Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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260

The firsT horses

sifrhippus, one of the first equids,

lived more than 50 million years ago.

it weighed only 8–15 lb (4 –7 kg).

Through evolution, horses gradually

became larger and began to

live in more open

grassland areas.

horses and humans

domestic horses are trained

to do many jobs, from

pulling carts to working

in fields. many sports

and leisure activities

involve horses, such

as steeplechasing,

show jumping, polo, rodeo,

and flat racing. Champion

horses are worth millions of

dollars, and the first prize at

a famous horse race may be

thousands of dollars.

uniCorn

The unicorn is an imaginary

horselike creature. it often

appears in legends and

folktales as a symbol of purity.

TeeTh

experts can tell the

age of a horse by

the eruption time,

shape, and form

of its incisor teeth

and the way the

teeth have worn

down with use.

most adult horses have

between 36 and 44 teeth.

Today’s

domestic

horse

Sifrhippus

for aBouT Three Thousand Years before

trains and cars were invented, horses were a fast,

efficient means of transportation. These swift,

graceful creatures are easy for humans to train.

Today, there are more than 59 million domestic

(tame) horses, and they are divided into well

over 250 different breeds. horses, asses, and

zebras belong to the equid family, a group

that also includes donkeys and

mules. equids are long-legged

mammals with hoofed

feet, flowing tails, and a

mane on the upper part

of the neck. They can run

or gallop with great speed.

a keen sense of smell, good

eyesight, and sharp hearing

mean that they are always alert

and ready to flee from danger.

horses, asses, and zebras are grazing

animals that feed almost entirely on

grasses, which they crop with their sharp

front teeth.

adulTs and Young

an adult male horse is called a

stallion; an adult female is a mare.

Young males are called colts;

young females are fillies.

In some countries horses and mules are still used

instead of cars. They are also used on farms to plow

fields, fertilize crops, and pull produce to market.

HORSES

260- Horses, zebras, and asses

Mane covers

upper neck.

Flank

Croup

Dock

Horse uses long,

coarse hairs of tail

as a fly-swatter and

as a social signal.

Back

Pastern

Knee

Bones

Chest

Fetlock

Hoof

Frog

Sole

Large ears can swivel

to detect which direction

a sound comes from.

Poll

Forelock

Eyes are on

the side of the

head for good

all-around vision.

Muzzle Long jaws

and strong

cheek muscles

for chewing grass

Neck

Horseshoe

Heel

hooves

horses walk on the

tips of their toes.

on each foot is

a strong, hard

hoof: the core

is made of

bone and the

outer coating is

keratin. There

is a pad on the

sole of the hoof

called the frog. The frog acts like a

shock absorber when the horse runs.

People also put metal horseshoes on

a horse’s hooves to protect them on

hard roads and rough ground.

Withers

Cannon

Elbow

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