There are many different names for horses.  A stallion, for example, is a male horse.  A female horse is called a mare.  Babies are foals.  A young female is known as a filly and a young male is a colt.

Most people assume that ponies are just baby horses, but that's not true.  Ponies are actually full grown horses, they are just shorter than most.  Foals (baby horses) are not ponies, because they are not yet full grown.

The Average lifespan for horses is longer than with most animals.  They usually live to be between twenty and twenty-five years old, although many live longer.  The oldest horse to ever be recorded, a stallion names “Old Billy,” lived to be sixty-two years old before he died.

While measuring most things in this country we use feet.  Well, when you are measuring a horse that is incorrect.  Horses are measured in a unit of their own; something called “hands.”  One hand is the equivalent of about four inches.

Horses typically move at four different paces.  The slowest (next to standing still) is the walk.  Trotting is a little faster.  It is kind of like a jog.  Cantering is faster still.  Then, the fastest pace is a gallop, where the horse actually runs.  Riders know that, for the most part, the faster the pace, the bumpier the ride.

A mother horse (a mare) is usually pregnant for about eleven months before giving birth.  The birth usually occurs in the spring, and normally a single baby horse is born, although twins are not uncommon.  The foals learn quickly, and with Mom’s help, they’re walking in no time.

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