Horses

There are about 75 million horses in the world.
Horses' hooves grow approximately 0.25 in a month, and take nearly a year to
grow from the coronet band to the ground.
In the state of Arizona, it is illegal for cowboys to walk through a hotel
lobby wearing their spurs
Cross-country jumps are marked with a red flag on the right side and a white
flag on the left side; the horse has to jump through these two flags or it
is considered out of bounds and you are disqualified.
A healthy adult horse should have a pulse of between 36 and 40 beats per
minute while at rest
Arabians have one less rib, one less lumbar bone, and one or two fewer tail
vertebrae than other horses.
Mr. Ed, the talking equine star of the 1960s television series, was a golden
palomino. He learned an enormous amount of tricks for his role, including
answering a telephone, opening doors, writing notes with a pencil, and
unplugging a light. Apparently, Mr. Ed would occasionally have a fit of
temper, as befitting his star status, and would stand stock still, wheezing
and refusing to move.
7.1 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service
providers, employees and volunteers. 3.6 million and 4.3 million of those
participated in showing and recreation, respectively, with some overlap in
cases of people who participate in both activities. 941,000 people
participated in racing in either a professional or volunteer capacity. 1.9
million people own horses. In addition to the people actually involved in
the industry, tens of millions more Americans participate as spectators.
The horse industry directly produces goods and services of $25.3 billion and
has a total impact of $112.1 billion on U.S. Gross domestic product. Racing,
showing and recreation each contribute more than 25% to the total value of
goods and services produced by the industry.

The industry's contribution to the U.S. GDP is greater than the motion
picture services, railroad transportation, furniture and fixtures
manufacturing and tobacco product manufacturing industries. It is only
slightly smaller than the apparel and other textile products manufacturing
industry.

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“If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse” -  Anon
“The horse is God's gift to man”. - Old Arab Proverb
“Show me your horse, and I will tell you who you are”. - Old English saying
"The one great precept and practice in using a horse is this, never deal
with him when you are in a fit of passion." Xenophon, The Art Of
Horsemanship, 400 BC
Adult respiratory rate is 8-16 breaths per minute
A horse typically sleeps two and half to three hours a day
Horses younger than 4 years can concentrate for a maximum of 10-15 minutes
Horses lie down only about 43.5 minutes a day
Horses sleep longer in the summer than in the winter
A horse’s heart weighs nine pounds
The horse is a herbivorous mammal
All horses (including zebras) belong to the genus equus
Horses began to evolve on the American continent over 60 million years ago,
they later died out and were reintroduced by Spanish settlers
A zedonk is the offspring of a zebra and a donkey
No two horses are identical
The left side of a horse is called the “near side” and the right side is the
“off side”
A horse has approximately 205 bones
A horse is described as a ‘foal’ for its first year of life
Foals have milk teeth, which are replaced by permanent teeth around 3-5
years old
A horse’s teeth can be used to estimate its age
Horses generally dislike the smell of pigs
A female horse is called a ‘filly’
Horses are traditionally measured in ‘hands’, this was originally the width
of a man’s hand and has been set at 4 inches
Lunging the horse in this way exercises its mind as well as its body and
re-establishes your control over its actions in a quiet, deliberate way.The
basic goal of Rope Tricks is to get the horse to move its body back, away
then forward, toward you, take its hips away, take its shoulders away and
then circle around you keeping its body out of your space, all under close
control. Lunging the horse in this way exercises its mind as well as its
body and re-establishes your control over its actions in a quiet, deliberate
way. Too often, lunging is used to "take the edge off the horse" meaning to
get it too tired to want to fight. Lunging should be used to warm the horse
up while conserving its energy for learning.
When you go to get on your horse you always get on the left sideeven when
leading your horse your on its let side
What you need to ried your horse
Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a
girth
Western saddle Sidesaddle English saddles
Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of
the saddle
Bridles and halters (British English: headcollars) are an arrangement of
straps around the horse's head used for control and communication with the
animal.
English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English
riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little
adornment or flashy hardware.
Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of
thin bridle leather, with "Split" reins or closed Romal style reins. Western
bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features.
Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit
and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a
horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head.
Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a
horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which
then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is
controlled.
Bits The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but
rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental
space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is
important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is
fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as
possible for the horse.

Now for some funny stuff...

Murphy's Horse Laws
There is no such thing as a sterile barn cat.
No one ever notices how you ride until you fall off.
The least useful horse in you barn will eat the most, require shoes every
Four weeks and need the vet at least once a month.
A horse's misbehavior will be in direct proportion to the number of people
who are watching.
Your favorite tack always gets chewed on, and your new blanket gets torn.
Tack you hate will never wear out and blankets you hate cannot be destroyed.
Horses you hate cannot be sold and will out live you.
Clipper blades will become dull when your horse is half clipped.
If you approach within fifty feet of your barn in clean clothes, you will
get dirty.
The number of horses you own will increase to the number of stalls in your
barn.
Your barn will fall down without baling twine.
Hoof picks always run a way from home.
If you fall off, you will land on the site of your most recent injury
. If you are winning, quit ...there is only one way to go. Down!
You know your a horse lover when- ~ Your friend says "Hurry Up" when you're
walking Slow and you cluck.
Q: Why couldn't the pony sing? A: Because his voice was a little hoarse!!!

Horses are so cool and very unique animals that's why I love them so much
 

sent in by Joy, thanks so much joy!!xxxxx