ANSC 102 Equine

foal

young horse; usually still nursing from dam

weanling

young horse after being weaned from dam

colt

young male foal

filly

young female foal

mare

female horse of breeeding age

madien mare

mare than has never had a foal

brood mare

mare used for breeding purposes; has had at least one foal

foaling

mare giving birth to foal

stallion

male of breeding age (may or may not be used for breeding

gelding

castrated male horse

herd

group of horses

How are herds of horses composed

have distinct social hiearchy (pecking order) with alpha

Who is usually the alpha in a herd

a mare

What are the roles of the alpha mare and stallion

alpha mare determines where the group is going and stallion helps move herd from the back

Why does it make sense that pecking order of horses be fairly stable once established

fighting increases injury and it not worth it in terms of energy expenditure

Calm horse behaviors

soft eye, soft neck, quiet tail, grazing

Irritated/aggressive horse behavior

present hind quarters, pin ears back, hard eyes, braced neck, bite, flare to nostrils, striking (front legs)/kicking (hind legs), ringing of tail

How large is the flight zone of the horse

15-20 ft

How do we measure horse height

in hands

How large is one hand

4 inches

Cold-bloods/draft horses

larger bone and body structure; necessary for pulling heavy weight, docile and even-tempered

What type of nose do cold bloods have and why

roman due to evoling in cold places so air warms before hitting lungs

Examples of cold bloods

friesians, american cream, clydesdale

Up to where do we measure for measuring height of horse

up to the withers

hot bloods

generally have lighter bodies; multiple uses but have great stamina, can be sensitive and might be hard-keepers

What nose do hot bloods have and why

dish shaped to reduce dust intake and from evolving in warm places

Examples of hot bloods

Arabian and thoroughbred

Warm bloods

consist of specific breeds, but many were started by breeding cold and hot blooded horses. resulted in horse breeeds with medium body sizes and still heavy bones and great temperaments. used for jumping, eventing, dressage, riding

Examples of warm bloods

selle francais, trakehner

How many horse breeds are there

over 200

horses vs ponies

horses must be less than 14.2 hands

How many chromosomes do horses and ponies have

64

Why are colors important in the equine field

because they are used to identify horses

Black color

all black, can have a few white markings, tail will be completely black

Chesnut/Sorrel

body of any shade of red ranging from very dark (liver chesnut) to bright red (red sorrel) to very light red (blond sorrel)

Bay

darker brown with black legs and brown hair around eyes

Grey

can look almost white to a darker grey

What points do we look at to determine what color a horse is

around the face, mane, tail, and lower legs

How fast do horse's hooves grow

1/4 to 1/2 inch per month

How often should horse's hooves be trimmed

every 6-8 weeks

Shod/shoed

horse will have horsehsoes on bottom of hooves - made out of many materials for many different purposes

How much will a horse drink a day

5-10 gallons

How should water be avaliable to hoses

clean and avaiable ad libitum

What type of digestive structure due horses have

monogastric

How much of their body weight do horses eat per day

1.5-3.5%

What makes up the majority of the horse diet

forages

What affects the range of how much a horse eats per day

breed, size, physiological state, and usage

What type of horses should concentrates be fed to in small amounts

hard-working horses (athletes or lactating mares)

Do horses have large or small stomachs

small

What do horses do constantly over 18 hours of the day

graze

Why do horses have such sensitive stomachs

they cannot vomit

Should you give a large amount of feed to a horse

no