Grace

10/2/2024

Do you know what a hippophile is?

A hippophile is someone who loves horses. Like me. My dream is to someday own a horse. I especially like American Bay horses.

Horses come in all sorts of colors, skin types, and manes. There are over 400 different types of horse breeds. Horses are used for work, transportation, entertainment, war, hunting, and plain leisure.

Facts about Horses

They can walk shortly after birth

Horses have a unique digestive system

Horses have excellent memories

They have an almost 360 degree field of view

• Horses can communicate with body language

Horses can sleep standing up

Horses are smart and they have good hearing.

Horses are mammals that give birth to live babies, called foals.

Signs of labor: A mare’s udder will fill with milk about two to four weeks before giving birth.

Foaling process: The foaling process has three stages:

Stage I: The mare gets up and down frequently, urinates frequently, and sweats.

Stage II: The foal is delivered, which should take no more than 30 minutes.

Stage III: The placenta is delivered, which usually occurs within four hours of the foal’s delivery.

Afterbirth: The afterbirth should follow within two to six hours. If it remains, a vet can remove it manually or with medication.

Foal weight: A newborn foal weighs between 80-120 pounds.

Foal standing: Foals can stand and walk within two hours of birth.

Foal teeth: Most foals are born with a few milk teeth, and they develop their permanent teeth slowly over time.

Foal weaning: Foals can be weaned from four to nine months old.

Twins: Most mares only carry one foal per pregnancy, but twins can occur on rare occasions.

HORSE QUIZ:

Q. What is a male horse called?

|Female?

|Baby horse of any gender?

|Male baby horse?

|Female baby horse?

Horse Types

Ardennais

The Ardennais or Ardennes is one of the oldest breeds of draft horse, and originates from the Ardennes area in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. They are heavy-boned with thick legs and are used for draft work.

Haflinger

The Haflinger, also known as the Avelignese, is a breed of horse developed in Austria and northern Italy (namely Hafling in South Tyrol region) during the late 19th century. Haflinger horses are relatively small, are always chestnut with flaxen mane and tail, have distinctive gaits described as energetic but smooth, and are well-muscled yet elegant.

American Quarter Horse

The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km) or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to 44 mph (71 km/h). The development of the Quarter Horse traces to the 1600s.

Morgan

The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American history, being used as coach horses and for harness racing, as general riding animals.

– By Grace