Horse facts

Think you know everything there is to know about Horses?
Well, Petcover have put together a list of interesting facts that may just surprise you.

1. Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world
2. Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal
3. Horses and other equines eat constantly, because their digestive systems aren’t efficient
4. The average horses heart weighs approximately 4.5kgs
5. Horses can sleep while standing up and lock their legs to avoid collapsing
6. Horse hooves are made from the same protein that comprises human hair and fingernails
7. The horse originated in North America and spread to Eurasia over the Bering Land Bridge
8. Horses bear their weight on a single digit on each foot
9. Horses are social animals and will get lonely if kept alone, and they will mourn the passing of a companion
10. Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up
11. Wild horses generally gather in groups of 3 to 20. A stallion (mature male horse) leads the group, which consists of mares (females) and young foals. When young males become colts (at around 2 years of age), the stallion drives them away. The colts then roam with other young males until they can gather their own band of females
12. A mule is the offspring of a female horse and a male donkey
13. Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years
14. Horses will not lie down simultaneously because at least one will act as a look-out to alert its companions of potential dangers
15. The world’s only remaining wild horse species is native to Mongolia
16. Racehorses can reach up to 67kms an hour when galloping
17. A horse’s teeth take up a larger amount of space in their head than their brain
18. Ponies are any of several breeds of horse that stand less than 56.8 inches high
19. Because a horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at a time
20. Male horse foals are called colts, why females are called fillies