Horse

"Maximum longevity: 57 years (captivity) Observations: Horses suffer from a form of mechanical senescence in their teeth that limits their longevity. As in dogs (*Canis familiaris*), dwarf or miniature horses appear to live longer (Miller and Austad 2006). One Icelandic miniature horse named "Tulle" is reported to have lived 57 years (Richard Miller, pers. comm.). Anecdotal evidence tells of a horse, called "Old Billy," that lived for 62 years in England, but that record is unverified."

Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical

Domestic horse breeds are numerous and plentiful. Feral populations are mostly small in number and threatened by human encroachment. The one true wild horse Przewalski's horse is considered extinct in the wild by some, and at best is alive only through captive breeding programs.

US ESA -Endangered, IUCN - Extinct?

Domestic horses are arguably the most important animal that has been domesticated. Long been used as a means of transportation, pleasure, work, and even war horses have been involved in much of human history.

Horses are natural grazers of grasslands, but often have domestic diets with grain and hay. Horses graze while walking slowly, pulling off a mouthful every few steps.

Original populations were once found in the steppe zone from Poland to Mongolia. Now domesticated, horses occur throughout the world and in feral populations in some areas.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Introduced , Native ); oriental (Introduced ); ethiopian (Introduced ); neotropical (Introduced ); australian (Introduced )

Most horses today are domesticated, but there are some feral populations that live in diverse habitats. Along the coastline of France and Spain, the barrier islands of Virginia and North Carolina, the Great Basin of the western United States, and in different areas of Australia, for example.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest

Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 50.0 years.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 62.0 years.

Horses have been so strongly bred by humans that there is extensive variability in their size and weight. The general body pattern is that of long limbs, barrel shaped body, and a long neck supporting a large head. Vision and hearing are key senses for these animals, as suggested by their large eyes and ears. Coloration is also hightly variable due to breeding, and individuals range from pure white, tan, brown or black to patches of oranges and browns on white. The tail is relatively short but has long hairs coming off it that frequently reach the ground. The tail is often used as an "extra hand" to swat insects. There is also long hair along the neck and forehead (the mane and forelock).

Range mass: 300 to 2000 kg.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Horses are seasonal breeders, but during the breeding season come into estrus monthly until impregnated. Birth, usually of one foal occurs after an 11 month gestation period. In about 15-25 minutes the foal is able to follow its mother around, and it stays close to her side for the first few days of life. Weaning occurs after approximately 7 months, but if the female doesn't become pregnant yearlings have been observed to occasionally nurse off their mothers.

Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual

Average birth mass: 79200 g.

Average gestation period: 337 days.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 973 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 914 days.

Equus caballus caballus, the modern horse, in the Equidae family of the Perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates) evolved from three primitive ancestors in Eurasia by the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 10,000 years ago. From their early uses in carrying vehicles and pulling loads, horses have been selected into hundreds of specialized breeds used around the world for transportation (either ridden or harnessed to convey wheeled vehicles), agriculture (to pull equipment and ride after cattle), and war (for carrying troops into battle and carting equipment), as well as in numerous competition and show disciplines, ranging from racing to Olympic sports (dressage, jumping, and eventing—a 3-part competition that includes dressage, cross-country, and show jumping) to various Western and rodeo events, including reining, barrel-racing, and team penning, as well as in therapy work. Most horses are domesticated, but there are some feral populations in isolated pockets around the world. Horses are medium to large mammals, with long heads and necks with a mane. Their legs are slender and end in a single toe, protected by a horny hoof. They have long, slender tails, either ending in a tuft, or entirely covered in flowing hair. They are adapted to generally open terrain, from plains and savannas, to mountains or deserts. Equines are one of only two mammals (the other is the human) capable of producing copious sweat perspiration for thermoregulatory cooling, enabling fast running over long distances. Horses are herbivores, and feed predominantly on tough, fibrous food, such as grasses and sedges. When in need, they will also eat other vegetable matter, such as leaves, fruits, or bark, but are normally grazers, not browsers. Unlike ruminants, with their complex stomachs, equines break down cellulose in the "hindgut" or caecum, a part of the colon. Equus caballus sylvaticus, the Forest or Diluvian Horse, appears to be the ancestor of the modern draft and heavyweight breeds; these horses were slow-moving and stoutly built, with coarse, thick coats, manes, and tails. Equus caballus gmelini Antonius, the Tarpan horse, from eastern Europe and the steppes of southern Russia, had a smaller, lighter build, but was hardy, strong and speedy; many pony and light horse breeds are believed to have evolved from this lineage. Equus caballus przewalskii prsewalskii Poliakov, the Asiatic horse, was discovered in the wild in Mongolia in 1879, and a few populations still live in the wild in eastern Asia, as well as in zoos. Although the Asiatic horse, which is hardy, cold-resistant and dun with darker mane and tail, is considered to be ancestral to many breeds, it has a different chromosome number (33, vs. the 32 found in modern horse breeds). Differing lineages or combinations of the three original subspecies in turn yielded four general types of ponies and horses from which all modern breeds derive. The horse was first domesticated 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, perhaps earlier. Horses appear to have been domesticated in conjunction with the evolution of agriculture. From this start, horse breeds were developed and used in warfare and for transportation. (McBane 2005, Wikipedia 2012.)