The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus,
or the wild
horse. The horse has evolved over the
past 45 to 55 million years from a small
multi-toed creature into the
large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC.
Horses' anatomy enables them to
make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of
balanceand a strong fight-or-flight instinct.
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.
There are more than
300 breeds of horses in the world today, developed for many different
uses.
Horses and humans interact in a
wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive 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 and farriers.
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