Horses are some of the most fascinating animals on the planet, and there are many things about them that the average person isn’t even aware of. Even if you are constantly surrounded by horses, you are likely learning something new about them every day. No matter how deep your knowledge about horses goes we’re here to present you with some of the most interesting and surprising facts about these amazing animals.
Often times you may spot a horse with its lips curled up, flashing what can sometimes look like an enormous grin. While some people may think this is the horse smiling or even laughing, while an entertaining thought, that is far from the case. What the horse is actually doing is directing certain smells into its nose. This may be because they smell something that appeals to them, or they are trying to determine where a bad odor is coming from. Interestingly, male horses do this far more often than females.
While horses can make strange faces with their lips, in many ways their eyes are more interesting. Not only do they have pretty great eyesight, they actually have larger eyes than any other land mammal. In fact, the average horse has eyes that are nine times larger than human eyes. That’s not all that is unusual about horse eyes. They also have three eyelids, one of which is actually a membrane that keeps the eye clean throughout the day.
Our final fun fact for today concerns horseshoes. Unbeknownst to most people, these aren’t just used to protect a horse’s hooves. They not only protect them, but they also give horses some much-needed traction. Because hooves are made of keratin, they aren’t great when it comes to standing. Horseshoes are the perfect solution for horses that have a difficult time keeping their balance.
These are just a few of the most fascinating facts about horses, but there is so much more to learn about them!