Chloé Sharrocks's Page

Nov 20, 2009 Answer: Monocular
Monocular means that horses seen different images in each of their eyes and this is generally how a horse sees. However, our equine partners can experience binocular vision (like us humans have) but only when they look directly down their muzzle and nose.

Horse’s can see around their entire body (they have a wide range of vision), although they have blind spots directly in front of their face, underneath their head and behind them. This is why it is important never to approach a horse from behind as you can spook them and may be kicked.

Nov 13, 2009 Answer: False – horses can suffer with leukaemia.
Although relatively rare, horses can suffer with Leukaemia and unfortunately the prognosis is usually very poor. Symptoms include weight loss, anorexia, oedema and fever. Scientists believe that stable flies can transmit the equine leukaemia virus between horses.

Nov 6, 2009 Answer: 4. Haflinger

Oct 29, 2009 Answer: 2. 6-10millimetres The hoof wall of an average adult horse grows at a rate of around 6-10mm a month (equivalent to 0.24-0.4 inches a month). According to this article by Karen Briggs: "At the toe, it takes between nine and 12 months for hoof horn to grow down from the coronet to the ground surface; at the quarters, six to eight months; and at the shorter heels, four to five months."

Oct 23, 2009 Answer: True - horses are only able to breathe through their nostrils.
This is because of a flap of tissue which helps prevent horses inhaling food into their lungs by mistake. But this flap called the soft palate also prevents the horses from breathing through their mouth and is also the reason why horses cannot pant to regulate their body temperature.

Oct 16, 2009 Answer: 2. Inflammation of the bones in the spinal column
According to "A-Z of Horse Diseases and Health Problems" by Tim Hawcroft, Spondylitis is most commonly found in the lumbar region which is located between te back and the croup. When the vetebrae become inflammed and untreated for a long time, new bone can grow which can reduce movement and flexibility. The obvious symptom is a horse that is overly sensitive on its back and may ty and squat when a rider mounts.

Oct 9, 2009 Answer: 1. The hoof or foot.
The plantar cushion is a thick elastic pad of fibrous tissue behind and under the navicular and coffin bones. From here the horn of the hoof grows. According to the Pony Club Victoria website:
“The plantar cushion is a resilient mass, which rests above the frog. When pressure is exerted on the heel and the frog as the hoof strikes the ground, the plantar cushion is compressed and this compression spreads apart the heel and the lateral cartilage's which are attached to the sides of the pedal bone.”

Oct 2, 2009 Answer: 3. 80-90%
Newborn foals typically have legs which are already 80-90% fully grown!

Sept 25, 2009 Answer: 4. 175.
Horses have a whopping 175 bones on average in their bodies. While this may seem a lot, horses actually have fewer bones than humans who have around 200 bones.

Sept 18, 2009 Answer: 3. 10 gallons
Horses are capable of producing 10 gallons of saliva every day - equivalent to just over 45 litres!

Sept 11, 2009 Answer: 1. Equus caballus
The scientific name of a donkey is Equus asinus, whereas Equus burchelli is a zebra.

Sept 4, 2009 Answer: 4. 11months
The typical gestation period for a horse is eleven months, although it can be as long as 12months. According to this website “colt foals tend to be carried longer than fillies.” It is usually regarded safe to ride the mare during the first 6 months of their pregnancy but after this point there is a risk of the mare losing the foal.

Aug 28, 2009 Answer: 2. 9 pounds.
The average horse’s heart weighs around 9 pounds, although famous racehorses have been found to have much larger hearts. The legendary Phar Lap had a heart that weighed 14 pounds, and it is estimated that the American racehorse Secretariat had a heart that weighed 21 pounds.

Aug 23, 2009 Answer: 1. A dark groove in the upper corner incisor teeth of horses.
The Galvayne's Groove can be used to indicate the approximate age of the horse - it appears first at the gum line in horses of about 10 years old. With age, the groove will extend further down the tooth. For more information and photographs illustrating the groove, visit this website.

Aug 14, 2009 Answer: 3. 32 pairs (64 chromosomes in total).
Horses have more chromosomes than both cats and humans (19 and 23 pairs respectively), but fewer chromosomes than dogs, which have 39 pairs.

There is currently an ongoing Horse Genome Project that hopes to sequence an equine genetic map much in the same way as the human genome project which was completed in 2003. For more information on the Horse Genome Project, see the official website here.

Aug 7, 2009 Answer: 1. 18 pairs - 10 false pairs.
The horse has a total of 18 pairs of ribs, whose purpose is to protect the heart, lungs and other parts of the digestive and circulatory system. However, only 8 of these are attached to the sternum and are classed as true ribs. The remaining 8 are only attachd to the spine and are thus considered false ribs.

July 31, 2009 Answer: 3. No, but they do see a more limited range of colours than humans
Research has proven that horses are not colour blind, although they cannot see the full range of colours that us humans can see. This should come as no surprise to most horse riders who have probably ridden horses that take an aversion to brightly coloured show jumping fillers. However for a long time, it was thought that horses saw the world in black and white. For some interesting articles on how horses see, check out the following websites:
Horsewyse - "How Horses See"
Associated Content - "Do Horses See in Colour?"
Horsetalk - "Colour vision in horses - do horses see colour?"

July 24, 2009 Answer: 4. A rash, usually due to an allergic reaction
Urticaria, sometimes known as nettle rash, can appear rapidly as a rash on a horse's body and is usually a result of an allergic reaction to plants, bites or stings, although excessive protein in the diet can be another cause.

According to "The Manual of Horsemanship - The Official Manual of the Pony Club (10th ed)" the way to treat urticaria is be applying a calamine lotion to ease the itch and feeding a laxative diet. However, it is best to speak to your vet if you suspect your horse is suffereint with urticaria as sometimes anti-histamines are required.

July 17, 2009 Answer: 3. Seedy-Toe. This is where the horse's hoof separates from the sensitive inner lining of the hoof, known as the laminae. It occurs at the white line and causes a hole to develop which can fill with dirt and bacteria leading to an infection. It can be caused by poor conformation or as a result of lamnitis. For more information, see here.