Animal Science: Module 16: Horses

As of 2005 approximately how many Horses are in the US?

9.2 Billion

Approximately how many people own horses?

1.96 million

What kind of Industry is the horse industry?

Hybrid with interest and segments in agriculture, sports, recreation, and entertainment.

what is the purpose of the horse industry?

Keeping horses can be broken down into the categories of racing, showing, recreation, and other activities like rodeo, polo, ranch work, police work, and horse breeding.

What percent are riders?

85%

Most horses now are?

Companion Animals

Horse are high or low cost animals?

High

Horses are most important to?

Recreation

What is the most desirable trait for horses?

Coat Color

How is value in a horse determined?

Coat color

How are breeds categorized?

Coat Color

What are the points of a horse?

legs, mane, and tail

What are the three basic coat colors?

Bay, black, and chestnut

What is a black coat color?

Black all over including the points

What is a Chestnut coat color?

red all over including the points

What is a Bay coat color?

reddish brown all over with black points

How are all other coat colors produced?

Modifier Genes

What color does Gene G produce?

Gray

What color does Gene A produce?

Control the distribution of black hair., AE gives you bay color but aa is all black.

What color does Gene E produce?

Controls the extension gene of black hair, pure recessive animals have some shade of red and no balck hair.

What color does Gene W produce?

Makes the horse unable to form any color pigments in its skin and hair. With a Dominant allele(W) will result in an albino animal.

What is WW gene?

A lethal or deadly genotype and the embryo often dies in early pregnancy.

What color does Gene C produce?

Cream which is diluted red color and often called a Palomino horse.

What color does Gene D produce?

Dun which is black strips on the body which is often on the back and shoulder.

What color does Gene RN(Roan) produce?

White hair is mixed with the animal's regular color.

What color does Gene Apl(appaloosa) produce?

works with modifier genes to produce a number of really unique coat patterns including leopard, blanket, and snowflake. Appaloosa is a REGISTERED BRED.

What are the Three General Categories of Horses?

Draft, Light, and Ponies

Ponies are defined as?

Less then or equal to 14.2 hands at the withers

1 hand =

4 inches

14.2 hands= how many inches?

58 inches

Draft horse breeds include?

Shire, Percheron, Belgian, North American Spotted Draft, and Clydesdale.

Light horse breeds include?

Arabian, Morgan, Hanoverian, Mustang, Quarter Horse, Standardbred, and Thoroughbred.

Pony breeds include?

Welsh and Shetland

How are miniature horses defined?

Less then 36 inches at the withers

Walk?

Slow with 4 beats

Trot?

Intermediate with 2 beats and a diagonal

Canter?

Restrained gate with 3 beats and 2 diagonals

Gallop

Fast with 4 beats

Pace

Used in horse racing and is fast with 2 beats with feet that are on the same side hitting the ground at the same time.

how fertile are horses?

Fairly infertile with as few as 50-60% of mares bred foaling the following year.

Reproductive challenges?

Confusing estrous cycle, heat detection is hard, stallions are overbooked, and Lack of Human Experience.

Nutrition challenges?

Poor feeding choices, spending money on needless boxes and tubes of "magic dust", improper feeding of the horse, mono-gastric with a functional cecum, using speed as its major survival mechanism, use of body condition score, overfeeding, intestinal parasites, constant clean, unlimited water with the right temp.

What are some challenges to horse health?

Colic and Laminitis or called founder

What is Colic?

Painful digestive disturbance that may involve one or more regions of the intestinal tract, If not treated immediately can cause death.

What is Laminitis or Founder?

Inflammation or other damage to the sensitive laminae of the Hoof.

Mature weight and height of a pony?

500-900lbs and 11-14.2 hands

Mature weight and height of a light horse?

800-1400lbs and 14.2-16 hands

Mature weight and height of a draft horse?

1700-2200lbs and 15-17 hands

Length of gestation?

336 days

Length of estrous cycle?

18-20 days

Age of weaning?

4-6 months

What is a Foal?

newborn horse

What is a filly?

young female horse

What is a colt?

young male horse

What is a Mare?

mature female horse

What is a Stallion?

mature male horse

What is a gelding?

castrated male horse