Horse

The Horse Equus ferus caballus is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus It is an oddtoed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multitoed creatureHyracotherium into the large singletoed animal of today Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC and theirdomestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses These feral populations are not true wild horses as this term is used to describe horses that have never been domesticated such as the endangered Przewalski's horse a separate subspecies and the only remaining true wild horse There is an extensive specialized vocabulary used to describe equinerelated concepts covering everything from anatomy to life stages size colors markings breeds locomotion and behavior
Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a welldeveloped sense of balance and a strong fightorflight response Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down Female horses called mares carry their young for approximately 11 months and a young horse called a foal can stand and run shortly following birth Most domesticated horses begin training under saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four They reach full adult development by age five and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years
Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament spirited hot bloods with speed and endurance cold bloods such as draft horses and some ponies suitable for slow heavy work and warmbloods developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes particularly in Europe There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today developed for many different uses
Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and noncompetitive recreational pursuits as well as in working activities such as police work agriculture entertainment and therapy Horses were historically used in warfare from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed using many different styles of equipment and methods of control Many products are derived from horses including meat milk hide hair bone and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares Humans provide domesticated horses with food water and shelter as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians andfarriers
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