Horses have accompanied humans for thousands of years and
they show no sign of going away. let’s honor them by taking a look at some of
the more interesting aspects of their life and history.
-The Przewalski’s horse is the only truly wild horse species
still in existence. The only wild population is in Mongolia. There are however
numerous populations across the world of feral horses e.g. mustangs in North
America.
Horses use their ears, eyes and nostrils to express their
mood. They also communicate their feelings through facial expressions.
-It is extremely unlikely to see all horses in a herd lying
down simultaneously. This is because at least one horse will stand as a
look-out in order to be able to alert the others of any potential dangers.
-Horses have near 360 degree vision. They do however have
blind spots directly in front and behind them. It is extremely dangerous to
stand behind a horse as they are liable to kick out if they get scared by
anything as kicking out is their way of defending themselves.
-Horses use a range of different vocalisations to
communicate. Whinnying and neighing sounds are elicited when horses meet or
leave each other. Stallions (adult male horses) perform loud roars as mating
calls, and all horses will use snorts to alert others of potential danger.
Mares (adult female horses) use deep smooth sounds, whickering, when they are
nursing a foal (infant horse).
-Horses and other equines have better senses of smell and
hearing than humans. Their ears can turn in different directions to aid their
hearing.
-Horses are undeniably clever animals. Beyond being
proficient at relatively simple learning tasks, they are also recognised as
having the capacity to solve advanced cognitive challenges involving
categorisation learning and a degree of concept formation.
-The horse is one of the 12 Chinese signs of the zodiac.
Anyone born in the year of the horse is seen to embody the characteristics of
the animal, namely intelligence, independence and a free-spirit.
-Equine assisted therapy is a growing field where horses
help people with a wide range of mental health issues. A relationship between
the patient and the horse develops and allows the person to engage with nature
through a beautiful and peaceful animal. This aids in building trust, respect,
compassion, communication and self-confidence. The skills learned through
building a meaningful relationship with the horse are transferable to other
aspects of the individual’s life.