Things you don't know about horses

• Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.
• Horses can run shortly after birth.
• Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years.
• A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years.
• Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.
• Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years.
• Horses are herbivores (plant eaters).
• Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land.
• Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.
• Horses gallop at around 44 kph (27 mph).
• The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph).
• Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world.
• Scientists believe that horses have evolved over the past 50 million years from much smaller creatures.
• A male horse is called a stallion.
• A female horse is called a mare.
• A young male horse is called a colt.
• A young female horse is called a filly.

• Ponies are small horses.
• Ponies have thicker manes and tails than horses.
• They also have proportionally shorter legs, thicker necks and shorter heads.
• Well trained ponies are good for children while they are learning to ride.
• As well as for riding, ponies are used in driving and working roles.
• Young ponies are called foals.
• Shetland ponies are small but very strong.
• Pound for pound, ponies are stronger than horses.
• Miniature horses are even smaller than ponies.
• Hackney ponies were first bred to pull carriages.
• Ponies are easy to look after, requiring half the food that a horse would if it was the same weight.