Interesting Racehorse Facts

Intersting Racehorse Facts

We have compiled some random, interesting horse facts.  We were certainly surprised by a few!

1. Horses are unable to burp or vomit.
2. Horses with pink skin can get sunburn.
3. It takes 9-12 months to re-grow an entire horse hoof.
4. Horse hooves are made from the same protein – called keratin – that comprises human hair and fingernails.
5. You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind their ears.
6. Most of the time, wherever a horse’s ear is pointing is where the horse is looking with the eye on the same side.
7. Horses have 16 muscles in each ear.
8. A horse’s teeth take up more space in their head than their brain.
9. An adult horse’s brain weighs 22 oz.
10. Horses have a fantastic memory.
11. Horses have very large eyes and good vision, and they can see roughly 350 degrees around themselves.
12. A horse can see better at night than a human.
13. Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.
14. Horses drink at least 25 gallons of water a day on average.
15. Horses produce approximately 10 gallons of saliva a day.
16. Horses with typical anatomy are “obligate nasal breathers”, which means they must breathe through their nostrils and cannot breathe through their mouths.
17. Horses use their ears, eyes, and nostrils to express their mood.
18. Most horses have 205 bones in their bodies, while humans have 206.
19. Horses like sweet flavours and will usually reject anything sour or bitter. 
20. The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph).
21. Most horses are born at night.
22. The gestation period of a foal is two months longer than a human – 11 months
23. Newborn horses can stand, walk, and trot shortly after birth.
24. Horses still hold a place of honour in many cultures, often linked to heroic exploits in war.
25. Scientists believe that the first known ancestor of the horse lived about 50 million years ago.
26. The average horse’s heart weighs approximately 9 or 10 pounds, whereas a human heart weighs only 10-12 ounces on average.
27. There are approximately 58 to 60 million horses in the world.
28. There is only one species of domestic horse, but around 600 different breeds that specialise in everything from pulling wagons to racing.
29. All existing horse breeds fit into five categories: hot-blooded, warm-blooded, cold-blooded/draft, pony, and miniature.
30. A horse’s height is measured in units known as “hands.”
31. If a horse has a red ribbon on its tail, it kicks.
32. Horses are social animals and will get lonely if kept alone.