Have you been a huge fan of horses for your whole life, eating up any facts about wild horses you could find? If you are, here are a few facts about wild horses you need to know in case you decide to go on wild horse tours NC to see outer banks wild horses.
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. These feral populations are not true wild horses, as this term is used to describe horses that have never been domesticated, such as the endangered Przewalski’s horse, a separate subspecies, and the only remaining true wild horse. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior.
A mustang is a free roaming horse that has become an iconic symbol of the spirit of the American West. Mustangs are often called a wild horse. However, this term is incorrect because they are genetically descended from domesticated Spanish horses. A more accurate term is feral horse.
As far as facts about wild horses go, the fact that Mustangs were first brought over to the Americas by Spanish explorers might be the most interesting. Native Americans quickly adopted the horse as a means of transportation. Pioneers in the American West, ranchers and cowboys also used the hardy, stocky horses for travel.
Wild Spanish Mustangs are known for their speed and grace. They measure an average size of 14 – 15 hands and typically weigh around 800 pounds (360 kg). One hand is equivalent to 4 inches (10 cm). Their coloring varies from reddish-brown, black, white or a golden-brown. In the wild, Mustangs have a lifespan of about 15 to 20 years, while domesticated Mustangs can live up to 30 years. Like most horses, mustangs spend much of their day grazing in open plains.
Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, as well as in working activities such as police work, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers. This is a great source for more.
