We picked up a great book on a whim a few weeks back - Amazing Horse Facts and Trivia by Gary Mullen (thanks Debbie!). From this resource and more, we'll be posting some fun facts about horse jargon, anatomy, history, and practices. If you have a fun fact, send it to acjones@horsecenter.org and we'll make sure to post it!
Horse Power
A unit of horsepower equals the power needed to lift 165 pounds (75 kg) to a height of 27 inches (68.5 cm) in one second. The average horse is actually capable of producing 10-13 units of horsepower.
Which begs the question...how does a car engine lift something 27 inches?
TB Birthdays
All Thoroughbreds registered by the Jockey Club celebrate their birthdays on January 1st in the northern hemisphere and August 1st in the southern hemisphere. This keeps horse in age brackets for racing purposes. Breeders try to have foals born close to the beginning of the year, so that they are as large and strong as their racing peers.
Three Eyelids
Horses have a third eyelid, which is a nictitating membrane that originates from the inside corner of the eye and closes horizontally to protect the eye while grazing.
Breeds & Bloods
Ever get confused about all the labels? Typically, horse breeds fall into four categories: Ponies, Coldbloods, Hotbloods, & Warmbloods. Ponies are defined as being under 14.2 hands - or under 58 inches tall. Many pony breeds developed in the wild leading to a natural hardiness not found in most breeds. Coldblood refers to bulky, draft horse breeds like the Shire, Clydesdale, and Belgian horses known to be docile and patient. Hotblood refers to Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and other horses of Asian origin. These horses are known to be energetic, and sensitive or "hot." Lastly, Warmblood refers to a cross between a Hotblood and a Coldblood usually resulting in a trainable, athletic horse often used for dressage, jumping, and eventing. European breeders have Warmblood registries full of generations of prestigious Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg, Trakehner, Dutch and Swedish Warmbloods.
Look for more tidbits next week. Good luck to all those competing in the Lexington Spring Encore this weekend.
