Horses - Farm Animals

How does the horse look like?
The horse is a large ungulate mammal with a long neck and a flowing mane and tail. Other horse-like or equid animals are Poneys (small adult horses with thickthick manes and tails), donkeys and mules, also farm animals.

Are horses useful to man? Oh yeah! The horse is a very noble animal and it was one of the first to be domesticated by man. During the thousands of years horses and humans have lived and worked together, horses have been very useful as means of transportation or draft animals in farming. With the introduction of mechanization, horses are no longer used as working animals, being instead kept for leisure and sporting purposes.

How are horses farmed? During day time, horses live outside, grazing on grasses because they are herbivorous animals, but they require shelter from the wind and rain. In the evening, they return to the stable. Under cold and bad winter conditions, horses usually stay in the stable and are fed on hay.

What is a stallion? It's a a non-castrated male horse that is at least four years old.

What is a mare? It's a female horse four years old or older.

What is a foal? It's a horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling.

What are gaits? Gaits are the four basic movements performed naturally by horses: walk, trot, canter or lope, and gallop.

What is a neigh? It's the characteristic high sound uttered by a horse.

What is a Lusitano horse? It is the Portuguese horse breed. Lusitano horses are the most ancient riding horses in History. They are remarkably beautiful and noble. They learn very fast and are used in high school dressage. They represent a unique cultural equestrian heritage that is known worldwide.

Is it possible to see these amazingly beautiful horses? Yes! If you do like horses and are living in or travelling to Portugal, then ask your parents to take you to Queluz, a small town in the neighbourghood of Lisbon, where the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art leads equestrian performances every Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock. You'll love the show!

Are there any famous Lusitano horses? Oh yeah! It would be impossible to list even the most famous Lusitano horses, but you may at least like to know that practically every "movie star" horse belongs to this Portuguese breed. As to Lusitano horses awarded medals at the Olympic Games and other world competitions, they are as well countless.

What is a warm-blooded horse? You could be tempted to think that horses are "warm-blooded" because they are mammals. In the especial case of horses, the word has a different meaning and is used to describe a horse's natural behaviour, not body temperature. "Warm-blooded" horses are large, but agile and athletic, and show high sensitivity and energy. It's a group of sport horse breeds that have dominated the Olympic Games and the World Equestrian Games in Dressage and Show Jumping since the 1950s. They are sometimes also referred to as "Baroque horses" and used for classical dressage. The Lusitanos are "warm-blooded" horses.

What is a cold-blooded horse? Also in the case of "cold-blooded" horses, the word does not mean body temperature but the natural behaviour of heavy draft horses. They are strong but also calm, steady, and patient. One very common "cold-blooded" horse breed is the Belgian.

The Olympic champion John Whitaker with his Lusitano horse "Novilheiro"

Would you like to have the address of Lusitano horse breeders?
Here they are:
- Associação Portuguesa de Criadores do Cavalo Puro Sangue Lusitano, Lisboa, Portugal
- Coudelaria Félix da Costa, Golegã, Portugal
- Coundelaria Meneses, Porto de Mós, Portugal
- Coudelaria Oliveira e Sousa, Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal
- Quinta da Bétula, Pays-Bas
- Quinta Lusitano, Suisse
- Sussex Lusitanos, Royaume Uni
- Interagro Lusitano, Brésil
- Coudelaria Gaston Santos, Mexique

And for the Belgian draft horse you may check at the following site:
- Domaine Touristique du Cheval de Trait Ardennais, Munshausen, Luxembourg

The Author

Back to