by Judy Evans

Created on: February 09, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2010

Since time began the horse has fascinated the human race.  It is a noble, generous animal and has been man’s friend and servant since it was first domesticated.  More than any other animal the horse has played a vital role in the advancement of civilisation.

Horses come in a myriad of shapes and sizes.  Apart from miniature ponies and Shetlands which are measured in inches, equines are measured in ‘hands’ with one hand equalling four inches. Horses are measured at the wither which is the highest constant point of the spine, immediately in front of where the saddle would sit. Technically, ponies are 14.2 hands or less and horses over 14.2 hands. The mighty ‘heavy’ or draught horses can reach a height of 18+ hands. Thumbelina, currently cited as the world’s smallest horse, is 17.5 inches! 

The horse is a flight animal meaning it will flee when startled or alarmed.  The eyes are situated at the sides of the head giving it vision virtually all round.  There are two blind spots – directly behind the horse and immediately in front.  Approached unexpectedly from behind the horse is likely to react by lashing out in defence. The ears of a horse give a good indication of its mental state.  Laid flat back against the neck, they indicate aggression and threat.  As well, when expending all their energy in competition (as at the end of a race), a horses’ ears may be flattened. The ears can also move back and forth independently of each other. 

The earliest ancestor of the horse was Eohippus which lived about 65 million years ago.  This prehistoric horse was only about 25 to 50 cms high with an arched back and snout-like nose, rather like a tapir. They had four toes on the forefeet and three on the hind. Eohippus evolved over time into Mesohippus which was about 61cms high, with long slender legs and three toes on each foot with the central toe being the longest.  In time, the centre toe developed a hoof to support the animal’s weight. The teeth became more adapted for eating grass and the horse as we know it had arrived. Today the modern horse belongs to the genus Equus (Greek for ‘quickness’) and the species caballus. 

Horses are often classified as ‘hot-blooded’, ‘warm-blooded’ or ‘cold-blooded’. This has nothing to do with the temperature of their blood (a horse’s normal body temperature ranges from

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