Interesting Horse Facts 

Horses belong to the equus family. Equus comes from the ancient Greek word meaning quickness. 

 

Horses are mammals in the same family as zebras, mules and donkeys

Did You Know?  

 

                    A stallion is a male horse 

                    A mare is a female horse 

                    A foal is a baby horse 

                    A filly is a young female horse 

                    A colt is a young male horse 

                    A yearling is a foal after its first birthday 

                    A sire is the word used for the father of a horse 

                    A dam is the word used for the mother of a horse 

                    A pony is not a baby horse. It is a fully-grown small horse

Mare and Foal  

 

The mother horse, or mare, is pregnant (or "in foal") for 11 months. Most mares give birth in the spring to a single baby (foal) although twins are not uncommon. Mares produce milk for their young and will feed them for several months. 

 

Within minutes to 2 hours of birth a foal is able to stand up and walk. When foals are born their legs are almost the same length as they are when they are fully-grown: their legs are so long they find it difficult to reach down to the grass to eat! 

 

Foals can focus their eyes almost as soon as they are born and cut their first teeth within a week. A horse?s permanent teeth start coming in when it is about 2.5 years old and by five years old, it should have all of its permanent teeth.

 

They are fully grown by 3 - 4 years of age.  

What do horses eat?  

Horses love to eat short, juicy grass. They also eat hay (which is dried grass) especially in the winter or when they are stabled. Extra high energy food such as barley, oats, maize, chaff, bran or processed pony nuts are good for working horses. Horses have small stomachs for their size and need to eat a little and often - if in a field, horses will graze for most of the day. 

 

How long do horses live?  

 

An average life span for a horse is around 20 -25 years, though they can live for up to 35-40 years. The oldest recorded horse was "Old Billy," an English barge horse, who lived to be 62 years old.  

Hope you enjoy our journey through horse land. More Tips to come!

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