Horses are just like people

Horses are just like people; they want to be with their
family and friends! Not wanting to be alone is one of
the most important instincts horses have for survival.
Horses form herds to protect themselves from prey such as
wolves and coyotes since in the wild they are in constant
danger if they are alone. Foals are protected by the mares and
the stallion of the herd and the young males (colts) who are
kicked out of the herd, will band together with other bachelors
for safety.
In every typical herd, there is one male (stallion), several
females (mares) and foals. The male is responsible for fighting
off predators and other stallions who may want to harm the
herd. However daily activities such as where to go and
punishing bad behavior are usually led by a mare.
Only one stallion can lead at a time, so the colts must leave the
herd when they are old enough to leave their mothers. If these
colts ever want to have a herd of their own they have to win a
fight against the lead stallion of a herd.
In the wild, horses will automatically line up behind the lead mare according to rank. The stallion usually guards the
rear. Did you know that horses will blindly follow a lead horse, even in dangerous or scary situations? For
example: If an older horse jumps over a fence or obstacle, a young horse will follow so it doesn't get left behind.
Most horses will make a friend with one other horse in the herd. Race horses often live alone so sometimes they
will befriend a cat or a goat. This “buddy” instinct is responsible for horses' bonds with humans. One way horses
form these bonds is by grooming. This is done by scratching each other's backs with their teeth. This strengthens
their bonds by taking away tension and increasing trust. This explains why humans strengthen their bond with their
horse by grooming them! Did you know brushing your horse's neck and back can lower its heart rate by 11-14%,
which proves that your horse is relaxing?
Horse world records
With World Records being set in the racing world all summer long, T4K
decided it was time we did some research of our own to see what kind of cool
“Horse World Records” we could dig up! Take a look at some of the neat stuff
we found. Bet you won't believe some of it! Super long horse tails, teeny tiny
horses, great big horses and more! We're sure to wow you with our fun finds.
Smallest
Horse
This award goes
to Thumbelina, a
miniature mare.
She measures just
17.5 inches tall to
the withers, and
weighs only 57
pounds! She
currently lives in
Missouri, USA.
Fastest Breed of Horse
The fastest breed of horse is the American
Quarter Horse! This horse can sprint up to a
shocking 89 kilometers per hour
Smallest breed of horse
The smallest
horses in the
world belong to
the Argentinean
Falabella breed.
These little
horses never
even reach 28
inches in height!
Largest Breed of Horse
The largest, as well as the strongest breed of
horse, is the Shire. These horses generally
weigh between 2,240 and 2,688 pounds and
stand between 16.2 and 17.2 hands high.
Most Horses in
a Race
The record for most
runners in a horse race
is 228. The race took
place on July 25, 2005 in Bayanwula, China.
Oldest Horse
The oldest horse on record was Old Billy, a
gelding who lived to the age of 62! The
average age for a horse is 25- 30 years.
Rarest horse
The most endangered horse breed is the
Abaco Barb. There are only a handful of
these remaining in the world, and they live on
the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.
Smartest Horse
This record is held by
Lukas, a 17-year-old
thoroughbred gelding.
He lives in Chino Hills,
California, and has been
trained to master 35
amazing feats. He's
able to count and recognize different shapes,
spell names and much more! Retired from
racing, he now works as a spokeshorse for
the thoroughbred rescue organization.
Longest Horse Tail
With a tail measuring 12ft 6in long, this award
goes to Summer Breeze, a mare living in Kansas!
Most races won
Longest jump
The longest jump ever recorded was 27'
6.75” in Johannesburg, South Africa on April
25, 1975. The jump was over water by a
horse named “Something.”
The standardbred with the most races won is
Goldsmith Maid, with 350 wins. This mare was
nicknamed the "Queen of the Trotters" and
her career spanned 13 years.
Most Money Won
The standardbred with the highest earnings is
the trotter Varenne, with $5, 636, 225!
Highest jump
The highest jump
recorded was an
amazing 2.47
meters, by a horse
called Huaso in
Santiago, Chile, on
Feburary 5th, 1949.
Most magical Horse
And the winner is... Pegasus, the great winged
horse of the goddesses in Greek Mythology.
Tallest Horse
The world's tallest horse is
a 9-year-old Belgian
gelding Jake. Jake stands
a whopping 20 hands and
2.75 inches. That's almost
six foot 11!
t
Brough
to y
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ou by t
kids!
Above: M
icha
wood Onta el Molendyk, age
12 from R
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ockis best fr
Photo tak
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en by his
o Loco.
mom, Ang
ela Molen
Left: 11-ye
dyk.
ar-old Ale
xis Zeron
donkey. P
with pebb
hoto take
les the
n by Pam
ela Corm
ier.
What's this horse
saying? Fill in the
speech bubble and
send it to us along
with your name, age
and address.
You can also email it
to trot4kids@
standardbredcanada.ca
We'll put our favorites
in our October edition!
One lucky kid will win a
Trot4Kids prizepack!
Mail YOUR photos to
Trot 4 Kids
2150 Meadowvale Blvd.
Mississauga, ON.
L5N 6R6