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Horses have been around for 55 million years. In the beginning, they were the size of a small dog, with a height of about only 10 inches, and had four toes. As the years past, the conditions the horses lived in changed, so in order to survive, the horse had to change too. Its neck became longer with a larger head. The eyes moved further apart to see greater distances, and to see all around as it grazed. The biggest change was in the horse's legs and feet. The limbs became longer, and while the humerous and femur remained no longer than their human counterparts, the rest of the limb telescoped. What this essentially meant was the horse's central toe became its hoof, the two side toes moved up the leg to form the splint bones.

Today's horse has approximately 205 bones. Its structure is rather unique in the animal kingdom. The long lower leg bones mean the horse has great speed. It has the ability to lock its knees, so it can sleep standing up. And its wide set eyes allow it to see the front, sides, and even slightly to the rear so that it is able to detect predators before they have the chance to attack. However, unless they are looking straight ahead, they can only see out of one eye at a time. They also have two blind spots . . . directly behind their body, and directly in front of their nose.

Horses have an amazing sense of touch. They are able to ripple their skin to shake off flies and other annoying insects. They have sharp hearing, thanks to ears shaped like sound funnels, and the ability to swivel these funnels 180 degrees. Their sense of smell is well developed, and often alerts it to danger before any of its other senses.

The horse has an intense "flight or fright" instinct, developed to keep it alive in a world of predators. When it senses danger, it is capable of instantly fleeing, with no concern for consequences. It also remembers pain and fear VERY well. These two traits should be taken into consideration during training. You should work with a horse's natural instincts and use consistent rewards instead of using pain or excessive punishment.

There are about 75 million horses in the world today, and around 150 different breeds and types.
There are three major types of horses. Ponies must be under 14.2 hands, and not be a registered horse breed. Light horses refer to breeds most used for riding and harness, while draft horses were most often used for heavy work, such as plowing.

A male donkey crossed with a female horse is a mule. A male horse crossed

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