"A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace." That's what Ovid said 2000 years ago—and American Pharoah just proved him right. We've depended on horses for thousands of years for more than just a heart-pounding race. Learning about these excellent equines is more than just horseplay.
1. HORSES ARE PRETTY HISTORICAL.
Cave art gives us the first documentation of horses, which were likely domesticated in Eurasia some 10,000 years ago. They appear in mythology from China to Greece and have been relied on for travel, farming, and other purposes by many cultures for thousands of years. Horses have also been involved in almost every documented war.
2. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF HORSE BREEDS.
Seriously. Hundreds. Depending on whom you ask, this list may or may not include ponies (which are usually under five feet tall). They can be divided into several groups, including light horses, heavy horses, and feral horses.
3. HORSES HAVE HUGE EYES.
Horses have the largest eyes of any mammal that lives on land. They are capable of moving them independently and, because their eyes are on the sides of their head, they have nearly 360 degree vision. However, they have two blind spots—one directly in front of them, and one directly behind.
4. THEY HAVE SOME UNEXPECTED RELATIVES.
They're distantly related to rhinoceroses and tapirs. They're also related to donkeys and zebras.
5. THEIR HOOVES ARE SENSITIVE.
A horse’s hooves are exceptionally complex and sensitive. When the horse puts pressure on its hoof, the blood shoots up its leg into the veins, thus acting like a pump. In addition, the hooves are just like human nails. Their hooves have to be clipped over time in order to keep them from causing the horse any pain or discomfort.
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