The horse has lived and worked side by side with humans almost since the Stone Age. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine human civilization without this beautiful animal. Until relatively recently, just a couple of centuries ago, strong and unpretentious heavyweight horses pulled peasant plows across the fields, and their long-legged aristocratic counterparts carried counts, princes and kings on their thin, but no less strong backs.
A horse is not just a friend for a person. This is an integral part of human history and culture, the genetic memory of many generations. Many good books have been written about horses, they have been depicted in a huge number of brilliant paintings and in an equally huge number of magnificent films. The mane is one of the most striking and beautiful parts of a horse. Let's find out in more detail why it is needed?
Appearance and description
The appearance of the horse
The appearance of the horse
Appearance of the horse
Appearance of the horse
Appearance of the horse
A graceful animal with well-developed muscles and a strong constitution, it stands out among other representatives of the fauna for its slimness and plasticity. Horses belong to the class of herbivorous mammals, the order of equids.
Interesting fact : the horse's brain is quite small. Despite this, they are considered the smartest, intellectually developed animals, perfectly understanding humans and amenable to training.
The horse's muscular, round body is covered with short hair. The limbs are slender, strong and long. The oblong, elongated head is decorated with a lush mane. The tail consists of long hair. The color of horses depends on the breed. The most common ones are red, black, snow-white, and mousey. The color is uniform, but sometimes spots adorn the legs, head and body. As old age approaches, horses' manes and tails turn gray.
Frisian
Friesians cannot boast of their height (it varies from 160 to 170 cm), but they have incredibly luxurious manes, bushy tails and long brush-like hair on muscular legs.
These brushes cascade from the very hocks down to the very hooves - this is called freezing.
Nowadays all Friesians are black, but at the beginning of the 20th century many of them were bay, and in the Middle Ages they were also forelock.
In addition to their unusual beauty, these horses have a sociable and friendly character, and that is why they are often made into circus and film actors, harnessed to holiday carriages, and attracted to photo shoots.
Sports competitions also rarely take place without the participation of Frisians.
When the horse appeared
Drawing of Eohippus, the animal from which horses descended.
Based on long research and study of partial organic remains, scientists have come to the conclusion that the ancestors of horses have existed on Earth since the Eocene era. They lived in the tropics of North America and the forests where modern Western Europe is located.
The horse that lived 60 million years ago bears little resemblance to the stately and tall horse of today. The forest creature was no larger than an ordinary dog, had a curved back, and a very small head on a short neck. The remains were discovered in the middle of the 19th century, they were named Eohippus (the first horse). The animal's diet consisted of leaves and soft fruits.
During the Eocene and Oligocene periods, the animal increased its population and inhabited parts of America and Eurasia. The Miocene era brought with it changes in climate and, accordingly, in the structure of the ancient ancestors of the horse. The animal's height increased to 120 cm, its jaws became more powerful, and its head elongated.
About 4-4.5 million years ago, the species Equus appears, considered the ancestor of all species of donkeys, zebras and horses.
The need to protect hair
If a horse spends most of its time outdoors, its mane requires special attention due to the aggressive influence of the environment. To prevent the sun from drying your hair out, you can braid it. But we cannot exclude the fact that they can cling to nearby objects. Therefore, every day you need to check their condition, unravel them once a week and braid them again.
It would be a good idea to remove all sharp objects in places where the horse most often passes. If she lives with other representatives of her species, it is better to play it safe and regularly treat her neck with an aerosol that discourages those who want to gnaw other people's manes. This product consists of plants, but it is still better to study the instructions before using it for the first time. Some components cause allergies or general irritation.
You can make a similar aerosol yourself. To do this, you need cayenne pepper or regular hot sauce, which is diluted with plain water. To test the horse's individual reaction to such a product, it is applied to a small area of skin and left for several hours. If there are no negative reactions, you can safely use this aerosol.
What does it eat?
The main diet of a horse is grass.
Horses are herbivores. The basis of their diet is food of plant origin (grass, fruits, vegetables, leaves, roots, grains). They love to eat young stems, tree bark, seeds and nuts.
The feed for domestic horses must include: oats, corn, beets, carrots and apples. In the summer, horses graze on pastures, eating fresh grass and leaves, they receive the micro and macroelements necessary for full growth and development. With the onset of cold weather, hay replaces fresh vegetation.
Skin diseases
Skin diseases in horses are also common. In the absence of prompt measures, they are quickly transmitted to the entire population and can cause serious complications.
Lichen
Ringworm in horses is quite common. This disease is quickly transmitted from one animal to another through direct contact or through care items and harness. Most often, this disease occurs in young animals.
Ringworm in horses
Ringworm manifests itself in the form of baldness of individual areas of the skin on the neck, sides and shoulder blades. Signs of the disease also include:
- foal depression;
- constant attempts to scratch the affected area on the protruding elements of the pen;
- intensive reduction in the weight of livestock.
Immediately after identifying these symptoms, the affected animal is isolated from the main livestock. Next, the affected areas of the skin are treated with special ointments.
Scabies
Scabies in horses occurs when the skin is damaged by mites. Evidence of the development of the disease is:
- restless behavior;
- baldness of certain areas of the scalp and neck;
- the appearance of scabs;
- the animal is constantly itching.
The disease is treated with Wagenfeld ointment.
Mokrets
If stallions and mares are constantly kept in damp stalls, they often develop midge. This disease involves the appearance of cracks in the skin in the fetlock area of the leg. Over time, such cracks turn into ulcers, which cause pain and discomfort to animals.
As the disease develops, the ulcers begin to fester and pus is released. If treatment measures are not taken in a timely manner, the ulcers gradually move to other areas of the skin.
How long does he live?
The lifespan of horses depends on the breed, living conditions and main purpose. According to average statistical data, in domestic individuals this parameter ranges from 25 to 30 years.
Thoroughbred horses live longer than others: 30-35 years, heavy working horses - 10-25, participants in sports competitions - 18-20. And little ponies delight a person 37-39 years old.
Interesting fact : a horse named Old Billy is considered the record holder for the longest life expectancy among horses: 62 years. The longest-liver among sports horses is the thoroughbred stallion Prospect Point: 38 years.
Wild animals rarely survive to old age. An important role in this is played by the constant struggle for survival and climatic conditions. The life cycle of a wild horse is no more than 10-12 years.
Sense organs
The nervous activity of a horse is regulated by the brain, which is located in the cranium. By the appearance of the shape of the head, one can judge the type of nervous activity of the horse, temperament, disposition, character. The desired temperament depends on the economic use of the animal - racehorses need a lively disposition, and draft horses need a phlegmatic disposition.
Domestic horses are seriously inferior to wild ones in intelligence. But excessive “reasonableness” is only a hindrance to training. The horse is required to strictly follow the rider's commands, that is, they must develop conditioned reflexes to all kinds of stimuli.
Excessive mental activity will negatively affect the horse's sporting future.
The eyes of eastern (southern) horses are mobile, slightly protruding, while those of western horses are not very mobile, and the eyelid is massive and thick. When examining the eyes, changes in the pupil at different light levels, the nature of the surface of the cornea, and the presence of white spots on it are noted. Pay attention to the condition of the eyelids - the presence of bald spots, deposits or exudate on them indicates a pathological condition.
Deviations in the visual analyzer are common among horses (myopia, glaucoma, cataracts, periodic blindness). Due to poor eyesight, the horse's gait is impaired (it often stumbles, the forelimbs are raised high). The horse compensates for the loss of vision with other senses, primarily hearing. You can notice increased mobility of the shells, and with pathology of only one eye, an asymmetrical arrangement of the ears occurs.
The horse's sound analyzer is always on alert. This is an adaptive reaction that arose at an early stage of the formation of the species. The horse constantly listens to surrounding noises in order to identify danger in advance. Therefore, if you observe an animal, you can see how it constantly changes the direction of its ears. But if you make a sound (for example, start moving towards him), the ear will quickly turn towards you. In deaf animals (damage to the auditory canal, brain disease), the ears always stand straight and point their shells towards the eyes.
Due to the structure of the pharynx (velum palatine), horses cannot breathe through their mouths. Therefore, the quality of breathing is assessed through the nostrils. In racing horse breeds, the nostrils are usually wide with thin wings, while in heavy draft horses they are narrow and thick. An examination should determine the condition of the mucous membrane (the presence of discharge, redness, overlap, foreign bodies), the mobility of the wings of the nose, the quality of the exhaled stream (strength, smell).
Horse structure
The structure of a horse
The horse has a rather unusual structure, which helps it to be resilient and cover long distances with great speed.
The length of the animal's head is approximately 2/5 of the total height of the animal. The skull is elongated, with nostrils and a mouth at the end. Powerful jaws are hidden under the lips. A horse has 36 to 40 teeth. The animal's eyes are large and long eyelashes grow on the eyelids. At the top there are ears that can turn towards the source of noise. The head is supported on a massive neck, at the top of which a long mane grows.
The horse has a massive and muscular body that can withstand high loads. From the withers to the sacrum, along the back, the animal has a wide dorso-lumbar line. The horse's hindquarters are sloping. The back has a slightly concave shape. The belly is convex.
The horse's limbs are designed in such a way that the center of gravity falls on the forelimbs. At their end are hooves.
Appaloosa
These horses, bred in America, are characterized by an unusual forelock color. Appaloosa's are easily recognized by their spotted coat.
In equestrian sports, horses are used due to their beauty, endurance and easy-going nature - thanks to the latter quality, they are often chosen as family horses.
An Appaloosa would probably look very natural next to a Dalmatian dog, since the spots on their fur are somewhat similar.
An Appaloosa horse can grow to a maximum height of 155 cm and weigh 550 kg. Although not particularly large in size, the body and legs of Appaloosians are muscular, and the head is well developed.
A beautiful curve of the neck with a chic mane, a wide chest, a straight back ending in an oval croup and a luxurious tail, striped hooves, a white edging around the iris, spots decorating the powerful body - this is a brief description of the Appaloosa beauties.
How do horses sleep?
Sleeping domestic horse Horses
sleep lasts almost half a day. They can fall asleep either standing up or lying on their side. Wild horses prefer the first option. In the event of an attack by wild animals, they will be able to quickly wake up and fight back the attackers. Domestic horses living in a specially equipped stable, on the contrary, do not care about their safety while sleeping and rest lying down.
Small stallions prefer to sleep lying on the ground. Adults organize a constant guard for safety purposes. Usually, in large herds, several horses remain to guard their sleeping brothers.
Change of suit
The color of a horse's coat is not constant - both seasonal and age-related changes are possible. Maintenance and feeding have no less importance on the quality of color. At birth, all young animals are covered with a thick, curly coat consisting of thick hairs. After 5-7 months, the first molt occurs, when the hair is replaced by lighter hair.
It is difficult to judge the color of an adult horse by the color of the foal:
- black, bay young animals are transformed into gray animals;
- the red color is obtained in foals of a yellow-reddish color with a gray tint;
- young animals of blue or mouse color become a black horse. Seasonal changes in color are most noticeable in the northern regions.
By winter, Yakut horses are covered with white fluff. In warm regions, the coat color becomes slightly lighter, with the exception of black horses. In summer, the color becomes darker, and in a black horse it also acquires a chestnut tint due to fading. High-quality feeding and regular brushing make the hair smooth and acquire a characteristic shine. In a gray horse (as well as in other colors), with increased feeding, the formation of “apples”—characteristic white marks—may occur. Their presence indicates good development of the circulatory network in this area and an improved supply of nutrients. As feeding decreases, the marks decrease.
Video
Reproduction
Horse with foal
At the age of 2-3 years, horses reach sexual maturity. Under natural conditions, the mating season begins in the spring and lasts until mid-summer. At this time, mares ready for mating secrete a liquid with a specific odor that attracts the stallion.
Interesting: Why don’t the legs of animals that sleep standing up get tired?
Pregnancy in horses lasts 11 months (335-340 days). After the due date, the mares give birth to 1 foal. Twins are a fairly rare occurrence.
A newborn is born clumsy, unsteady on its limbs, but foals are visible from the first minutes of life. After a few hours, the babies adapt and can already stand and follow their mother. The duration of breastfeeding is 4-6 months.
Getting ready for a haircut
So, if you decide to cut your four-legged friend, first you should prepare the tools and the place where you will cut the horse.
Horses have a rather rigid hair structure, so you need to use sharp and strong scissors. Large hairdressing scissors are well suited for this procedure, best of all those with one ribbed blade - they do not dull so much on a tough mane.
It is not recommended to tie horses while shearing - it is better to take the horse on a harness, it will be much safer, especially if it is being sheared for the first time.
Before cutting your horse's hair, you need to wash and comb his mane.
Types of horses
The classification has changed several times. The latest taxonomy defines Przewalski's horse and domestic horse into different species. Kulans are combined with donkeys, and several species of zebras are also included. Taking into account all the changes, the genus of horses was systematized and 7 main species were obtained.
Wild horse (Przewalski's horse)
Przhevalsky's horse
Society first heard about the new species at the end of the 19th century, when N.M. Przhevalsky brought a gift (a horse skull and skin) received from a Kazakh hunter on the Russian-Chinese border. Research has shown that this is a new species of horse, differing from the others in the number of chromosomes (instead of 64, 66 were found in it). The natural habitat of wild horses was Asia, but now they are not found in nature. Currently, there are 2 thousand purebred Przewalski's horses living around the world.
Domesticated horse
Domesticated horse
Representatives of the species are characterized by long limbs and neck, and their hooves are hard. The colors of domesticated horses are different. The most common colors are light brown, gray, and red-brown. There are no general parameters for body weight, height and size for this species: they depend on the breed. They live in all countries of the world.
Feral horse
Feral Horses
Some habits are quite similar to domestic horses. The body weight of representatives of this species varies from 300 to 450 kg. The height of an adult does not exceed 160 cm; sometimes short animals with a height of 100-110 cm are found. A characteristic feature of the species is a rather short tail. Feral horses come in different colors: white, with orange-brown spots, black, brown. The largest population lives in South and North America.
Kiang
Kiang
A large animal with an unusual color: the lower part of the body and limbs are white, and the back and head are reddish-brown. In summer the color becomes brighter, but with the onset of cold weather it fades and acquires a uniform brown color. The kiang's tail is quite short and resembles a donkey's. The height of horses does not exceed 142 cm, and weight can vary from 200 to 430 kg.
The largest populations live on the mountain plateaus of Tibet. They are also found in Nepal and India, but not in such quantities.
Kulan
Kulan
Appearance is more reminiscent of a donkey, but other characteristics are similar to a horse. The kulan is quite short - 125 cm, and its body weight does not exceed 300 kg. The color and length of the hair varies depending on the time of year: in winter the coat is longer and yellow-brown in color, in summer it becomes shorter and acquires a reddish-brown tint. The lower part remains white throughout the year.
Kulans live on dry plains of deserts and semi-deserts. The largest populations remain in Turkmenistan and Northern China.
Faroe Islands horse
A unique species of horse lives on the Faroe Islands.
Of all known species, it is considered the most ancient. The Scandinavians and early Celts brought short horses to the islands. At the beginning of the 20th century, only 5 representatives of this species were discovered, but thanks to breeders, their number is now about 50 individuals.
The height of an adult pony is no more than 124 cm, weight – 250-270 kg. The most common species are brown, black or speckled. Unique animals live only on the Faroe Islands.
Mustang
Mustangs are powerful and hardy horses.
A wild, endangered species of horse lives mainly in America, a few individuals survive in Spain, and a small population lives on Vodny Island (Russia). Graceful, muscular horses are quite difficult to tame. Domesticated animals retain their wild nature and are practically impossible to train. This species was created by natural crossing of English, French and Spanish breeds.
The height of an adult horse does not exceed 150 cm, and its weight is 400 kg. Mustangs are quite durable, capable of developing high speed and maintaining it for a long time. In nature there are bay, red, piebald and 3-color suits.
Proper cleaning
Do not overdo daily cleaning. The entire process should take a minimum of time. To avoid hair damage, you need to choose the right brush:
- it has large teeth, with significant gaps between them;
- the ends of the teeth are soft, rounded, so as not to accidentally injure the skin.
Before you start cleaning, you need to untangle your mane, passing all the hair between your fingers. Using this method, you can select all the strands. Then, along the line of their growth from tips to roots, you need to smoothly comb the entire hair with your fingers. The second step will be to repeat the steps, but using a large, comfortable comb, whose teeth are large and sparse. When the bulk of the hair is free of large chunks of dirt and foreign objects, the comb should be replaced with a smaller brush, and the process repeated to remove all small debris. As you cleanse, all strands are set aside one by one from the rest of the mane.
In order to once again ensure the degree of cleanliness of horse hair, horse breeders advise re-combing each strand after the main cleaning. If the brush passes freely along the entire length of the hair, then the mane is well cleaned. As a massage, you can also run the brush along the roots of the horse's hair. Such movements improve blood circulation, cleanse the skin of dandruff and excess sebum, which has a beneficial effect on hair growth. To make the entire combing process easier and not damage your hair, you can purchase a special conditioner for dry mane.
Horse breeds
Since ancient times, people have used animals for their own purposes. Among them were horses, since man was able to tame them, despite their rebellion. Later, numerous breeds began to emerge. They differ in the following appearance features:
- Color. Varies from light to dark shades.
- Wool. It can be red, brown or yellow, less often – white. There are sometimes distinctive spots on the body.
- Size and build. Depending on the breed of the horse, its appearance will also change. There are very low ones, reminiscent of ponies, and tall horses.
Almost all horses have hoofs that resemble an oval in shape. They also have a long tail, high slender limbs, a strong and powerful body, and a slightly elongated neck. When it gets cold, the animal's fur becomes coarser and warmer; it warms the horses during severe frosts. By summer it turns into smooth and thin.
Animals are also distinguished by their purpose, which depends on the personal qualities, character of the horse and physique.
Trakehner horse
Trakehner horse
The breed appeared in the 18th century and was created specifically for the army. The Trakehner horse is one of the most durable and strong. Horses often participate in all kinds of competitions and are used for regular riding. The horses are bred in Germany, where the purebred nature of the breed is valued.
It reaches a height of approximately 160-165 cm. The appearance of the animal is not remarkable, but speaks of pride and confidence. The horse is good-natured and gets along well with people.
Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The breed is one of the oldest. Appeared on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula. The appearance of the horse is different from its counterparts. The body looks quite small compared to others that are lighter. The color can be different; the rarest horses to be found are silver or black.
The Arabian horse is often used for sporting competitions. She is considered an excellent horse, hardy and fast.
Akhal-Teke horse
Akhal-Teke horse
An ancient purebred breed was bred by the nomads of Central Asia. The horses are quite tall. The hairline is almost invisible on the thin body of the animal, the hair is sparse and smooth.
Interesting: Mammals
