horses Flashcards
scientific name
equus caballus
equus= greek for quickness
wild herds
3-20 animals led by mature male; rest is females and their young
4 speeds called gaits
walk, trot, canter, gallop
lifespan
25-30 years
gestation
340 days (almost a year!!), range 320-370
horses are _____ breeders
seasonal (summer)
colt
entire male 3 yrs or less
stallion
entire male 4 years and over
gelding
castrated male of any age
filly
female 3 years of less
mare
female 4 years and over
first horses originated in
north america and then spread to asia and europe
were first domesticated in ____ and initially used for:
asia 3000-4000BC
used for milk and meat, eventually as a form of transportation
value for domestication
speed for transport, carrying capacity, diastema for control, absence of horns
wild horses today
- 3 species of zebra
- wild ass (african and asian)
- przewalksi’s horse
ability to digest food
hind hut fermenters, thrive on poor quality plant fibre
adapted to graze instead of browse
diastema
gap between front incisors and rear grinding teeth
limb and foot structure allows them to
be v fast! run up to 70km/h for short distances
how did horses adapt to graze
- long muzzle and ever erupting teeth
- ability to digest
- migrating animal
teeth evolution
- teeth w transverse shearing evolved
- premolars became full molars
- hypsodont (high crowned) teeth, ever erupting
digestion time
- rumen digestion is more efficient but more time consuming; they can’t jump up and run away
- horse 48 hr; 70% efficient as cow
- do better of poorer quality diet
how often graze
60-80% of time
commonly drink in association w feeding
hindgut fermenters
big vat to allow microbes to digest grass
boxed horses vs paddock horse feeding time
boxed; 47% of time
paddock; 60-80% time
limb and foot structure
- arrangement of tendons on long slender limbs; store elastic energy; faster gait and endurance
- ulna and radius is fused; long solid limb for distance running;; poor turning ability
- hoof= bioengineering miracle; tough, protective, evergrowing
where are blindspots
- horse has a blind-spot straight in front or forehead the width of the horse
- also directly behind it
- cannot see itself
hearing
- large erect, motile pinnae
- more sensitive to sound than humans
- hearing to 34 kHz compared to 20 kHz in humans
olfaction
- well developed vomeronasal organ; flehman response
- horses meet nose to nose and smell each other
- horses are sensitive to smells in their environment
- smell v important in feed selection
taste
- attracted by sweetness/ sugar
- reject salty, sour and bitter tastes at about the same level of acceptance as humans
- train to accept high levels of electrolyte before race
touch
- horses v sensitive to tactile stimulation; esp muzzle and ears
- v well developed; can sense fly landing
- muscles ripple to disturb flies
- muzzle sensitive; whiskers
horses are predators or prey animals
prey
general social organization: harem type
- live in large herds comprising several smaller bands
- basic family/ breeding group; harem band
- harem stallion, few mature females and their young offspring
- bachelor bands
general social organization: territorial type
- breeding males guard a territory
- gain access to females that travel through their territory
- females travel alone or in temporary pairs
locomotion begins within first ____ of life
hour
how long do they do standing rest per day
8-12 hours
how long do they go through recumbent rest per day
0-6 hours per day
grooming and insect control behaviours
- rolling, shaking
- autogrooming; nibbling, biting, licking or rubbing
- tail swishing
how often do they urinate/ defecate per day
4-15x per day
stallion fecal behvaiour
fecal pile displays; scent marking, aka stud piles
non- verbal communication
ear, eye, muzzle, body position
verbal communication
- snorting; excited or uncertain about object/ situation
- nicker; friendly, fairly uqiet greeting
- neigh/ whinny; friendly call; high pitched
- squealing; friendly or excitable warning
- blowing; relaxed noise
play behaviour
- object; sniff, bite, nuzzle, pick up/ shake/ carry/ toss
- pawing at objects
- running to and from objects
- circling or running in loops
training behaviours
- highly flexible and adjustable/ adaptable
- pressure and release
3 major groups of horse breeds
heavy, light, ponies
how do you measure horses
cm or hands and inches
1 hand= 4 inches= 10cm
near side and off side
near= horses left side
off = horses right side
light horse breeds (most predominant type)
- thoroughbred
- australian stock horse
- quarter horse
- arabian
- standardbred
- miniature horse
- show horses
- warm blood
heavy horse breeds
- clydesdale
- percheron
- cold blooded (related to temperament)
ponies
- welsh mountain pony
- shetland
heavy horses
- as name implies heavy
- used originally for labour; pulling carts, ploughing fields
clydesdale
- heavy
- from scotland
- 16-18 hands
- usually characteristic colour
- used to be work horses, now used for driving and ploughing competitions
- driving= horse and carriage
percheron
- heavy
- originated in france
- 14-16 hands
- usually grey or black
- draft animal
- also meat production
light horses
- built for speed, agility, endurance, athletic
- usually for riding
- hot blooded relates to temperament
thoroughbred
- light horse
- originated from UK
- 15-17 hands
- fast, athletic
- flat racing, jumps racing, other sports
australian stock horse
- light horse
- originated from aus
-14-16 hands - founded in 1970s; original horses waler types
- the breed for every need
- used for work, sport and pleasure
quarter horse
- light horse
- originated from USA
- 14-16 hands
- many colours
- riding and racing
- heavier build than aus stock horse
arabians
- light horse
- originated in middle east
- 14-15 hands
- one of v original horse breeds
- diff colours
- diff body type to other breeds; finer, also head and limbs
- used for pleasure, show, endurance
warm blood
- light horse
- “type” horse; different warmblood breeds
- cross between hot and cold
- have aspects of both types
- strong and sure footed
- used for sport
standardbred
- light horse
- from USA
- 15-16 hands
- used for harness racing and riding
- harness racing; unique gait, pacing
- legs on same side; move forward together instead of opposite
- retired harness racing horses becoming v popular
show horses
- not a specific breed
- often divided into hack, galloway and pony depending on size
miniature horse
- light horse
- originated in USA
- 8 ish hands
- used for harness, showing, companion, therapy etc
- should possess all characteristics of good conformation of other types