Just Stallions

The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus.

Anatomy

The anatomy of the horse comes with a large number of horse specific terms.

Horses have, on average, a skeleton of 205 bones. A significant difference in the bones contained in the horse skeleton, as compared to that of a human, is the lack of a collarbone–their front limb system is attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, tendons and ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso.

The horse’s legs and hooves are also unique, interesting structures. Their leg bones are proportioned differently from those of a human. For example, the body part that is called a horse’s “knee” is actually the carpal bones that correspond to the human wrist. Similarly, the hock, contains the bones equivalent to those in the human ankle and heel.

The lower leg bones of a horse correspond to the bones of the human hand or foot, and the fetlock (incorrectly called the “ankle”) is actually the proximal sesamoid bones between the cannon bones (a single equivalent to the human metacarpal or metatarsal bones) and the proximal phalanges, located where one finds the “knuckles” of a human.

A horse also has no muscles in its legs below the knees and hocks, only skin and hair, bone, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the assorted specialized tissues that make up the hoof.

General

Horses have long been among the most economically important domesticated animals. Although their importance has declined with mechanization, they are still found worldwide.

The horse is prominent in religion, mythology, and art. It has played an important role in transportation, agriculture, and war. It has served as a source of food, fuel, and clothing.

Most breeds of horses are able to perform work such as carrying humans on their backs or be harnessed to pull objects such as carts or plows. However, horse breeds were developed to allow horses to be specialized for certain tasks; lighter horses for racing or riding, heavier horses for farming and other tasks requiring pulling power. Some horses, such as the miniature horse, can be kept as pets.

In some societies, horses are a source of food, both meat and milk; in others it is taboo to consume them.

In industrialized countries horses are predominantly kept for leisure and sporting pursuits, while they are still used as working animals in many other parts of the world.

Because horses and humans have lived and worked together for thousands of years, an extensive specialized vocabulary has arisen to describe virtually every horse behavioral and anatomical characteristic with a high degree of precision.

I intend to include more information about evolution, anatomy, behavior, age, size, reproduction, and other related topics. Do look at these topics to understand your horse better.

OED defines it : “Plain Common Sense”

Is it?

The senses of a horse are generally superior to those of a human. Let’s examine a few facts:

• As prey animals, they must be aware of their surroundings at all times. They have very large eyes (among land animals only the ostrich has a larger eye), with excellent day and night vision, though they may have a limited range of color vision. The side positioning of the eyes gives the horse a wide field of vision of about 350°.[13] While not color-blind, studies indicate that they have difficulty distinguishing greens, browns and grays.
• Their hearing is good, and the pinna of their ears can rotate a full 360 degrees in order to pick up sound from any direction.
• Their sense of smell, while much better than that of humans, is not their strongest asset; they rely to a greater extent on vision.
• A horse’s sense of balance is outstanding; the cerebellum of their brain is highly developed and they are very aware of terrain and placement of their feet.
• Horses’ sense of touch is better developed than many people think; they immediately notice when a fly or mosquito lands on them, even before the insect attempts to bite.
• Their sense of taste is well-developed in order to determine the nature of the plants they are eating, and their prehensile lips can easily sort even the smallest grains. Horses will seldom eat most poisonous plants or spoiled food unless they have no other choices, although a few toxic plants have a chemical structure that appeals to animals, and thus poses a greater risk of being ingested.

With so much in favor of Horse Sense, it was the obvious choice for me to pick it up as the name for my online shop meant for horse lovers.

Right now it has a limited number of items but I intend to build it up as a exclusive store that has all the attractions for horse lovers. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Breyer Horse Sense Game is one of typical fun items which kids love to play or a ‘Horse bit link bracelet’ can be gifted to one of your favorites. Have a look around to get some fantastic horse themed items for your dear ones.

As we go along, you will find the collection building up to suit your tastes more specifically.

Hope it serves your interests well, and in case it does not then you can put some common sense in my head by letting me know your wish list.

Have a ‘Horse Sense’ shopping time!