Of all of the animals on Earth, the horse may be the one that has most closely shared in man’s adventures and has been most intimately allied with his progress. The horse has been a participant in the pleasures, the dangers and the hard work that have been a part of man’s life for thousands of years. Perhaps, because of this relationship, the horse holds a special place in man’s affection. It is not clear when exactly man and the horse first became companions. Some historians are of the belief that man probably hunted the early horse, just as he did other game animals. There are drawings, engravings and sculptures that date back many thousands of years that were most likely made by hunters and medicine men as offerings to the gods in exchange for the blessing of a good hunt. Eventually, perhaps man recognized the advantage of the horse’s fleetness and began to tame the horse and began using them in his pursuit for other animals that he needed for food. When food would become scarce in one area, man could utilize the horse to move and settle in other areas that were more productive. Gradually, man was able to find more and more uses for the horse, and therefore, became increasingly dependent on it, and as this dependency grew, the horse became a partner in man’s life. It shared the dangers of war, the satisfactions pf peace, the splendors of knighthood, as well as the sufferings and privations of exploring and settling new lands and earning a living from the soil. The horse has also made possible some of man’s favorite pastimes, as it has carried him through hunting fields, in polo matches and in races. It drew the wagons for circuses and traveling players, and then often appeared as a performer in the acts that they presented. Man has been prompted to show off his pride in this magnificent animal in horse shows, and his admiration for this animal’s grace and beauty has inspired him to portray it in art as well as in literature. The horse was in integral part of man’s everyday life until around the early 1900’s, when machines began to perform many of the jobs that horses had done. Then, the population of horses – especially in the areas of Europe and North America – dropped drastically. For example, in 1915, there were more than 21 million horses in the United States, but by 1955, their number had dropped to only slightly more than 3 million. However, there have been surveys that have indicated that there has been an increase in the population of light horses. Horsemen think that this increase is as a result of the growing interest in riding for pleasure and breeding fine horses. The horse’s anatomy enables it to be not only a beautiful animal, but also a utilitarian one. Both its beauty and its utility result from the relationship among all its body parts in form and in function. Horsemen often speak of the conformation of a horse, referring to the general shape and appearance of a horse. Conformation also includes the form and the proportion of each of the parts of the horse’s body, and the way that they fit together to give it its overall balance, structure and smoothness. The balance, or proportion, of a horse’s body is important because each of its body parts have a functional relationship to the rest of the parts in its body. Breeders have come to develop horses of many different colors, sizes and other special attributes, but each of them have retained their “horse like” appearance. In general, the horse is a relatively large animal that weighs about 1,000 pounds or more. It usually stands about 5 and a half feet high at the shoulder and is about 9 feet long from the tip of its nose to its tail. Horses have long muscular necks, a large chest, a rather straight back and powerful hindquarters. Its legs are very strong yet, comparably slender. When a horse is in motion, the hind legs are what provide the propelling force and the front legs act primarily as supports. A horse’s head and neck make up approximately two fifths of its total length. A horse’s head is held naturally at a 45-degree angle to the neck. The head and neck act as a counterbalance as the center of gravity shift when the horse is in motion. The ears are held upright and turned forward when the horse is alert. They are proportionate to the head and are neither too small nor so large that they look mulish. The ears are able to move freely so that the horse can pick up sounds from multiple directions. A horse’s eyes are larger than those of any other land animal. The eyes of a horse have excellent long-range vision, both at night and in the daytime. Each of the eyes of a horse can see things above and below as well as behind and in front. A horse’s eyes sees things separately. Often times, an object is seen first with one eye, and then with the other. Sometimes stationary objects, particularly small ones, seem to jump, which can cause the horse to become frightened. Horsemen will put pads, called blinders or blinkers, near the horse’s eyes to limit their vision so that they can keep the horse from being startled. The nose has wide and flaring nostrils. Horses have to use their nasal passages to get all of their air, as they do not get extra air through their mouths like cows, sheep and other animals do. Even on a very hot day, or when the horse has been racing or working hard, it does not pant through its mouth. The reason for this is most likely because a horse’s soft palate forms a muscle like curtain that separates the cavity of the mouth from the breather passages, except when the horse is swallowing. Horses have large jaws and teeth that are large and strong. Mature male horses have 40 teeth and a mature female has 36. Their front teeth, or incisors, are separate from the rear teeth, the molars or grinders, and are by a wide space that is sensitive and is called a bar. The bar forms the space into which the bit fits. Male horses also have two extra teeth that are called tushes. Horsemen can check a horse’s teeth in order to estimate its age. Horses’ teeth grow longer and at a more oblique angle as they age, and the surfaces of their teeth wear away. A horse’s body is large and sleek. Thy have a wide chest that houses their huge lungs and heart that are necessary for them to have extreme endurance for running and the power that they need for pulling heavy loads. Their back is very muscular and strong, and is rigid enough to provide the legs with freedom to move very easily. When a horse’s back curves downward in t
Of all of the animals
on Earth, the horse may
be the one that has
most closely shared in man’s
adventures and has been most
intimately allied with his progress.
The horse has been a
participant in the pleasures, the
dangers and the hard work
that have been a part
of man’s life for thousands
of years. Perhaps, because of
this relationship, the horse holds
a special place in man’s
affection. It is not clear
when exactly man and the
horse first became companions. Some
historians are of the belief
that man probably hunted the
early horse, just as he
did other game animals. There
are drawings, engravings and sculptures
that date back many thousands
of years that were most
likely made by hunters and
medicine men as offerings to
the gods in exchange for
the blessing of a good
hunt. Eventually, perhaps man recognized
the advantage of the horse’s
fleetness and began to tame
the horse and began using
them in his pursuit for
other animals that he needed
for food. When food would
become scarce in one area,
man could utilize the horse
to move and settle in
other areas that were more
productive. Gradually, man was able
to find more and more
uses for the horse, and
therefore, became increasingly dependent on
it, and as this dependency
grew, the horse became a
partner in man’s life. It
shared the dangers of war,
the satisfactions pf peace, the
splendors of knighthood, as well
as the sufferings and privations
of exploring and settling new
lands and earning a living
from the soil. The horse
has also made possible some
of man’s favorite pastimes, as
it has carried him through
hunting fields, in polo matches
and in races. It drew
the wagons for circuses and
traveling players, and then often
appeared as a performer in
the acts that they presented.
Man has been prompted to
show off his pride in
this magnificent animal in horse
shows, and his admiration for
this animal’s grace and beauty
has inspired him to portray
it in art as well
as in literature. The horse
was in integral part of
man’s everyday life until around
the early 1900’s, when machines
began to perform many of
the jobs that horses had
done. Then, the population of
horses – especially in the
areas of Europe and North
America – dropped drastically. For
example, in 1915, there were
more than 21 million horses
in the United States, but
by 1955, their number had
dropped to only slightly more
than 3 million. However, there
have been surveys that have
indicated that there has been
an increase in the population
of light horses. Horsemen think
that this increase is as
a result of the growing
interest in riding for pleasure
and breeding fine horses. The
horse’s anatomy enables it to
be not only a beautiful
animal, but also a utilitarian
one. Both its beauty and
its utility result from the
relationship among all its body
parts in form and in
function. Horsemen often speak of
the conformation of a horse,
referring to the general shape
and appearance of a horse.
Conformation also includes the form
and the proportion of each
of the parts of the
horse’s body, and the way
that they fit together to
give it its overall balance,
structure and smoothness. The balance,
or proportion, of a horse’s
body is important because each
of its body parts have
a functional relationship to the
rest of the parts in
its body. Breeders have come
to develop horses of many
different colors, sizes and other
special attributes, but each of
them have retained their “horse
like” appearance. In general, the
horse is a relatively large
animal that weighs about 1,000
pounds or more. It usually
stands about 5 and a
half feet high at the
shoulder and is about 9
feet long from the tip
of its nose to its
tail. Horses have long muscular
necks, a large chest, a
rather straight back and powerful
hindquarters. Its legs are very
strong yet, comparably slender. When
a horse is in motion,
the hind legs are what
provide the propelling force and
the front legs act primarily
as supports. A horse’s head
and neck make up approximately
two fifths of its total
length. A horse’s head is
held naturally at a 45-degree
angle to the neck. The
head and neck act as
a counterbalance as the center
of gravity shift when the
horse is in motion. The
ears are held upright and
turned forward when the horse
is alert. They are proportionate
to the head and are
neither too small nor so
large that they look mulish.
The ears are able to
move freely so that the
horse can pick up sounds
from multiple directions. A horse’s
eyes are larger than those
of any other land animal.
The eyes of a horse
have excellent long-range vision, both
at night and in the
daytime. Each of the eyes
of a horse can see
things above and below as
well as behind and in
front. A horse’s eyes sees
things separately. Often times, an
object is seen first with
one eye, and then with
the other. Sometimes stationary objects,
particularly small ones, seem to
jump, which can cause the
horse to become frightened. Horsemen
will put pads, called blinders
or blinkers, near the horse’s
eyes to limit their vision
so that they can keep
the horse from being startled.
The nose has wide and
flaring nostrils. Horses have to
use their nasal passages to
get all of their air,
as they do not get
extra air through their mouths
like cows, sheep and other
animals do. Even on a
very hot day, or when
the horse has been racing
or working hard, it does
not pant through its mouth.
The reason for this is
most likely because a horse’s
soft palate forms a muscle
like curtain that separates the
cavity of the mouth from
the breather passages, except when
the horse is swallowing. Horses
have large jaws and teeth
that are large and strong.
Mature male horses have 40
teeth and a mature female
has 36. Their front teeth,
or incisors, are separate from
the rear teeth, the molars
or grinders, and are by
a wide space that is
sensitive and is called a
bar. The bar forms the
space into which the bit
fits. Male horses also have
two extra teeth that are
called tushes. Horsemen can check
a horse’s teeth in order
to estimate its age. Horses’
teeth grow longer and at
a more oblique angle as
they age, and the surfaces
of their teeth wear away.
A horse’s body is large
and sleek. Thy have a
wide chest that houses their
huge lungs and heart that
are necessary for them to
have extreme endurance for running
and the power that they
need for pulling heavy loads.
Their back is very muscular
and strong, and is rigid
enough to provide the legs
with freedom to move very
easily. When a horse’s back
curves downward in t