Domestic horse

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Horses are beautiful graceful animals from the equid order. Their domestication took place about 5000-5500 years ago. The steppe wild horses are considered ancestors, but it has not yet been possible to reliably determine the ancestor. The importance of horses fell only at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the cart, gig and carriage ceased to be relevant.

Horse

The origin of the horse

The horse detachment, in addition to the domestic horse, includes:

• Przewalski's horse;
• Extinct wild horses;
• Quang;
• Kulan;
• Mountain zebra, desert zebra and Burchella's zebra;
• Donkey.

All of them are equid-hoofed, some can interbreed with each other, but give infertile offspring, since they have a different number of chromosomes. A hybrid of a donkey and a horse is called a mule or gelding, depending on how the crossing was carried out.

The origin of the domesticated species is not known for certain. Most likely, his wild ancestors died out after the horse was domesticated. It is believed that the following types of horses participated in the formation:

• Horse;
• Eastern;
• Forest;
• Tarpan.

Today there are no real wild horses left. Tarpans became extinct more than a century ago, the forest one disappeared even earlier, and the Hagerman one - 10,000 years ago. Only a small number of Przewalski's horses have survived. Through selection, it was possible to breed a Heck similar to the tarpan. Facts show that feral domestic horses live in America and in the south of France. One of the most famous depictions of these animals is the whinnying white Uffington horse.

Horse description

There are many horse breeds, but they all share some common traits. Here is a brief anatomy, biological features, characteristics and description of this species:

• head with a long snout and dry;
• big eyes;
• dilated nostrils;
• the ears are average and very mobile;
• the mane is elongated, hanging to one side;
• the neck is elongated, curved, the muscles are developed;
• the breast is strong, wide;
• the back is muscular, wide, the rider can easily fit on it;
• the back is widened, the tail is lush;
• the thighs are well developed;
• legs are high, with strong tendons;
• the hoof covers the tip of the middle toe;
• on the inner surface of the wrists there are horny bumps or a lump.

The digestive system of horses is typical of herbivores. The stomach has only one compartment (artiodactyl species have 2), there is no gallbladder. The horse's body temperature is 37.5-37.8 ° C. Breathing at rest - 8-16 times a minute, with loads - 5-7 times more often. The heart beats 40-60 times a minute, while running - 120-130 times, pumps up to 150 liters of blood. The average age of a horse is 25-30 years old, the record holder from Britain lived to be 62 years old.

The wild horses were supposedly striped and dark in color along the ridge. Here are the most famous colors and suits of horses:

• black (horses of black suit);
• bay;
• redhead;
• brownish red;
• gray or gray;
• dark gray;
• gray in apples;
• chubaraya;
• piebald spotted (these are white horses with spots);
• white or albino;
• chemise black and white;
• playful;
• gold.

Many colors are extremely rare, as they arise due to gene mutations. They are especially appreciated.

Running horses

An important characteristic of the domestic horse is its running, or gait. Distinguish between natural and artificial types. In the first case, the gait is a kind of running that is characteristic of any horses in nature. Artificial gaits are specially developed by man. This type of running is often used in dressage competitions.

Natural gaits

Natural horse gaits include:

• Step - a calm gait, only one leg comes off the ground.
• The trot is a fast gait, 2 legs simultaneously lift off the ground, the right hind leg and the left front leg and vice versa.
• Gallop is a very fast run, in which the horse in a jump completely breaks away from the surface and hangs in the air, horses in a gallop can run quickly, at medium speed or slowly.
• Amble is a special type of lynx, peculiar only to some individuals, 2 legs come off the ground on one side, in a fast run such horses sometimes turn over.

Artificial gaits

Circus and sports horses have different types of artificial gait. To work out such a step, you need to deal with horses for a very long time and at a professional level, special devices are used: cavaletti, long cord. The following types of horse step are known, created by man:

• Passage - a slow trot, the horse beautifully brings its legs forward and raises them high up, like a bouncy.
• Piaffe - passage made in one place
• Spanish step - the horse walks like a ballerina, bringing forward a straight front leg.
• Three-legged canter - one front leg extended forward and not touching the ground.
• Backward gallop - walking with a jump backward.

Most often, rare artificial gaits are used at parades and exhibitions. Passage and piaffe are basic steps to be judged in dressage. There are no people who are not fascinated by these graceful gaits. To demonstrate, you need a good rider, an ace in his profession. Not every horse can be taught a beautiful gait; a high degree of animal intelligence is required.

Horse breeds

After the horses were tamed, more than 100 breeds were bred. Some of them still exist. The classification has not been finally worked out, they are conventionally divided into the following groups:

• riding;
• riding and harnessing;
• light and heavy-duty;
• horse-pack.

Horses are also classified according to the type of breeding into factory, herd and mixed.

Breeds that have been bred in a specific area since time immemorial are called aboriginal. Varieties that have emerged as a result of targeted selection are called cultivated. There are also transitional forms. In addition to horses of ordinary height, there is also a small breed of pony.

Horse breeds

Horse varieties first appeared in the countries of the East, they were bred by the Arabs. They came to Europe during the time of the Crusades. Prior to that, Europeans bred mainly pack horses and heavy trucks. Here are the main representatives of riding horses:

• Arabian horse;
• Thoroughbred horse (the most famous modern stallion is California Chrome);
• Terskaya;
• Hanover;
• Akhal-Teke, or Akhal-Teke;
• Traken;
• Budenovskaya;
• Kabardinskaya.

The ancestor of most modern breeds is the Arabian horse. The Alkhetian and Kabardian varieties, which are actively involved in breeding, are also considered indigenous.

Horse-drawn

These breeds began to appear actively in the 18th and 19th centuries. When breeding, the horse and cargo varieties were crossed. The most famous breeds in this area:

• Oryol trotting;
• Lipizian, Lipizian, or Lipizian;
• Fjord;
• Russian trotter;
• Freiberger;
• American curly-haired Bashkir, or Curly Bashkir;
• Oldenburgskaya;
• Pinto;
• Wielkopolska;
• Cartesian;
• Hungarian;
• Ranger Colorado;
• Aztec;
• Flemish;
• Okhotnitskaya.

The main characteristic of draft horses is their speed and endurance, although they are inferior to riding ones in running speed. Their physique is strong, graceful. The dimensions of the harness horse are medium, the horses are not high at the withers.

Heavy trucks

Heavy horse breeds are among the oldest in the world. These are large and strong horses capable of dragging huge loads. The heavy truck looks like a powerful, often bipedal horse, the landing of the hull is low. Moves not very fast, in no hurry.

Among these varieties, there are real champions in weight and height. Here are the representatives:

• Dastrie;
• Schleswing;
• Black Forest;
• Bityug;
• Brabancon;
• Lithuanian heavy truck;
• Shire, or Shire;
• Cleydesdal;
• Tori;
• Novoaleksandrovskaya;
• Tinker;
• Boulogne.

Having lost their practical importance, many breeds of heavy draft horses began to disappear. Now active work is underway in France, Germany, Scandinavian countries, Russia to preserve these varieties.

Horse harness

An important part of using a horse is harness or equipment. In horse riding, this is a saddle in which the rider can sit. A paddle board is placed under it so that the saddle parts do not rub the horse's back. The body is covered with a blanket or harness. Its function is protection from the cold. For example, in Siberia or Arkhangelsk there are real severe frosts, in this case you cannot do without a blanket. The saddle is fastened with a girth. It is a wide strap that wraps around the post and is attached to both sides of the saddle.

The bridle and halter are attached to the horse's face. The bridle has a bit, a bit, a mouthpiece, which are attached in the animal's mouth. A halter is a bridle without a bit. Another type of bridle is a hakamora or herd, a leather braid without iron, it can be long and short. For control, they also use a cotter, leg or martingale, a chambon sliding rein. The rope is tied with one end to the girth, the other - to the bridle, does not allow the horse to raise its head to a horizontal position and stand on its hind legs. A hobbled mare is tied with a rope called chumbur or chembur. In order for the horse not to be frightened, blinkers should be lowered over the eyes. The legs are protected by the legs, and the ligaments are protected by soft bandages.

Harnesses for pack horses are arched and arched, single and double-window. In such sledges, a collar, harness, strings, belts, abdomen, reins, chest belts are used. There is also a mixed version, where the root horse is harnessed with an arc, and the back horse is harnessed without it. The ammunition is made of leather and metal, the arches are made of wood.

How to harness a horse to a cart, shafts or sledges? It is necessary to carefully study the scheme, see how this is done in practice. It is difficult to do this without experience and dexterity, because the horse often snorts and butts.

Maintenance and care

You should learn everything about horses before you start these animals or just engage in horse riding. They keep animals in stables that have:

• Stall. The room where the horse stays temporarily, eats, is examined and cleaned. There are no partitions in the stall, it is a closed corral with a bar for tying horses and a manger for eating.
• Dennik. A house or place where the horse lives permanently. Its area is 3.6 × 3.6 cm, so that even a lying mare can fit there. For each domestic horse, a separate stall is made, partitioning it off with incomplete lattice partitions. Weaving can be used instead of a lattice. The doors are made in such a way that the horse cannot open them on its own, with a height of no more than 1.1 m. The exit from the stall can be made into a common gallery or directly onto the street.
• Territory or levada for walking. The area is 100-200 m².

The height of the stable is made no less than 2.6 m. The floor is best done with concrete with a rubber coating. The bedding is made from straw. In stalls, gutters are equipped for the drainage of liquid waste, then you need to remove manure less often.They clean the stalls daily, completely change the litter once a week.

Do-it-yourself horse care includes:

• cleaning the case;
• combing the mane and tail, it can be braided;
• hoof cleaning;
• bathing;
• forging;
• special attention is paid to the teeth of the horse.

For cleaning, use a natural brush with stiff bristles, it is desirable that the horse is tangled. Starting from the head on the left side, moving to the sides, back and croup. Repeat the procedure on the right side, scratch the mane and tail, you can also braid them (horse hairstyle can be very interesting). At the end, the hooves and feet are trimmed. To clean the hoof, use special brushes, sticks and hooks, lubricating cream. Only a professional can forge a horse; you should not do this with your own hands. A shod horse is less likely to damage its hooves.

Feeding

The health of horses largely depends on proper feeding. Many owners also want to know how much it will cost to feed the animal. The daily or daily ration of a horse, whose mass is about half a ton, consists of the following products:

• hay (the best option is clover with legumes or meadow) - 10-13 kg;
• oats, muesli, ready-made cereals - 5 kg;
• bran from oats or wheat - 1-1.5 kg;
• carrots - 2-3 kg.

Along with the carrot, the animal can eat other vegetables. Be sure to include regular salt, vitamin supplements in the diet. The horse's annual diet consists of:

• 4-5 tons of selected hay;
• 2 tons of grain mixture or oats;
• 0.5 tons of carrots and other vegetables;
• 13 kg of salt.

In summer, the horse can graze in the pasture, the amount of hay is reduced, but not completely removed. You cannot immediately put a horse on green fodder, this should be done gradually. Before you start the horses to fast, you should feed them well with hay. It is necessary to ensure that the food is fresh, without signs of rotting and mold, and no poisonous plants come across in the hay. Thoroughbred horses are rather finicky in nutrition, with their own tastes.

Animals are watered several times a day. A horse drinks 60-80 liters per day, a bucket or a small barrel is suitable for drinking. You should not give too much to drink to the horse immediately after exercise, this can negatively affect digestion. Water is given to the horse before a meal so that the food is better absorbed. Domestic horses can drink from open sources only when there is complete confidence in the quality of the water. Since it is difficult to find such reservoirs, it is better to train the horse to drink only at home.

Breeding

In order to breed domestic horses, you need to have a lot of experience. Pedigree specimens should be knitted only in accordance with the breeding parameters with the permission of the relevant organizations. Before mating, selection or grading is carried out, as well as chipping and registration for pairs and broods. Unsuitable for breeding males are castrated, their branding is necessarily carried out. The stallions who have been castrated are called horses.

Mares are ready for breeding at 3-4 years old, the stallion is considered sexually mature at 3 years old. The main condition for successful mating is the female's hunt. The best time for equine mating is between March and June.

There are several ways to mate:

• hand knitting;
• cooking;
• kosyachnaya;
• artificial insemination.

When mating is hand-mated, the mare is brought to a special hunting ground. Two trained assistants hold her by the bridle with their own hands. A stallion is brought in from behind, which will sit on the female. He throws out the seed after about 3 minutes, after which the mating must be stopped. The stallion is taken to its place, and the mare is walked for half an hour. Control mating is carried out after three days.

When brewing a stallion with a mare, they are closed for several days in a fence. Intercourse occurs naturally, but the fertilization rate is lower. The mowing technique is somewhat similar to a cooking one. A herd or herd of 20-25 females and one breeding stallion is formed.It stays in a paddock or on a separate pasture throughout the breeding season. The stallion himself chooses mares in the hunt and mates with them. The method is productive, but the signs of offspring are difficult to plan.

Artificial insemination of domestic horses is carried out at stations using special instruments. It is used in cases when it is necessary to fertilize a female with the sperm of an elite stallion, and he is at a great distance. The advantage of the method is that mares are less likely to be injured, they do not transmit sexual diseases. The percentage of positive results is high.

A horse's pregnancy lasts 330-350 days, she gives birth to one foal, very rarely two.

Horse diseases

Equine pathologies and diseases are of different types. It is important to know their names and the main unusual symptoms in order to contact your veterinarian in time. You do not need to self-medicate, this can cause complications and even death of a domestic horse.

Diseases are infectious and non-infectious.

Infectious diseases and helminthiasis

Infectious pathologies can be caused by bacteria, viruses and helminths. They are transmitted through water and food, insect bites, air. The most common equine diseases are:

• glanders, for the diagnosis of which malleinization is used;
• contagious pleuropneumonia;
• washed;
• infectious anemia or INAN;
• brucellosis or infectious abortion;
• viral or protozoal encephalomyelitis;
• adenovirus infection;
• swamp fever;
• leptospirosis;
• rabies.

For bacterial infections, antibiotics in large doses are given to prevent the horse from lying down. There are few specific antiviral effective agents, therefore horses are treated, relieving intoxication and symptoms. Immunomodulators can speed up recovery.

The best prevention of infections is vaccination. Not vaccinating a horse is murder, and a mad mare is also dangerous to humans. A repellent is used to fight insects.

Of parasitic pathologies in horses, there are:

• parascariasis;
• strongyloidosis;
• oxyurosis;
• diphilobothriasis;
• pinworms;
• alfortiosis;
• anoplocephalidosis;
• rhinestrosis;
• onchocerciasis;
• parafilariasis;
• piroplasmosis;
• nuttalliosis;
• gastrofiliasis.

For the treatment of helminthiasis, piperazine, fenbendazole, phenylbutazone, albendazole, ivermec, flax seeds and other antiparasitic drugs are used. The drugs are given for prophylactic purposes. For the good of the animal, a specialist must choose a medicine.

Non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases of horses are often associated with improper maintenance and nutrition, horses can earn them unnecessary stress. Many are due to heredity, age. The reasons for a large number of such pathologies have not yet been clarified. The most common somatic non-communicable diseases are:

• tympanitis or tympania;
• cataracts and other eye pathologies;
• flu;
• bronchitis;
• anemia;
• vascular aneurysm;
• swelling;
• intestinal colic;
• non-contagious diarrhea or diarrhea;
• hepatitis;
• cryptorchidism;
• bronchitis;
• rhinitis;
• rhinopneumonia;
• allergy;
• anestrus;
• myoglobinuria;
• Wobbler's syndrome;
• mastitis;
• dermatitis and biting midges;
• joint diseases in which chondroprotectors, stride powder, adekvan, chionat, bonharen and anti-inflammatory are given; ankylosis, arthritis, rheumatism, osteoporosis, brocade, bursitis;
• purulent inflammation of the hooves;
• split hoof;
• clubfoot;
• dental pathology;
• abscess;
• bearish pitching;
• malignant tumors.

Signs of somatic pathologies are erased. Diseases develop gradually, the symptoms do not always fit into the classic clinical picture. Even a baby with a birth defect cannot always be identified. It is impossible to diagnose them without the participation of an experienced veterinarian. Only a doctor can prescribe an injection, syrup, pills, inhaler, etc. If the horse cannot be cured, it is cut or sent to the slaughter.

Modern use of horses

Gone are the days when people could not imagine life without horses.The horse allowed the peasant to feed his family, the cabman - to get a good income. The equipment of the military companies, the usual transportation, did not do without horses, meat and milk were received from them. The decline in the number of livestock began to be observed a century ago.

Most often, horses take part in sports competitions. These are horse races, carriage races, dressage, show jumping, vaulting, and trail. Horses can be taught to perform in the circus, but more often they are used for horseback riding. Often horses are taken out to parks and everyone who wants to ride there. This is a good way to make money, but you can't call it a profitable business. Skijoring is becoming popular. Toy horses such as Braer, jumper, pedal carts are very fond of children.

Recently, horses began to be used in the complex therapy of children with cerebral palsy, people after serious injuries. The horse becomes a real friend of children, brings them a lot of joy, and sometimes cries when parting.

In many regions of Russia and other countries, horses still plow the land, transport goods and are indispensable in agriculture.

How much does a horse cost? Any thoroughbred horse is very expensive, it costs a fortune. The price ranges from several thousand dollars to millions. An ordinary horse without a pedigree can be bought for 100-200 thousand rubles. The maintenance will cost 1-2 thousand rubles. per day, depending on the season, breed and other factors. A draft horse or a pit horse is usually cheaper to maintain than a horse, it will earn on itself. Training horses at racetracks are also not too expensive.