Horses: 10 interesting fact to get to know them

Some of the best and most loyal animals for humans, horses are one of the most elegant and noble creatures in the natural world. Their history has always been linked to human and social evolution. Recent studies done by scholars and archeologists from the British Universities of Exeter and Bristol, have discovered that the first forms of domestication have been traced back to 5,500 years ago in the geographic area of present day Kazakhstan, meanwhile in Europe and in Italy horse domestication did not start earlier than 3,000 a.C.

The origins of the match between man and horse and of its subsequent domestication, although not yet completely understood, seems have completed the search for the need felt by our ancestors of an animal that was docile enough to do ride, bringing together great physical strength, an undeniable agility and exceptional running skills. The horse was also a source of livelihood for meat, a very useful support in war, means of transport and status symbol (think of the Roman equestrian or medieval knights) and not least work force assets, elements for which it is used even today in some areas the Belpaese.

In modern times instead, there has been a slow decline in the use of horses generally and especially for war: firearms replaced the cavalry charges, but the horse remains a solid point in the life of men. Indeed, equestrian schools flourished and many agreements were written concerning the care and cleaning of horses. The First World War marks the final output of the horse from the battlefields, and the advent of cars in relatively recent times decreed the complete abandonment of its use as transport.

In fact, today horses are mainly used as workforce or just for hobby or sports events. A hard worker and a loyal companion for humanity in general, a humanity which certainly would have evolved much more slowly if it couldn’t rely on the qualities of this magnificent animal, a fact which has been forgotten or is unknown to most. This is why we at Italian Traditions now want to you to get to know these wonderful creatures better, by proposing ten original curiosities about a species that is so fascinating:

It Is well known that horses sleep standing up, but not many know how and why: with the help of special ligaments, the horses are able to lock their legs, reducing the muscular effort required for standing. This position is convenient and easy to maintain for them. In addition, the horse never reaches a state of deep sleep and it is able to maintain control of the four limbs even when asleep, never losing muscle tone completely.

Physiologically they have two lungs, which are united in a single anatomical lung.

They are able to close the nostrils in case of contact with water, such as seal.

They can see very well at night.

They can breathe through their mouth, but only with the nostrils.

The stallion does not command the pack, his job is merely to protect. One of the oldest females is the true leader of the pack.

You can teach a horse to buck if someone other than his rider tries to get on; in the Middle Ages steeds of war were trained in this way.

Their side view is often limited and deceives them, because their eyes which are positioned at the sides of the head do not allow for good measurement of distances. The horse practically sees with only one eye, and this prevents him from accurately calculating a distance where there is a possible danger. That is why sometimes these animals jump, frightened by the dangers that are within a certain distance.

While galloping horses can run at around 45/50 km / h, but there have been cases of particularly fast ones which have reached record speeds of nearly 90 km / h.