Livestock Facts: Equine

 Equine; probably the most popular large livestock species as children (specifically girls) enjoy riding and taking care of these animals. Having worked briefly with this species, I personally cannot see why so many people willingly spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on just riding lessons. 

Although I may be a tad bit biased, this species is very majestic and intelligent. According to the BCSPCA website horses have excellent hearing, eye-sight, and can be taught tricks like your pet canine. 

From the same BCSPCA website, foals (or baby horses) can walk and run just hours after being born. This is very unlike human or most species’ offspring that take days, months or even years to learn how to walk, run, and communicate vocally.

Horses typically have pretty long hair, whether it be their mane or tail that get brushed and braided for shows and other events. The longest recorded tail on a horse was in Kansas and was twelve and a half feet long- recorded in Guiness Book of Records.  The image to the left (or above) shows just how long this tail was. 

Horses’ teeth tend to take up more space in their heads compared to the size of their brain as mares have thirty-six and stallions have about forty. Horses also produce up to ten-pounds of saliva a day.  During my time working with equines, I found that horse mouths’ do in fact get pretty nasty and they have a LOT of saliva. But do not just take my word for it, Horse and Hound (website) also claims the same ideas. 

Lastly, for this week and animal, a fear of horses exists. The name of this fear is equinophobia. I did not know this but I completely understand this fear due to horses having extremely incredible reflexes and a nearly 360 degree vision. 

Sources:

BCSPCA- horse facts

Horse & Hound- Horse facts- tail length and mouth info.

JJS Summer Breeze- tail record image