Horses eat grass, hay, grain, oats, corn, and alfalfa. The best and most natural food for a horse is good quality pasture. They like peas and carrots, too. They especially love treats like apples, pears and watermelons. Molasses is a big favorite as are peppermint candies. Depending on the size, breed and work demands of a horse, the amount of food required for a healthy weight is varied. A general rule of thumb is that for every 100 pounds of body weight, a horse will need to eat 2-2.2 pounds of feed. So a horse weighing 1000 pounds will need 20-25 pounds of food, mostly grass. Horses also need to drink between 5-10 gallons of water per day.
Typically, a horse lives between 20-30 years. The oldest horse on record lived for 62years.
After breeding, a mare will give birth in approximately 11 months or around 343 days. A single foal is the norm, however twins, though extremely rare (about 1 in every 10,000 births) do occur.
Farmers use horses for many purposes. The draft horses (nicknamed "gentle giants") are bred for strength and a calm and patient temperament. They pull plows or heavy wagons full of people. Draft horses stand 16.0 to 18.0hands high (64-72 inches) and weigh 1,500-2,000 pounds. The largest horse in history was named Sampson. He was 21.2%1⁄2 hands high (86.5 inches) and weighed 3,360 pounds.
Miniature horses are used for pulling miniature wagons, guide animals for the blind, therapy animals and pets. The earliest history of miniature horses was in 1650 A.D. at the Palace at Versailles in the zoo kept by King Louis XIV. The world's smallest horse, named Thumbelina, is only 17 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds.
Horses are also used for their meat either for human consumption or in pet food. The tail hair of horses can be used for making the bows for violins. Pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares are used for hormone replacement therapy. Some people even drink horse milk.
Did you know? Horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. They sleep in short intervals of about 15 minutes for a total of just a couple of hours each day.
