The indicator of the age of a horse is its teeth. Blessed Jerome in the 4th century, who never took money for his books, launched into circulation a famous expression, not advising to examine the teeth of a donated horse.
Although horses generally live only 25-30 years, there is written evidence that one of them lived for 62 years. It was “Old Billy”, who was born in England and was a draft horse. The first year of life of a horse can be compared to 12 years of human life, the second – comparable to 7 years. The next three years are equal to another twelve, and for each subsequent year you can add 2.5 human years. This means that in this recounting Old Billy lived 173.5 years.
The horse’s eyes are larger than most other animals, and they can move independently of each other, allowing the horse to cover only a superficial panoramic view. Since the lens of the eye remains unchanged, the horse can concentrate on the image only by turning his head so that direct rays of light fall on the central part of the retina. Horses can also see in color.
The horse has an exceptional sense of smell, which helps to sense the nervousness of the rider, and in the old days the owners of the horse, hard to manage, greased their hands with an aromatic liquid. Horses are also very nervous from the smell of blood.
In the world there are about 160 clearly expressed species and breeds of horses, but the breed of the Arabian horse is the purest and unique.
The Persians were remarkable riders and they dominated the east largely thanks to the Niebey horse – the “super horse” of antiquity. The horse was a status symbol of the Persian Empire, and only aristocrats had the right to own it. The horses of the Persians were also used to play in the early forms of polo.
It is said that Islam was “based on the prints of the hooves of the Arabian horse” and caring for the horse was even included in the sacred Hadith. The Prophet Muhammad descended to earth in a fiery ring on a creature similar to a horse.
The goddess of fertility Demeter had in one of her images the head of a black mare, and her priestesses were considered her “foals.”
White horses were sometimes drowned in the sea as victims to Poseidon, the creator of horses and the god of the seas.
Hindus associated the horse with the cosmos, and the white horse was considered the last incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Some horses are able to learn how to open doors to other horses and release them to freedom.
Horses are able to distinguish emotions in the human voice.
A horse’s sleep can be divided into two types: “short wave sleep” and “fast eye movements”, so it is likely that they see dreams. They have four hours of sleep a day, and they can sleep standing up, thanks to the special arrangement of the blocked joints.
Horses like music, but their taste is selective. They prefer soothing or inspiring instrumental music, but are annoyed by loud rock.
