Reasons to Love Horses

Tidbits about the incredible equine

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

July 15, 2021

July 15th is National I Love Horses Day! To show these beautiful animals some love and make you appreciate them even more, here are some fascinating facts about them.

The average lifespan of a horse is between 25-30 years. It weighs between 840-2,200 pounds and can sprint up to 55 mph. A horse can run within hours of being born.

Horses can get their Z’s from standing up or lying down. Because a horse’s eyes are located on either side of its head, it's capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time. A horse's vision is believed to be in the range of 20/30 to 20/60. They can also see better at night than humans.

When horses look like they’re laughing, they’re actually engaging in flehmen, a technique to help them determine whether a scent smells good or bad. Horses use their faces, ears, legs, backs, tails, and entire bodies to communicate information and express their mood.

Horses drink between 5-10 gallons of water a day. Since horses eat for 14-20 hours a day, they also produce gallons of saliva per day. A horse's anatomy also prevents it from being able to throw up.

In the wild, horses travel in herds. Foals always travel with their mothers in a family group guarded by a male horse, the lead stallion. Horses are social animals and will get lonely if kept alone. They mourn the passing of a companion by exhibiting grief-like behavior.

Humans first domesticated horses nearly 4,000 years ago. Today horses are often used for therapy. A study found that petting horses can help decrease the human heart rate and that an emotional interaction can exist between people and horses. This may be good for horses since they have big hearts weighing between 8-10 pounds.