Horses are one of the most famous and beloved animals throughout human history. Once considered an animal of ultimate royalty and now found in plenty of wild life sanctuaries, farming arenas and parks. They are also known as the animal of the affluent as many of the wealthy folk enjoy horse riding and purchasing ponies for the younger generations.
There is so much about horses that we are unaware about. They are more than an animal for humans to enjoy and have a ride on. They are our companions and horses have some mysteries which I am about to reveal. Here are some quirky but fun facts about horses:
1. Wide Vision
If you hadn’t noticed, a horse’s eyes are placed on either side of their head which means that horses have a wider range of vision. They can pretty much observe to almost 360 degrees and could only have very few blind spots to what is directly in front or behind them. Horses also have the ability to utilize monocular vision, where either eye is used for seeing and processing information separately or binocular vision, where both eyes process and see what is in front of them.
2. No Vomiting
It is quite an odd fact, but horses truly cannot vomit. The muscles in the oesophagus are too strong and connected to the horse’s stomach in a particular way which results in a horse’s inability to upchuck.
3. Unique Build
By unique build I am referring to the Arabian horse. Mainly due to the horse’s origins and habitat in the Middle East. Arabian horses have a larger bone density compared to other horses and have a shorter back. They also have a lower number of ribs and fewer tail vertebrae, making this species particularly distinct from the rest.
4. Teeth and Information
You may have never known this, but a horse’s teeth contain an extensive amount of information. You can learn quite a bit about a horse just through the teeth. For instance, you can differentiate a male from a female as the number of teeth in a male is approximately around 44 while a female contains around 36-44. Even the age of a horse could be determined through its teeth. If you own a horse, it is important that you make regular visits to the equine dental vet and get your horse’s teeth clean, spotless and healthy!
5. Strong Ears
You don’t hear this about ears very often but believe it or not horses have muscular ears. The ears are small but strong. Each ear has around ten muscles and can move around 180 degrees. A horse’s ears also have the ability to differentiate various sounds and directing their hearing to a particular area. In addition, horses can use their ears as a tool for communication. For instance, pinning their ears in a backward position to indicate that they are angry or requesting for guidance.
Horses are truly a one-of-a-kind animal species that has astonishing features, hope these fun facts make you look at horses a little differently!
