Horse

In this episode of the I Can't Sleep Podcast, fall asleep learning about the beautiful horse. I know, this sounds way too cool of a topic for sleeping; don't worry. Once you start learning about measurements and the difference between horses and ponies, you'll be drifting off in no time. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Bostor.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Horse.

The horse,

Or domestic horse,

Is a domesticated one-toed hoofed mammal.

It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant species in the subgenus Equus.

The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature Eohippus into the large single-toed animal of today.

Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BC,

And their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC.

Horses in the species Caballus are domesticated,

Although 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 that have never been domesticated.

There is an extensive specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts,

Referring everything from anatomy to life stages,

Size,

Colors,

Markings,

Breeds,

Locomotion,

And behavior.

Horses are adapted to run,

Allowing them to quickly escape predators,

Possessing an excellent sense of balance and a strong fight or flight response.

Added 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,

With younger horses tending to sleep significantly more than adults.

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 training under a saddle or in a harness between the ages of 2 and 4.

They reach full adult development by age 5 and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years.

Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament.

Spirited,

Hot-bloods with speed and endurance,

Cold-bloods such as draft horses and some ponies,

Suitable for slow,

Heavy work,

And warm-bloods developed from crosses between hot-bloods and cold-bloods,

Often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes,

Particularly in Europe.

There are more than 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-competitive recreational pursuits,

As well as in working activities such as police work,

Agriculture,

Entertainment,

And therapy.

Horses were historically used in warfare from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed,

Using 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 veterinarians and farriers.

Biology Specific terms and specialized language are used to describe equine anatomy,

Different life stages and colors in breeds.

Lifespan and life stages Depending on breed,

Management,

And environment,

The modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years.

Uncommonly a few animals live into their 40s and occasionally beyond.

The oldest verifiable record was Old Billy,

A 19th century horse that lived to the age of 62.

In modern times,

Sugar Puff,

Who had been listed in Guinness World Records as the world's largest living pony,

Died in 2007 at age 56.

Regardless of a horse or pony's actual birth date,

For most competition purposes,

A year is added to its age each January 1st of each year in the Northern Hemisphere and each August 1st in the Southern Hemisphere.

The exception is endurance riding,

Where the minimum age to compete is based on the animal's actual calendar age.

The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages.

Fole 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.

Most domesticated foals are weaned at 5 to 7 months of age,

Although foals can be weaned at 4 months,

With no adverse physical effects.

Earling A horse of either sex that is between 1 and 2 years old.

Colt A male horse under the age of 4.

A common terminology error is to call any young horse a colt,

When the term actually only refers to young male horses.

Philly A female horse under the age of 4.

Mare A female horse 4 years old and older.

Stallion A non-castrated male horse 4 years old and older.

The term horse is sometimes used colloquially to refer specifically to a stallion.

Gilding A castrated male horse of any age.

In horse racing these definitions may differ.

For example,

In the British Isles,

Thoroughbred horse racing defines colts and fillies as less than 5 years old.

However,

Australian thoroughbred racing defines colts and fillies as less than 4 years old.

Size and Measurement The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers,

Where the neck meets the back.

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.

In English speaking countries the height of horses is often stated in units of hands and inches.

One hand is equal to 4 inches.

The height is expressed as the number of full hands,

Followed by a point,

Then the number of additional inches,

And ending 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 in height.

The size of horses varies by breed but also is influenced by nutrition.

Light riding horses usually range in height from 14 to 16 hands and can weigh from 380 to 550 kilograms.

Higher riding horses usually start at about 15.

2 hands and often are as tall as 17 hands,

Weighing from 500 to 600 kilograms.

Heavy or draft horses are usually at least 16 hands high and can be as tall as 18 hands high.

They can weigh from about 700 to 1000 kilograms.

The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire horse named Mammoth who was born in 1848.

He stood 21.

25 hands high and his peak weight was estimated at 1524 kilograms.

The record holder for the smallest horse ever is Thumbelina,

A fully mature miniature horse affected by dwarfism.

She was 17 inches tall and weighed 26 kilograms.

Ponies Ponies are taxonomically the same animals as horses.

The distinction between a horse and a pony is commonly drawn on the basis of height,

Especially for competition purposes.

However,

Height alone is not dispositive.

However height alone is not dispositive,

The difference between horses and ponies may also include aspects of phenotype,

Including con.

.

.

The difference between horses and ponies may also include aspects of phenotype,

Including conformation and temperament.

The traditional standard for height of a horse or a pony at maturity is 14.

2 hands.

An animal 14.

2 hands or over is usually considered to be a horse and one less than 14.

2 hands a pony.

But there are many exceptions to the traditional standard.

In Australia ponies are considered to be those under 14 hands.

For competition in the Western Division of the United States Equestrian Federation,

The cutoff is 14.

1 hands.

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports,

The world governing body for horse sport,

Uses metric measurements and defines a pony as being any horse measuring less than 148 centimeters at the withers without shoes,

Which is just over 14.

2 hands and 149 centimeters or just over 14.

2 and a half hands with shoes.

Height is not the sole criterion for dis.

.

.

Height is not the sole criterion for distinguishing horses from ponies.

Breed registries for horses that typically produce individuals both under and over 14.

2 hands consider all animals of that breed to be horses regardless of their height.

Conversely,

Some pony breeds may have features in common with horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.

2 hands but are still considered to be ponies.

Ponies often exhibits thicker manes,

Tails,

And overall coat.

Ponies often exhibits thicker manes,

Tails,

And overall coat.

They also have proportionally shorter legs,

Wider barrels,

Heavier bone,

Shorter and thicker necks,

And short heads with broad foreheads.

They may have calmer temperaments than horses and also a high level of intelligence that may or may not be used to cooperate with human handlers.

Small size by itself is not an exclusive determinant.

For example,

The Shetland pony which averages 10 hands is considered a pony.

Conversely,

Breeds such as the Fallabella and other miniature horses,

Which can be no taller than 30 inches,

Are classified by their registries as very small horses,

Not ponies.

Genetics.

Horses have 64 chromosomes.

The horse genome was sequenced in 2007.

It contains 2.

7 billion DNA base pairs,

Which is larger than dog genome but smaller than the human genome or the bovine genome.

The map is available to researchers.

Colors and markings.

The basic coat colors of chestnut and black are determined by the gene controlled by the melanocortin 1 receptor,

Also known as the extension gene or red factor,

As its recessive form is red,

Chestnut,

And its dominant form is black.

General genes control suppression of black color to point coloration that results in a bay,

Spotted patterns such as pinto or leopard,

Dilution genes such as pelamino or dun,

As well as graying,

And all the other factors that create the many possible coat colors found in horses.

Horses that have a white coat color are often mislabeled.

A horse that looks white is usually a middle-aged or older gray.

Grays are born a darker shade,

Get lighter as they age,

But usually keep black skin underneath their white coat,

With the exception of pink skin under white markings.

The only horses properly called white are born with a predominantly white hair coat and pink skin,

A fairly rare occurrence.

Different and unrelated genetic factors can produce white coat colors in horses,

Including several different alleles of dominant white in the Sabino 1 gene.

However,

There are no albino horses defined as having both pink skin and red eyes.

Reproduction and Development Gestation lasts approximately 340 days,

With an average range 320 to 370 days,

And usually results in one foal.

Twins are rare.

Horses are a precocial species,

And foals are capable of standing and running within a short time following birth.

Folls are usually born in the spring.

The estrus cycle of a mare occurs roughly every 19 to 22 days,

And occurs from early spring into autumn.

Most mares enter an estrus period during the winter,

And thus do not cycle in this period.

Folls are generally weaned from their mothers between 4 and 6 months of age.

Horses,

Particularly colts,

Sometimes are physically capable of reproduction at about 18 months.

But domesticated horses are rarely allowed to breed before the age of 3,

Especially females.

Horses 4 years old are considered mature,

Although the skeleton normally continues to develop until the age of 6.

Maturation also depends on the horse's size,

Breed,

Sex,

And quality of care.

Larger horses have larger bones.

Therefore,

Not only do the bones take longer to form bone tissue,

But the epiphyseal plates are larger and take longer to convert from cartilage to bone.

These plates convert after the other parts of the bones and are crucial to development.

Depending on maturity,

Breed,

And work expected,

Horses are usually put under saddle and trained to be ridden between the ages of 2 and 4.

Although thoroughbred racehorses are put on the track as young as the age of 2 in some countries,

Horses specifically bred for sports such as dressage are generally not put under saddle until they are 3 or 4 years old,

Because their bones and muscles are not solidly developed.

For endurance riding competition,

Horses are not deemed mature enough to compete until they are a full 60 calendar months,

5 years old.

Anatomy Skeletal System The horse skeleton averages 205 bones.

A significant difference between the horse skeleton and that of a human is the lack of collarbone.

The horse's forelimbs are attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles,

Tendons,

And ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso.

The horse's forelegs and hooves are also unique structures.

Their leg bones are proportioned differently from those of a human.

For example,

The body part that is called a horse's knee is actually made up of the carpal bones that correspond to the human wrist.

Similarly,

The hock contains bones equivalent to those in the human ankle and heel.

The lower leg bones of a horse correspond to the bones of the human hand or foot,

And the fetlock,

And correctly called the ankle,

Is actually the proximal sesamoid bones between the cannon bones,

A single equivalent to the human metacarpal or metatarsal bones,

And the proximal phalanges,

Located where one finds the knuckles of a human.

A horse also has no muscles in its legs below the knees and hocks,

Only skin,

Hair,

Bone,

Tendons,

Ligaments,

Cartilage,

And the assorted specialized tissues that make up the hoof.

Hooves The critical importance of the feet and legs is summed up by the traditional adage,

No foot,

No horse.

The horse hoof begins with the distal phalanges,

The equivalent of the human fingertip or tip of the toe,

Surrounded by cartilage and other specialized blood-rich soft tissue,

Such as the laminate.

The exterior hoof,

Wall,

And horn of the sole is made of keratin,

The same material as a human fingernail.

The end result is that a horse,

Weighing on average 500 kilograms,

Travels on the same bones as would a human on tiptoe.

For the protection of the hoof under certain conditions,

Some horses have horseshoes placed on their feet by a professional farrier.

The hoof continually grows,

And in most domesticated horses needs to be trimmed and horseshoes reset if used every five to eight weeks,

Though the hooves of horses in the wild wear down and regrow at a rate suitable for their terrain.

Teeth Horses are adapted to grazing.

In an adult horse,

There are 12 incisors at the front of the mouth,

Adapted to biting off the grass or other vegetation.

There are 24 teeth adapted for chewing,

The premolars and molars,

At the back of the mouth.

Stallions and gildings have four additional teeth just behind the incisors,

A type of canine teeth called tushes.

Some horses,

Both male and female,

Will also develop one to four very small vestigial teeth in front of the molars,

Known as wolf teeth,

Which are generally removed because they can interfere with the bit.

There's an empty intertidal space between the incisors and the molars,

Where the bit rests directly on the gums or bars of the horse's mouth when the horse is bridled.

An estimate of a horse's age can be made from looking at its teeth.

The teeth continue to erupt throughout life and are worn down by grazing.

Therefore,

The incisors show changes of the horse's ages.

They develop a distinct wear pattern,

Changes in tooth shape,

And changes in the angle at which the chewing surfaces meet.

This allows a very rough estimate of a horse's age,

Although diet and veterinary care can also affect the rate of tooth wear.

Digestion Horses are herbivores,

With a digestive system adapted to a forage diet of grasses and other plant material consumed steadily throughout the day.

Therefore,

Compared to humans,

They have a relatively small stomach but very long intestine to facilitate a steady flow of nutrients.

A 450 kilogram horse will eat 7 to 11 kilograms of food per day,

And under normal use drink 38 to 45 liters of water.

Horses are not ruminants,

They have only one stomach,

Like humans,

But unlike humans they can utilize cellulose,

A major component of grass.

Horses are hindgut fermenters.

Cellulose fermentation by symbiotic bacteria occurs in the cecum or water gut,

Which food goes through before reaching the large intestine.

Horses cannot vomit,

So digestion problems can quickly cause colic,

A leading cause of death.

Horses do not have a gallbladder,

However they seem to tolerate high amounts of fat in their diet,

Despite lacking a gallbladder.

Senses The horses' senses are based on their status as prairie animals,

Where they must be aware of their surroundings at all times.

They have the largest eyes of any land mammal and are lateral-eyed,

Meaning that their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads.

This means that horses have a range of vision of more than 350 degrees,

With approximately 65 degrees of this being binocular vision,

And the remaining 285 degrees binocular vision.

Horses have excellent day and night vision,

But they have two-color or dichromatic vision.

Their color vision is somewhat like red-green color blindness in humans,

Where certain colors,

Especially red and related colors,

Appear as a shade of green.

Their sense of smell,

While much better than that of humans,

Is not quite as good as that of a dog.

It is believed to play a key role in the social interactions of horses,

As well as detecting other key scents in the environment.

Horses have two olfactory centers.

The first system is in the nostrils and nasal cavity,

Which analyze a wide range of odors.

The second,

Located under the nasal cavity,

Are the vomeronasal organs,

Also called Jacobson's organs.

These have a separate nerve pathway to the brain and appear to primarily analyze pheromones.

A horse's hearing is good,

And the pina of each ear can rotate up to 180 degrees,

Giving the potential for 360-degree hearing without having to move the head.

These impacts the behavior of the horses and certain kinds of noise may contribute to stress.

A 2013 study in the UK indicated that stabled horses were calmest in a quiet setting,

Or if listening to country or classical music,

But displayed signs of nervousness when listening to jazz or rock music.

The study also recommended keeping music under a volume of 21 decibels.

An Australian study found that stabled race horses listening to talk radio had a higher rate of gastric ulcers than horses listening to music,

And race horses stabled where a radio was played had a higher overall rate of ulceration than horses stabled where there was no radio playing.

Horses have a great sense of balance,

Due partly to their ability to feel their footing and partly to highly developed proprioception.

The unconscious sense of where the body and limbs are at all times.

A horse's sense of touch is well developed.

The most sensitive areas are around the eyes,

Ears,

And nose.

Horses are able to sense contact as subtle as an insect landing anywhere on the body.

Horses have an advanced sense of taste which allows them to sort through fodder and choose what they would most like to eat,

And their prehensile lips can easily sort even small grains.

Horses generally will not eat poisonous plants,

However there are exceptions.

Horses will occasionally eat toxic amounts of poisonous plants,

Even when there is adequate healthy food.

Movement.

Walk 5 to 8 kilometers per hour.

Trot 8 to 13 kilometers per hour.

Pace 8 to 13 kilometers per hour.

Canter 16 to 27 kilometers per hour.

Gallop 40 to 48 kilometers per hour.

Record 70.

76 kilometers per hour.

All horses move naturally with four basic gates.

The four beat walk,

Which averages 6.

4 kilometers per hour.

The two beat trot or jog at 13 to 19 kilometers per hour,

Faster for harness racing horses.

The center or lope,

A three beat gait,

That is 19 to 24 kilometers per hour.

The gallop,

Which averages 40 to 48 kilometers per hour.

The world record for a horse galloping over a short sprint distance is 70.

76 kilometers per hour.

Besides these basic gates,

Some horses perform a two beat pace instead of the trot.

There are also several four beat ambling gates that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace,

Though smoother to ride.

These include the lateral rack,

Running walk,

And twolt,

As well as the diagonal fox trot.

Ambling gates are often genetic in some breeds known collectively as gated horses.

These horses replace the trot with one of the ambling gates.

Behavior Horses are prey animals with a strong fight or flight response.

The first reaction to a threat is to startle and usually flee,

Although they will stand their ground and defend themselves when flight is impossible or if they're young or threatened.

They also tend to be curious.

When startled,

They will often hesitate an instant to ascertain the cause of their fright and may not always flee from something that they perceive as non-threatening.

Most light horse riding breeds were developed for speed,

Agility,

Alertness,

And endurance,

Natural qualities that extend from their wild ancestors.

However,

Through selective breeding,

Some breeds of horses are quite docile,

Particularly certain draft horses.

Horses are herd animals with a clear hierarchy of rank led by a dominant individual,

Usually a mare.

They are also social creatures that are able to form companionship,

Attachments to their own species and to other animals,

Including humans.

They communicate in various ways,

Including vocalizations such as nickering or whinnying,

Mutual grooming,

And body language.

Many horses will become difficult to manage if they are isolated,

But with training horses can learn to accept a human as a companion and thus be comfortable away from other horses.

However,

When confined with the insufficient companionship,

Exercise,

Or stimulation,

Horses may develop stable vices and assortment of bad habits,

Mostly stereotypes of psychological origin that include wood chewing,

Wall kicking,

Weaving,

Rocking back and forth,

And other problems.

Intelligence and Learning Studies have indicated that horses perform a number of cognitive tasks on a daily basis,

Meeting mental challenges that include food procurement and identification of individuals within a social system.

They also have good spatial discrimination abilities.

They are naturally curious and apt to investigate things they have not seen before.

Studies have assessed equine intelligence in areas such as problem solving,

Speed of learning,

And memory.

Horses excel at simple learning,

But also are able to use more advanced cognitive abilities that involve categorization and concept learning.

They can learn using habituation,

Desensitization,

Classical conditioning,

And operant conditioning,

And positive and negative reinforcement.

One study has indicated that horses can differentiate between more or less if the quantity involved is less than four.

Domesticated horses may face greater mental challenges than wild horses because they live in artificial environments that prevent instinctive behavior,

Whilst also learning tasks that are not natural.

Horses are animals of habit that respond well to regimentation,

And respond best when the same routines and techniques are used consistently.

One trainer believes that intelligent horses are reflections of intelligent trainers who effectively use response conditioning techniques and positive reinforcement to train in the style that best fits within an individual animal's natural inclinations.

Temperament Horses are mammals,

And as such are warm-blooded and endothermic creatures,

As opposed to cold-blooded or poikilothermic animals.

However,

These words have developed a separate meaning in the context of equine terminology used to describe temperament,

Not body temperature.

For example,

The hot-bloods,

Such as many race horses,

Exhibit more sensitivity and energy,

While the cold-bloods,

Such as most draft breeds,

Are quieter and calmer.

Sometimes hot-bloods are classified as light horses or riding horses,

With the cold-bloods classified as draft horses or work horses.

Reviews

🐎🐎of course. Middle of the night. Just interesting enough. (I like the opening music on the older versions, gives a few more seconds to settle.)

Interesting and highly effective 💤 Love these tracks!

Interesting subject but I fell asleep anyway. Neigh whinny

Excellent information. Thank you

Forget sleep meditations — of course, boring lectures will put you to sleep every time. Hands down most effective.

It had the desired effect. Thanks for sharing ✨✨

Never have so many been so bored to sleep by so few. Although there was a glitchy patch somewhere in the middle, or I may have been dreaming. Either way, as allways a potent sleep inducing bore. Keep up the good work. 👍
Jeffrey

I loved that! 🤪

Love it 🥰 thanks 🙏

Both interesting and effective!
Thank you 😊

Works for me!

So effective I was asleep within just a few minutes and learned a thing or two along the way.