Spirit - Horses
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A hoofed mammal with many domestic breeds. Modern breeds are thought to have developed from three wild ancestral types: the heavy forest type, and the lighter steppe and plateau types. Modern breeds may be classed as coldbloods (strong heavy horses suitable for work, supposedly descended from forest types), hotbloods (fast athletic horses such as the Arab, supposedly descended from steppe and plateau types), or warmbloods (produced by interbreeding the other two), but these groups are not well defined.
Technically any horse up to 14.2 hands / 1.5 m / 58 in high at the shoulder is termed a pony; taller than this it is a horse (in a narrow sense). An entire (ie not castrated) male horse aged 1-4 years is called a colt; older than 4 years it is a stallion; a castrated male is a gelding. A female of 1-4 years is a filly; older than 4 years it is a mare. A horse less than one year old is a foal (colt foal or filly foal).
The name horse is also used for any member of the family Equidae (including asses and zebras). The domestication of the horse was crucial in world history, both for agrarian and military purposes; for example, superior cavalry enabled the rapid expansion of the Huns. Fundamental, also, was the Chinese invention of the breast strap, collar harnesses (5th-6th-c AD), and stirrup (before 300). (Order: Perissodactyla. Family: Equidae, 1 species: Equus caballus.)
The prehistoric horse began as a small, leaf-browsing mammal some 55 million to 38 million years ago, appearing about the same time in Europe and America. It was not the large mammal that we know today, but rather a small beast, about 11 inches high that had four toes on its forefeet and three on it's hindfeet. Having no means of defending itself, the horse depended upon speed for protection. Horse skeletons and bones found in and near caves used as dwellings by Stone Age man indicate that the species comprised a significant portion of the inhabitants' diet.
The single most noticable characteristic of the modern horse is the solitary toe on each of its four feet. This toe corresponds to the middle digit of the human hand and is protected by a horny hoof that surrounds the front and sides of the toe.
The horse's skull is long, with facial bones twice as long as the cranium. There is a gap located between the horse's front teeth and molars where the bit fits as nicely as if it were planned that way. Both genders are sexually mature at 2 years of age. Gestation is about 11 months with single births being the rule. All baby horses are called foals; a colt is a young male horse, a filly is a young female. A horse is measured in hands, so instead of saying a horse is so many inches tall, you would say it was so many hands high. A hand is four inches, measured from the high point of the withers to the ground. A pony is considered to be 52 inches, or 13 hands high, or less. Anything higher than 13 hands is considered a horse.
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Different kinds of horses were bred for different purposes. The work horse is generally the largest of horses with the Shire of England probably the largest of all. Shire stallions can stand up to 19 hands high, mares up to 17 hands. These giants can weigh more than a ton with dense rounded body, broad back and naturally powerful hindquarters supported on long legs with dense bone. Other breeds of work horses include the Clydesdale, Percheron and Belgian. The Percheron was used for stagecoach travel and later for delivery wagons and fire engines.
Arabians were bred in the East from about the year 800. Famous for its strength, stamina, intelligence, grace, strength and speed, Arabians have remarkable powers of endurance. The Arabian is bred with other kinds of horses to get special characteristics. The Thoroughbred is a cross between an Arabian sire and an English mare. Developed in the 18th century, it is primarily used for flat-track racing, hunting and jumping. It became the greatest racing horse of America.
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Good horse care requires daily grooming. The basic tools needed are a rubber, round curry comb, stiff bristle brush, soft bristle brush, hoof pick and wide toothed comb. Use the curry comb or the stiff bristle brush to remove dirt and loose hair. An excellent way to rid a horse of loose hair is to use the curry or the stiff bristled brush in a circular motion and then brush the hair off with short strokes that follow the natural lay of the hair. Brushing with the coat using the soft bristled brush puts on finishing touches.
There are two schools of thought on mane and tail care. One is use a wide toothed comb to remove snarls, the other is never use a comb on the mane and tail as it tends to break the hair. If you're not into daily grooming and your horse's mane or tail is extremely tangled, spray it liberally with a coat dressing such as Show Sheen and starting at the ends work the snarls out a little at a time. If, on the other hand, your animal receives daily grooming you will probably not run into the tangles and snarls that can make you want to roach the mane and crop the tail. If the mane and tail receive frequent care a brush will give the best results, avoiding the breakage associated with a comb.
Hoof picks may be purchased in metal or plastic. For the novice, plastic is probably the best way to go as an over energetic novice could damage the "frog" and soft heel of the horse's foot. Feet should be "picked" daily to remove dirt and stones that can become wedged between the hoof wall and sole of the foot. In extremely dry weather the hoof should be dressed with a hoof dressing to prevent dry and brittle hooves. In excessive wet weather the hoof should be watched for thrush or hoof-rot. An experienced farrier should be called in every two months to trim the hooves.
Good horse care should also include floating of the teeth, and regular worming. Floating is a process that will normally be performed by a veterinarian. It consists of filing the teeth down until they are level and there are no burrs to rub against the inner cheek or tongue. Worming can be done by either a veterinarian or by the novice. Many horse wormers are available in a palatable tasting paste that even the novice can administer.
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A common mis-conception is that a horse can be thrown out on a small pasture and will have enough to eat to keep it healthy. It takes a minimum of between one and three acres, depending on the source, of good grazing land to keep one horse. During the summer months the grass may be of adequate quantity and quality to support a horse, provided it is not a working animal. Unfortunately, many pastures aren't cared for and do not provide the nutritional value even during the height of summer, therefore, additional feed is required for about eight months of the year.
Horses can be fussy eaters, grazing only on the best short sweet grasses, but if left untended, and unfed will eat most anything growing in a field, including poisonous plants. Poisonous weeds include larkspur, loco weed and buttercups.
Additional feed and supplements necessary to a healthy horse include hay, sweetfeed (a mix that contains oats, corn and usually molasses), grains (oats, barley, corn, beetpulp and bran), salts and vitamins and mineral supplements.