75 Cool Facts about Horses [Free Fact Cards]

Are you ready to gallop into the world of one of the most beautiful and majestic animals? That’s right, we’re talking about horses! These animals have been friends with humans for thousands of years, and they have some pretty amazing qualities. So, let’s saddle up and trot through some cool facts about horses!

Did you know that no two horses are exactly the same? They come in many different colors like brown, black, white, and even spotted! And just like people have different hairstyles, horses have different mane and tail styles. Some are long and flowing, and others are short and curly.

Horses are known for their strength and speed. Have you ever watched a horse race? They can run really fast, and it’s super exciting to see. But that’s not all – horses are also great at jumping over hurdles and even dancing! Yes, some horses can be trained to do fancy steps and moves.

But horses aren’t just about work and sports. They can be great friends, too! Horses are very smart and can remember people who are kind to them. They like to be petted and talked to, and some even like to play with toys.

Are you ready to learn more facts about horses, these amazing animals? From their different breeds to the cool ways they help people, there’s so much to discover about horses. Let’s start our horse-loving adventure and find out all the wonderful things that make horses so special!

Don’t forget to grab your free horse fact cards below! 

Are you collecting all our fact cards? Be sure to grab our Facts About Elephants and our Facts About Penguins.

Facts about Horses

1. Small and miniature horses live longer than regular size horses.
2. Horses can produce up to 10 gallons of saliva a day.
3. About 4.6 million Americans work in the horse industry in one way or another.
4. A horse needs something in its stomach. They do not do well on empty stomachs.
5. The fear of horses is Equinophobia.
6. Horses are super smart. Did you know that some have been able to learn to tell what they want by touching symbols on a board?
7. Unlike humans, a horse cannot breathe through their mouths
8. Most Arabian horses have one less vertebrae than other horses.
9. Baby horses are called foals.
10. Prehistoric horses were the size of a golden retriever.
11. It is illegal to open or close an umbrella in the presence of a horse in New York.
12. The oldest horse in the world was 62 years old.
13. Rhinoceros are related to horses.
14. If you want to reward a horse, scratch them instead of pat them.
15. Humans domesticated horses more than 3000 years ago.
16. Horses have 10 muscles to control their ears, making it so they can move their ears almost 180 degrees, and that makes them able to hear well.
17. There are ancestors of the horse that lived 55 million years ago.
18. Horseshoes protect the horse hooves.
19. A horse that weighs about 1105 pounds needs to drink about 7 gallons of water a day.
20. A horse’s legs are very fragile.

21. Male horses have 40 teeth, while female horses have 36 teeth.
22. Horses eat plants and have teeth that help them grind it up.
23. In just a few hours after birth, foals can walk.
24. There are about 60 million horses, both domesticated and wild, in the world.
25. Most horses will love sweet things and not sour or bitter things.
26. The smallest horse measured 17.5 inches tall.
27. Stabling a horse for long periods of time is not good for its mental health.
28. A horse can see almost 360 degrees around all except in front of them and behind them.
29. A young male horse is called a colt.
30. The Przewalski’s horse is the only true wild horse left.
31. If you see a horse with a red ribbon on its tail, it kicks.
32. Horse hooves are made of keratin.
33. Male horses are called stallions.
34. Horses can sleep standing up because they have a system of ligaments and tendons that make them able to lock their knees and not fall over and rest.
35. A horse’s brain weighs about half the weight of a human’s brain.
36. Horses can usually gallop at about 27 mph, but some have been recorded going at speeds of 55 mph.
37. If the horse is cold behind its ear, then the horse is cold as well.
38. If you want to know a good estimate of a horse’s age, look at its teeth.
39. At only 200 left, the Sorraia is the rarest horse breed.
40. Female horses are called mares.

41. Many horses can live more than 30 years.
42. Horses’ eyes are very big.
43. A horse was sold for $70 million which was the most expensive price ever.
44. Horses do not have collarbones but have muscles and ligaments that hold their shoulders to the rest of their skeleton.
45. A young female horse is called a filly.
46. Most horses are born at night.
47. White horses usually start out gray.
48. Horses have great memories.
49. A horse has 205 bones in its body.
50. While at rest, a horse breathes about 8 to 14 breaths per minute.
51. Wild horses tend to gather in groups of 3 to 20 horses.
52. A horse can not burp or throw up its digestive system; it only goes one way.
53. The long horse tail keeps them warm.
54. The tallest horse measured 21.25 hands.
55. A horse under 3 feet tall is called a miniature horse.
56. Horses have a third eyelid that will add to the protection of their eyes.
57. Horses were not originally in North America.
58. The most popular horse breed in the world is the American Quarter horse.
59. The breed of horse will influence what color they will be.
60. It is illegal to let a donkey sleep in a bathtub after 7 pm in Oklahoma.
61. If a horse has pink skin, it can get sunburned.
62. If you want to measure a horse, you will need the unit of hands, which is equal to 4 inches.
63. A horse will graze up to 17 hours a day.
64. Horses have a great sense of smell.
65. Horses make facial expressions like humans. When they open their eyes really wide, they are scared.
66. Some horses can grow mustaches.
67. A horse has super fast reflexes at a reaction time of 0.3 seconds, whereas a human is at 1.6 seconds.
68. A horse needs to be at least 2 years old before a person rides it.
69. A horse can read a human’s emotions.
70. Horses have better night vision than humans.
71. Horses like to be in groups and form strong relationships with their herds.
72. A horse’s heart is the size of a basketball.
73. Horses are not colorblind.
74. A horse’s brain takes up less space in its head than its teeth do.
75. Horses are very strong animals.

Do you have even more interesting facts about horses? Share them with us in the comments! Also, don’t forget to grab your free horse fact cards to add to your collection! 

Michele

Michele is a mom of 5 with her degree in marriage and family studies. She believes that one of the best ways you can spend time with your family is doing fun things together.