After dogs, horses may be a man’s best friend.
And it is easy to see why!
The creatures first discovered some 50 million years ago have partnered with humans for various roles including transportation of goods, travel companions, and even accompanying them in the fields of battle.
Even today, the horses play a major role in our recreational activities, sports, and hobby.
But did you know that there are several facts about these powerful and beautiful creatures that most of us are unaware of? In this guide, we have compiled a list of top seven facts about horses that you will definitely be surprised to know.
1. Eyes
Horses have very big eyes. In fact, the largest of any land mammal, measuring at a rough diameter of 5 centimeters. They are even nine times larger than the human eye with capability of seeing 360 degrees at the same time.
They also have good eyesight and can see better at night, even though it takes them longer to adjust from dark to light and light to dark. They are able to detect motion with more accuracy than many other animals as well. However, thanks to their large eyes, they see objects in more detail. And although, the researchers oppose, many people believe that this is the reason for horses to startle so easily.
2.The horse laugh
Many of us have seen horses showing off their teeth, in what looks like a smile or even a laugh. In reality, this is not the case. The equine are just showing their teeth to determine whether the surrounding smell is good or bad.
The amused face, made by the horse is called the ‘flehman’ response, where the horses use their special olfactory glands to check your body odor. The technique is more common in male horses than female, who often check the urine of the mares to ‘smell’ if they are heated or not. More amazing is that most of the horse names or nicknames are based on their laugh.
3.The horse shoes
Interestingly, the hard part of the horse hooves are made up of keratin - an essential protein for hair, nails, and even horns. Without properly fitted horseshoes, the hooves of a horse create traction that may put the horse off balance.
Luckily, properly fitted horseshoes fixes the problem and provides the support required to the ‘racing horses.’
More info: myhorsenames.com
Horse facts
