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Friday, May 11, 2012

Horse

Horse breeds are loosely divided into 3 categories based on general temperament: -
spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance;
"cold bloods", such as draft Horses  and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and
 '' warmbloods'', developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods.

Life
Depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years .
Sugar Puff, who had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest living pony, died in 2007 at age 56 .








Terminology used to describe horses of various ages -
Foal - a horse of either sex less than one year old












Yearling - a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old











Colt - a male horse under the age of four











Mare -  a female horse four years old and older











Stallion - a non-castrated male horse four years old and older










Gelding -  a castrated male horse of any age











Senses

The horse's senses are generally superior to those of a human.They have the largest eyes of any land mammal,and are lateral-eyed, meaning that their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads.

 

Sleep patterns

Horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down.Unlike humans, horses do not sleep in a solid, unbroken period of time, but take many short periods of rest. Horses spend four to fifteen hours a day in standing rest, and from a few minutes to several hours lying down. Total sleep time in a 24-hour period may range from several minutes to a couple of hours, mostly in short intervals of about 15 minutes each.The average sleep time of a domestic horse is said to be 2.9 hours per day.

Gestation

Gestation lasts approximately 340 days, with an average range 320–370 days.Horses, particularly colts, sometimes are physically capable of reproduction at about 18 months, but domesticated horses are rarely allowed to breed before the age of three, especially females. Horses four years old are considered mature.

 

 

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