, carrots, apples, grass……. HORSES HAVE A SOCIETY THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO OUR OWN?Horses live in BANDS, like our families. Their BANDS live in HERDS, like our community. They also form special friendships outside their BAND but still in their HERD, just like we do! GROOMING IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HORSES?Yep. This shows compassion, trust and respect. Horse’s groom each other to keep clean and to make and keep friendships and show loyalty. Horses like to look nice too! MOST HORSES DO NOT GET MEAN WITHOUT A GOOD REASON?Rarely does a horse get mean unless it is in pain, afraid or abused and no longer afraid but is ready to fight for their life. This is called flight (run away) or fight (stay put and fight to your death) This phrase was invented for horses. They are flight animals and always run away if they can. HORSES ONLY NEED ABOUT 3 HOURS OF SLEEP A DAY? Not only that, they can get this sleep in 10 minute naps. They also mostly sleep standing up. All because they are prey animals. ( On the other hand cats are predators and they get to sleep up to 16 hours a day!) HORSES ARE DESIGNED TO EAT ALMOST CONSTANTLY?They have lots of muscle to feed. They only eat vegetation so it takes lots of food to keep them healthy. They constantly wander and graze in the wild. They can get very ill if they are not fed regularly, when they are kept as pets. HORSES APPEAR IN THE FIRST HUMAN ART WORK EVER FOUND? Yes over 30,000 years ago! Not only that, this same cave in Chauvet, France has the oldest preserved footprints of humans! HORSES CAN COUNT?Of course they can! We can test them by bringing out two carrots and only giving them one! Did your horse look for the second carrot? ……..See what we mean? THE LEAD MARE /STALLION ISN’T ALWAYS THE BIGGEST FASTEST STRONGEST OR PRETTIEST HORSE?Horses need WISE leaders to survive. They need someone to find food water shelter and safety. It does not matter how big, old or pretty you are when the life of the whole herd depends on your decisions! A HORSE HAS TO TRUST HIS HERD OR ENVIRONMENT BEFORE THEY WILL LAY DOWN? Yes because they are at risk of getting caught by a predator when they lay down. Laying down is a big luxury for horses! MINIATURE HORSES ARE JUST AS SMALL AS HUMAN BABIES WHEN THEY ARE BORN?They usually are 14-17 inches long, 16-19 inches tall and only 10 pounds. Awesome! HORSES CAN RUN WITHIN 30 MINUTES AFTER THEIR BIRTH?This precocious nature is important. if the herd needs to flee, the foal will need to run. Little horses are up and playing within a few minutes of birth. They have to learn to stand, which takes a few minutes, to eat which takes a few moments and then to move which takes a few more moments. Then they learn to jump over feed dishes, mommy or any other obstacle! DID YOU KNOW MAN O WAR MAY HAVE BEEN THE FASTEST HORSE EVER KNOWN?It is common knowledge that, despite having won 20 of his 21 races, he was never allowed to run at his fastest speed. His stride was an incredible 28 feet, which is 5ft longer than Secretariat's. He only lost one race, which was due to: bad luck, rider error, and strategy of other riders to keep him boxed in. One of those jockeys was heard to say he wished he had let Man o' War through because he truly deserved to win.
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