Fun Facts
About Horses

Horse

• A male horse is called a Stallion. or Gelding

• A female horse is called a Mare.

• A baby horse is called a Foal – A girl foal is called a Filly – A boy foal is called a Colt.

• Horse gestation period is11 months.

• The Equine family includes: miniature horses, ponies, horses, donkeys, mules, hinnies, and zebras.

• Horses have large eyes and excellent vision. They can see as well at night as they can during the day.

• Equine are highly social animals. They live in family groups that join together into a herd.

• Equine have strong teeth, 44 in all. Their back molars never stop growing and need to be filed down periodically. You can tell the age of a horse by its teeth.

• Equine are called “odd toed” animals because they only have 1 hoof on each foot. Their hooves need to be trimmed every few months.

• Spanish conquistadors brought horses to the Americas in 1519. Some were left behind and eventually made it to the US where Indians began to use them.

• A pony is defined as a horse that has a height of less than 14.2 hands or 58 inches. Miniature horses cannot be taller than 34 inches at the withers.

• A horse’s height is measured in “hands”. One “hand” is equal to 4 inches. If a horse is 15 hands, then it is 60 inches tall. Measurement is taken from the hoof to the top of the shoulder which is called the withers.