Horse From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Horse (disambiguation).

Page semi-protected Domestic horse Conservation status Domesticated Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Species: E. ferus Subspecies: E. f. caballus Trinomial name Equus ferus caballus Linnaeus, 1758[1] Synonyms 48[2] The horse (Equus ferus caballus)[2][3] is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equid ae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small mult i-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to dom esticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, alth ough some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. These feral populations are not true wild horses, as this term is used to describe horses t hat have never been domesticated, such as the endangered Przewalski's horse, a s eparate subspecies, and the only remaining true wild horse. There is an extensiv e, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering eve rything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior. Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they h ave a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response. Rel ated to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. Female horses, called mares, carry their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a foal , can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin trai ning under saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four. They reach ful l adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperam ent: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draf t horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods", devel oped from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are more tha n 300 breeds of horse in the world today, developed for many different uses. Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-compe titive recreational pursuits, as well as in working activities such as police wo rk, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in wa rfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, usi ng many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals

extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as vete rinarians and farriers. Contents [hide] 1 Biology 1.1 Lifespan and life stages 1.2 Size and measurement 1.2.1 Ponies 1.3 Genetics 1.4 Colors and markings 1.5 Reproduction and development 1.6 Anatomy 1.6.1 Skeletal system 1.6.2 Hooves 1.6.3 Teeth 1.6.4 Digestion 1.6.5 Senses 1.7 Movement 1.8 Behavior 1.8.1 Intelligence and learning 1.8.2 Temperament 1.8.3 Sleep patterns 2 Taxonomy and evolution 2.1 Wild species surviving into modern times 2.2 Other modern equids 3 Domestication 3.1 Feral populations 3.2 Breeds 4 Interaction with humans 4.1 Sport 4.2 Work 4.3 Entertainment and culture 4.4 Therapeutic use 4.5 Warfare 4.6 Products 4.7 Care 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 Sources Biology Main article: Equine anatomy Diagram of a horse with some parts labeled. Points of a horse[4][5] Specific terms and specialized language are used to describe equine anatomy, dif ferent life stages, colors and breeds. Lifespan and life stages Depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years.[6] Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, beyond.[7] The oldest verifiable record was "Old Billy", a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62.[6] In modern times, Sugar Puff , who had been listed in Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living pon y, died in 2007 at age 56.[8] Regardless of a horse or pony's actual birth date, for most competition purposes a year is added to its age each January 1 of each year in the Northern Hemisphe

re[6][9] and each August 1 in the Southern Hemisphere.[10] The exception is in e ndurance riding, where the minimum age to compete is based on the animal's actua l calendar age.[11] The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages: Colt: a male horse under the age of four.[12] A common terminology error is to c all any young horse a "colt", when the term actually only refers to young male h orses.[13] Filly: a female horse under the age of four.[14] Foal: a horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling.[14] Most domesticated foals are weaned at five to seven months of age, although foals ca n be weaned at four months with no adverse physical effects.[15] Gelding: a castrated male horse of any age.[14] Mare: a female horse four years old and older.[16] Stallion: a non-castrated male horse four years old and older.[17] The term "hor se" is sometimes used colloquially to refer specifically to a stallion.[18] Yearling: a horse of either sex that is between one and two years old.[19] In horse racing, these definitions may differ: For example, in the British Isles , Thoroughbred horse racing defines colts and fillies as less than five years ol d.[20] However, Australian Thoroughbred racing defines colts and fillies as less than four years old.[21] Size and measurement The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back.[22] This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse. The English-speaking world measures the height of horses in hands and inches: on e hand is equal to 4 inches (101.6 mm). The height is expressed as the number of full hands, followed by a point, then the number of additional inches, and endi ng with the abbreviation "h" or "hh" (for "hands high"). Thus, a horse described as "15.2 h" is 15 hands plus 2 inches, for a total of 62 inches (157.5 cm) in h eight.[23] A large brown horse is chasing a small horse in a pasture. Size varies greatly among horse breeds, as with this full-sized horse and a mini ature horse. The size of horses varies by breed, but also is influenced by nutrition. Light r iding horses usually range in height from 14 to 16 hands (56 to 64 inches, 142 t o 163 cm) and can weigh from 380 to 550 kilograms (840 to 1,210 lb).[24] Larger riding horses usually start at about 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) and often ar e as tall as 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm), weighing from 500 to 600 kilograms (1 ,100 to 1,300 lb).[25] Heavy or draft horses are usually at least 16 hands (64 i nches, 163 cm) high and can be as tall as 18 hands (72 inches, 183 cm) high. The y can weigh from about 700 to 1,000 kilograms (1,500 to 2,200 lb).[26] The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire horse named Mammoth, who was born in 1848. He stood 21.2 1/2 hands (86.5 inches, 220 cm) high and his peak weight was estimated at 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb).[27] The current record holder for the world's smallest horse is Thumbelina, a fully mature miniature h orse affected by dwarfism. She is 17 in (43 cm) tall and weighs 57 lb (26 kg).[2 8] Ponies Main article: Pony Ponies are taxonomically the same animals as horses. The distinction between a h

orse and pony is commonly drawn on the basis of height, especially for competiti on purposes. However, height alone is not dispositive; the difference between ho rses and ponies may also include aspects of phenotype, including conformation an d temperament. The traditional standard for height of a horse or a pony at maturity is 14.2 han ds (58 inches, 147 cm). An animal 14.2 h or over is usually considered to be a h orse and one less than 14.2 h a pony,[29] but there are many exceptions to the t raditional standard. In Australia, ponies are considered to be those under 14 ha nds (56 inches, 142 cm),[30] For competition in the Western division of the Unit ed States Equestrian Federation, the cutoff is 14.1 hands (57 inches, 145 cm)[31 ] The International Federation for Equestrian Sports, the world governing body f or horse sport, uses metric measurements and defines a pony as being any horse m easuring less than 148 centimetres (58.27 in) at the withers without shoes, whic h is just over 14.2 h, and 149 centimetres (58.66 in), or just over 14.2 h, with shoes.[32] Height is not the sole criterion for distinguishing horses from ponies. Breed re gistries for horses that typically produce individuals both under and over 14.2 h consider all animals of that breed to be horses regardless of their height.[33 ] Conversely, some pony breeds may have features in common with horses, and indi vidual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2 h, but are still considered to be ponies.[34] Ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails, and overall coat. They also have prop ortionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, shorter and thicker necks, and short heads with broad foreheads. They may have calmer temperaments than ho rses and also a high level of equine intelligence that may or may not be used to cooperate with human handlers.[29] Small size, by itself, is not an exclusive d eterminant. For example, the Shetland pony which averages 10 hands (40 inches, 1 02 cm), is considered a pony.[35] Conversely, breeds such as the Falabella and o ther miniature horses, which can be no taller than 30 inches (76 cm), are classi fied by their registries as very small horses, not ponies.[36] Genetics Horses have 64 chromosomes.[37] The horse genome was sequenced in 2007. It conta ins 2.7 billion DNA base pairs,[38] which is larger than the dog genome, but sma ller than the human genome or the bovine genome.[39] The map is available to res earchers.[40] Colors and markings Two horses in a field. The one on the left is a dark brown with black mane and t ail. The one on the right is a light red all over. Bay (left) and chestnut (sometimes called "sorrel") are two of the most common c oat colors, seen in almost all breeds. Main articles: Equine coat color, Equine coat color genetics, and Horse markings Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings, describe d by a specialized vocabulary. Often, a horse is classified first by its coat co lor, before breed or sex.[41] Horses of the same color may be distinguished from one another by white markings,[42] which, along with various spotting patterns, are inherited separately from coat color.[43] Many genes that create horse coat colors and patterns have been identified. Curr ent genetic tests can identify at least 13 different alleles influencing coat co lor,[44] and research continues to discover new genes linked to specific traits. The basic coat colors of chestnut and black are determined by the gene controll ed by the Melanocortin 1 receptor,[45] also known as the "extension gene" or "re d factor,"[44] as its recessive form is "red" (chestnut) and its dominant form i s black.[46] Additional genes control suppression of black color to point colora

tion that results in a bay, spotting patterns such as pinto or leopard, dilution genes such as palomino or dun, as well as graying, and all the other factors th at create the many possible coat colors found in horses.[44]