Ever thought of riding a horse? That beautiful black beauty, which took the heart of each and every person regardless of who read the story, who wouldn’t want to have a small ride on it? Having a beautiful height and structure, a horse is a full-fledged family, having the classical horse, zebra, donkey etc. as members of their family. Want to adopt one? All you need is a barn, a field for horses to run, and at least a couple of horses.
From the time immemorial, owning a horse has been said to be a passion for the rich and sophisticated class of the society. Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years, still the charm of being a horse rider and a proud owner of a horse remains in the society. This beautiful animal, besides being used for riding, has also been used by police officers since the early historic times, for the purpose of keeping a control on the crowd or to catch a captive that has achieved success from breaking the prison. In the present generation, horses are also used as a medium to bet on, while they race and compete against each other. Some people put all the efforts of their life in training these horses to run as fast as they can, so that they could win competitions. A few facts about horses, that are usually unknown to most of the population are mentioned here.
- Where fishes sleep with their eyes open, dolphin with one eye open, horses have a tendency to obtain REM sleep in a standing posture.
- The child of a horse, called foal can stand and run shortly after their birth.
- It has been an unknown fact but horses have a memory as good as that of elephants. They can remember a person who have been kind to it, and can identify the person at any point in the rest of its life. If you were not nice to it at some point of time, don’t try riding that horse. It may take out its grudge over you.
- The equid species, that comprise of horse, donkey and zebra, are cross bred to produce a different and more effective offspring for the betterment of humans, like a male donkey and a female horse are cross bred to produce a mule, usually known as the most effective “Beast of Burden”.
- What do you usually notice in a person as soon as you meet them? Most of the people would answer to this question with eyes, as the whole personality of the person is reflected by his/her eyes. The case with animals is not different, especially in case of horses, as they have the largest eyes among any land mammal. These large eyes makes them capable of having a decent eyesight, through which, they can focus easily on whatever object they want to.
- Have you ever seen someone brushing their horse in a stable? Horse Industry has been a blooming industry ever since its formation, and it now contributes a fair share in the economy of various countries.
- Horses are agile animals, but are also known for their calmness and patience. Hence, they are serene by their nature, and hence the title, The Agile Serenity.
Breaking the myth that zebras are a cross breed formed from horse, zebras, donkeys and horses, all belong to the family of equids, which are further cross bred to form different off-springs. Zebras are known for their beautiful black and white lines on the surface of their bodies. It is a peculiar fact but just like human’s fingerprints or dog’s nose prints, each zebra has a unique pattern of these lines on the surface of their body. These patterns differentiate them from the rest of their kind. The maximum population of zebras can be found on the land, equipped with the riches of flora and fauna of millions of types on Earth, that is the regions of South Africa. Often confused to be really dangerous, zebras are really calm and friendly animals and enjoy human company. In case a predator attacks them, they run in a zig-zag manner to finish the pursuit being done by the predator. Like the tail of a dog depicts what they are feeling, the same can be known by the ears of zebra, who usually feel more attached with their mother than their father.
These beautiful animals, whether they be horses or zebras, face a risk as their habitat is being converted into ranches or is used for agricultural or residential purposes to fulfill the demands of the increasing population. Zebras are usually being hunt down for their beautiful skin, which is being black marketed nowadays. Both these equids are also hunted down for their meat, which is also enjoyed as a delicacy in various parts of the world. All this is leading to degradation in the habitat of these animals. Although used for the purpose of earning money by many people around the world, these animals are at least kept with full care and are properly maintained, so that they can give their best performance. Very less cases have come to limelight where cruelty against these animals have been noticed. So at least, these animals enjoy the perks and privileges while they are under human observation.