When you live and breathe horses, there is always more to learn about them. The more you know about them, the more you can understand why they do the things they do. Understanding horses is the key to working well with them. I have found 5 interesting facts about horses which you may not know, but might also help you understand some of their behaviours…
1. Incredible moster radar
Horses have the biggest eye of all the land mamals. This combined with the fact that they have nearly 360 vision, it’s not surprising they can see and react to things we can’t.
2. Have you ever been spat on by a horse?
Unfortunately I have. I used to ride a mare who would throw her head up and down while you were riding, occasionally letting fly a nice ball of slobber towards your face. While the headshaking isn’t a normal behaviour, the slobber is. The average horse produces 10 gallons of saliva a day. Most of this aids in digestion and is swallowed. But especially when the horse is working, it can become a white foam around the horses bit.
3. Their teeth take up more space in their head than their brain.
All I can say to this is it explains a lot! While horses are intelligent, I think we all question their decision making at times…
4. The fastest recorded speed of a horse is 55 mph!
That is fast! Even the average horse gallops at 27 mph. Is it any wonder they injure themselves running round the field if they are getting anywhere close to those speeds?
5. Their ears follow their eyes
Typically, the left ear points to where the horse is looking, same with the right. So when they are moving their ears they are listening specifically to what they are looking at. Now you know this you can have a better understanding of where your horse’s attention is. If they tend to be spooky it might help you spot the “monster” before they react to it!
Last Updated on 22/12/2021
