Slings can be used to help support a horses weight, however it will cause quite a bit of stress upon the injured animal, and could in turn make it more likely develop other complications from the broken leg unrelated to the actual leg. Recovery from even a limited fracture is highly unlikely, unless your horse can bare the stress of recoveries, of surgeries, of constant care, and of being on a sling to help keep its weigh off that quarter of the body. Prosthetic legs are are virtually limited use only, as a horse’s sense of sure footedness is destroyed by amputation, however some medical breakthroughs that leave the original leg are possible with devices that screw on and bear the wight, leaving the bone with a chance to heal. However, successfully treating a broken leg is always at best a shot in the dark. The least you can do is make your horse comfortable and have it chemically euthanized, however if you have the time, money, and willpower to save your horse from death, then by all means try.

The method of early domestication was likely through the finding of foals and raising them by human hands, which is easy to do considering foals need nurturing emotional attachments and will bond with humans and other domestic animals quickly at a very young age.  Early horses were probably slaughtered for food, with their foals being raised, bred, and slaughtered after becoming accustomed to humans.  When they began to be used for travel, and were bred in captivity successfully would be around 2-4,000 BC.  When we began domestication was probably much earlier as the genetic variance of the codes are much more significant.  Wild Horses have 66 Chromosomes, Domesticated Horses have 64 (and donkeys have 62).

Their sense of touch is very well developed, and they can feel things that few people seem to be able to feel – they can feel even the lightest mosquito that lands on them, before it attempts to bite – and if it is in range of their tail they will swat at it, their sense of taste is keenly more developed than our own feeble human taste buds could imagine, and it has developed this way so that they can detect poisonous or spoiled foods easily – which they will immediately reject and spit out. In addition to having a great sense of taste, their lips are prehensile, meaning they can sort out small grains they do not want, while selecting the ones they do want to eat with great accuracy.
Mules are great animals and very friendly, but if you are looking for a pet friend, we believe that dogs are one of the best for your home.

The vices that cause the most problems are wood chewing, which can be from hunger or boredom, and may result in a further detrimental vice if left untreated or rehabilitated – cribbing.  Cribbing is when a horse grabs something with its teeth, arches its neck, and suck in air violently, needless to say this is harmful for the mouth and teeth and can also lead to colic and subsequent death.  When a horse is rocking back and forth in a repetitive fashion it is called Weaving, and happens to nervous horses or horses that don’t get out enough, and can lead to lameness eventually – along with the counterpart habit called circling, where a horse walks around in a circle and causes the same bad wear and tear on the hooves.  Some horses can get violent, and resort to wall kicking to relieve boredom – this can hurt the horse and damage the barn, and other horses can learn it from a horse who has this stable vice.  Biting is also one of the more dangerous habits, as the horse may bite people who pass by. Finally the horse may try to dig or paw with its front feet, and this is called pawing, it can lead to severe degradation of the hooves, lameness, and injury to tendons.

To find out how many times you can run your horse a week start off slow in the ring, first with walking, then trotting, bump the trotting up after several minutes to catering.  Remember to ease into it and watch for any sings of tiring or quickly becoming overwhelmed – when you think it has reached the point it should slow the horse down to a trot, and then to a walk for about fifteen more minutes.  Gradually increase the amount of work each day by only a few minutes.  Once your horse is fit and in shape consider letting it run for short amounts of time by going from the canter (if you are in a large enough area) to a slow to medium gallop – but don’t let him/her canter or gallop too long as a horse will tire VERY quickly at these gaits.

They live in herds and never scatter themselves, and are usually led by an old mare.  They are a synchronized species as they seem to do everything at the exact same time and on time, walking single file, eating and drinking, along with turning at the same time.  They do not groom each other and males usually are a solitary roamer, following packs only in mating seasons.  An unusual quality about the Kiang is that they are very good at swimming.  There inly predator is the wolf, and they usually are in maternal herds of five to four hundred, males are mostly solitary unless they band together in winter in what are called bachelor herds, and it is unusual to see more than ten in one of these herds.

The Mongolian subspecies of the Onager has been recently listed as Vulnerable since the 1990s saw a massive decline in their numbers.  The population is failing because of direct human actions, like poaching and competition from grazing livestock, since 1953 the Mongolian Wild Ass has been fully protected in Mongolia, and it is listed in the CITES in appendix I and II.  Even with full protection poaching for meat is on the rise as it is a cheap alternative to domesticated animal meat.  One of the other Onagers is the Indian Wild Ass, or khur, and it is vanishing in parts of India. At one point the population may have dipped below one thousand, but recent conservation efforts have helped bring them back from being close to the brink.

By more modern times (1400s) the Donkey had reached the New World – Christopher Columbus brought four males and two females, who then begot the mules used by Spanish conquistadors in their conquests.  The donkey, however, did not become popular until the gold rush if the 1840’s and then the mining into mountains.  Once this happened, donkeys became the primary locomotion inside mines and hauled gold around for prospectors – along with their equipment.  Often times they did not need ropes because they were loyal to humans, having been domesticated nearly six thousand years earlier.  In the 20th century they became pets in the U.S. while still maintaining their work status in much of the world that was not yet industrialized – and in the U.S. miniature donkeys were bred and brought in the 1920s, cementing their status as a pet, and more recently a guard animal.   Due to human domestication and interaction there are 44 million donkeys today all over the world, with China holding 11 million, followed by Ethiopia and Mexico.

Hinnies are difficult to produce because of the chromosomal difference from the mother is 62 and the father is 64 – which makes it more difficult to produce.  It is easier with a mule because the male father has 62 while the mother has 64, and it is usually more viable.  There have been no recorded cases of any fertile male hinnies, however there has been one single documented case of a fertile female hinny. Another reason that hinnies are so rare to find and conversely hard to produce is that the stallion male (the sire) is picky, and will often times not wish to mate with a donkey, and the donkey mare (the dam) is just as picky, if not more so, compounding the problem.

In behavior the mule has the same tendencies as the donkey with its patience, endurance, and agility in being sure footed, making it excellent in hard or more unstable terrain – however it lacks the fear and weaknesses of the donkey, rather it has more strength and is bolder.  Thier hooves are stronger, and they go lame much less often, and are resistant to disease in comparison with the horse.  They also don’t like dogs quite as much as horses do, and are capable of defending themselves or their rider against a number of predators – with recorded numerous kills against mountain lions.  They also can fire off a kick in any direction they wish to with great accuracy, and can be lethal.  There have been only sixty documented cases of fertile mules in four hundred years, and one cloned mule.

The Arabian hotblood is a horse known for extremely high intelligence, very good stamina, and has a high tail carriage, and ranges in all colors.  It is one of the oldest horse breeds in existence today, and evidence shows that they could be as old as four thousand years.  Throughout the history of the ancient world Arabian horses were used, and bloodlines of Arabian horses are found in almost every warmblood and hotblood alive today.  It was a desert horse, and still is, and in ancient times was highly prized, so prized it was often brought into the tent with the nomads who kept them to keep them safe.  The close relationship with human handler throughout its history has created a good working relationship between the horse and man, much like the dog has become man’s best friend, the Arabian might be man’s best horse.

One of the popular horses for Olympic Games is the Hanoverian warmblood horse, which is seen in the English style competitions , and have won gold medals in all three equestrian Olympic competitions.  The Hanoverian is one of the oldest, most numerous, and most awarded of the warmblood horse breeds. It was originally bred and designed as a carriage horse that was dark in color, but then it was inter-bred with the thoroughbred, which lightened it and gave it more agility and ability in competition.  The horse has a good temperment, a great athletic ability, along with being said to be one of the most graceful horses, and one of the most beautiful horses – it stands out as an example of the best warmbloods there are.

The other two famous coldblood breeds are the Clydesdale and Belgian.  the Belgian coldblood is a horse breed that often stands at nearly 18 hands, with the world record holder being at 19.2 hands, and weighing an full 3,200 pounds.  Usually they never grow larger than 2-2.5k pounds, and are chestnut in color.  The worlds tallest living horse and current record holder for living is Radar, a gelding that was born in Iowa in 1998.  He stands at 19.35 hands, which in feet is six feet and seven inches.  He weighs over 2,400 pounds.  The Clydesdale is another of the famous breeds, and they have been used for three hundred years in industrial and urban settings.  The breed was every common and used all the way into the sixties,.  They are the mascot of several beer brands, seen hauling loads of beer in the commercials.  They stand on average at 18 hands and are usually chestnut with white hooves, and weigh and average of over one ton, or 2,000 pounds.

The natural gaits are walking, trotting, canter, gallop, and pace.  The walk is a natural four beat gait that goes about four miles per hour, and is seen in all horses.  When walking the horse follows the 1-2-3-4 sequence, with one foot off the ground and the other three on the ground (except for a small moment when weight transfer occurs), while the horses head will bob up and down for balance.  The trot is a two beat walk that goes about eight miles an hour, about the speed a human can run.  A slow trot is called a jog, while a fast one has no real name.  In this gait, or gear if you think about it in car terms (2nd), the horse moves both diagonal legs at the same time as it moves.  The trot is the normal way for a horse to travel, due to the fact they quickly run out of energy at anything higher.  A horse can maintain a trot for hours, whereas they can only maintain a gallop or canter for a few minutes.  A trot can be somewhat hard for a rider because of the motion going up and down with each beat.  A canter is one step up, going faster but not as fast as a gallop.  A canter is the third fasted natural gait (3rd gear) and the gallop is the fastest (4th gear). There is also the Pace, which is about the same speed as the trot, but is different in that rather than diagonally – the legs on the same side move forward while the others move back.  It can be faster than the trot, and smoother at slower speeds, but becomes very uncomfortable at faster speeds.

The Przewalski’s Horse (Mongolian Wild Horse) is the last surviving Wild Horse species in the world, unchanged by inter-breeding with domesticated horses.  It has 66 chromosomes, whereas the domestic horse has 64 – so genetically it is easily identifiable when they are interbred (any interbred horses have 65 chromosomes).  The Mongolian Wild Horse was never domesticated in any form and remains so today.  The Mongolian Wild horse is the only equid species capable of producing fertile offspring with a domesticated horse. Named after Russian General Nikolai Przhevalsky of the Russian army was also a natural explorer, and he found it in 1881, and described it in great detail.  It is through his work that the horse was made well known enough to eventually be kept in zoos while those in the wild died off.

Feral horses usually live in groups called bands or herds, and sometimes mobs; they are usually a small group led by one dominant mare who is the leader of the group.  The group is usually made up of mares, and their foal which are of both sexes.  Immature horses who are not yet ready to go on their own also have both sexes mixed within the group.  There are many types of feral horses that have arose from their escapes and breeding in the wild.  They are the Mustang, the Brumby, the Sorraia, the Banker Horse, the Kaimanawa horse, the Sable Island horse, and quite a few others.  For a feral population to remain genetically viable there must be between one hundred and fifty to two hundred feral horses within the environment.  However often times there can be many more, such as the Mustang, who’s numbers nearly topped at two million, but due to abuse and hunting for pet food, have been reduced to twenty thousand or so.  They are now a protected species in the United Stated, and harming one is a crime.

There is also a lighter breed and type of working horses, which are called the harness horses, and are usually lighter and smaller but still used in many of the same capacities as the working horses.  Harness horse breeds are sometimes taken from sporting horses or otherwise horses not normally thought of as working – some of these horses are the Oldenburg, the Friesian, the Cleveland Bay, the Hackney horse, and even some warmbloods and in some cases even Thoroughbred horses may be used as harness horses – although their temperaments may not be the most desirable when compared to the large docile horses of the normal working horse breeds.

Traditionally successful horses are later turned into stud horses once they outlive their glory days (although a few rare successful un-retirements have been seen).  They serve to further the population and fund their owners by producing highly valued offspring that are direct descendants, and many of these descendants go on to win races for much of their lives.  One example would be Jaklin Klugman, an American Thoroughbred racehorse who lived from 1977 to 1996 .  He was owned by actor Jack Klugman (famous for his sporting horse enthusiasm) which won several awards, including the Kentucky Derby (holy grail) in 1980.  Jaklin sired a horse names Sky jack, who won the 2002 Hollywood Gold Cup.  However Jaklin died in 1996 from a ruptured aorta on the ranch it was named after and resided in.

When it is a therapy designed for a horse, human interaction can improve trust between humans and horses, and learning of the horse as well as the human, as the horse will learn new people and how to react to those humans who may seem different at first (with those who are uncontrollably verbal or make noises depending on the kinds of disabilities) along with reducing fear of human contraptions (wheelchairs, crutches, and other large unwieldy objects that may be fearful).  There is also physical therapy to improve a horses condition from sickness, laminitis, or even bone fractures (that if successfully healed can save the horse, especially if the fracture is in the leg).  Horse whispering is a non evasive method of training and rehabilitating horses who have no social skills or have been damaged by bad experiences, and can turn a horses frown upside down (small joke, long faces and such).

In horse anatomy there are many terms that are related to these special vocabulary terms that may not make much sense to someone who has never been around horses.  The back is right behind the withers, where the saddle goes, the chin groove is the part of the head on a horse that is right behind the lower lip, the crest is the upper part of the neck where the mane grows, the cannon is between the knee and the fetlock joint, the frog is the highly elastic wedge shaped mass on the underside of the hoof, the hock is the tarsus of the horse – like the human heel, the mane is the long coarse hair that sprouts from the dorsal ridge on a horses neck, the muscle is the chin and mouth (like a dog) and the splints are bones found on each of the legs, on either side of the cannon bone (there are eight of these bones) and they seem to serve no purpose whatsoever.

Horses are herd animals, and always sleep easier when there are more horses around them – this means that more horses will be “on watch” for any “predators”.  It is, however, unlikely that your horse will be very comfortable if they are a lone horse – as it will feel alone at night and remain alter rather than sleep.  Instincts tell it to not sleep, and so the horse drains its energy and becomes deprived of sleep.  That hazard of this is that when it takes a standing nap (15 minutes to an entire hour) it may experience REM and hurt itself by reacting – whereas when it is lying down it will not do so (since it is… lying down after all).  Some people have the misconception that a horse that lies down is sick, this is untrue as all horses lay down at least once a week for sleep and rest that involves REM.  Other symptoms of lack in sleep include being easily spooked or distracted, sluggishness in obeying orders and commands, along with turning slowly when riding and possibly stumbling. 

There are risks to worming a horse, with some of them causing blockages in the intestines should the animal be heavily infested with live parasitic worms in the small intestine, these blockages could become quite painful, and the body may be overwhelmed by the toxins released by the dying worms (this is also true in humans who are infested with worms in their intestines).  The best way to prevent problems like this is to use a less powerful agent that gradually kills them off, and then later doing a large dose to clear their system of worms.  There is also the possibility (as in humans, and dogs, and many other animals) that the chemicals used on the worms could also kill the healthy bacteria normally found in the small intestine of the horse – thereby causing discomfort and colic, so it is common now for horses to be administered (and humans) probiotics (healthy bacteria) after the worming to stave off any ill effects from such a massive cleaning.  Although many humans do not realize it, about 1.5 billion (25%) of humans have worms too – but do not notice it until the infestation grows to an exponentially dangerous size.

Lameness presents itself in many symptoms, the most common being trouble walking, sweating, flared nostrils, walking tenderly, repeated easing of affected feet, increased vital signs and body temperature, visible trembling, anxiety, and a pounding pile in the digital palmer artery.  The destruction of the laminae results in the hoof wall separating and pus leaking out from it – along with rotation of the third phalanx that causes immense pain for the horse, and if untreated it can rotated and crash through the sole of the foot causing extreme pain for the animal.  However with intense treatment it can be cured in some cases.  There is no direct cure for laminitis, however with proper treatment a horse can recover fully, or partially and remain active for many years.  It is important to keep treatment consistent so the horse does not get worse, as it will eventually be fatal.

In addition to the horses lifespan causing problems with the mind, it can also play a number on the joins and bones.  As all animals seem to do, horses develop arthritis and other ailments that we do, and it is through our advancements in pharmaceutical chemicals that we now have adequate pain relievers for older horses, that can keep them spry and feeling young without side effects.  there are also joint lubricants that can be given to horses to help keep cartilage sustained, and if given while still young and throughout life may decrease the effects of arthritis and slow down its progression significantly.

Most dental issued involving the teeth of the horse come from normal wear and tear and wear patters (Areas that are used more than others) and can often be because of the feed.  Since horse teeth are designed to continuously be used they grow at a consistent rate, however if they are fed softer foods their teeth may become too long, or parts of their teeth may become sharp because they are not worn down as much – this requires immediate action and dental care.   Hooks are sharp points on their teeth, and usually develop on the outside of the teeth – but can be cured by dental care with filing or sometimes in extreme cases removal.  Other problems are open sores, loose teeth, cracked teeth, infected teeth, or retained caps.  if you notice any problems with chewing, weight loss, or anything else that may seem off (and especially if you see blood) contact your vet for an evaluation immediately.  If it doesn’t go away in a day, then it is probably here to stay; unless you do something to fix it.

Hoofs are picked, the coat is brushed with a variety of tools and sometimes the hooves will be painted with a hoof polish that gives it a kind of artistic touch (pretty much like women doing their nails).  Usually brushes and combs along with soft brushes are used, the first brush is usually the hard brush, which pulls off all the big dirt and chunks, along with excess hair, followed by the soft brush with gets the finer particles – and if the horse is shedding a shedding blade can be used to help it along.   Bathing a horse is usually not required, but some do it once a month to make sure no finer particles may be trapped – also it is usually done after a heavy workout to help it cool down.   Horse shampoo and many human shampoos can be used at the most once a week, but even that can be too much.

Care for the mane, tail, and other hair consists of clipping, braiding and otherwise keeping free of burrs and other materials.  Although a horse does not usually need much but brushing, some clip the horses mane, hair, and tail for looks alone.

Horses and other equines are usually accustomed to living outdoors in pens with shelter from rain and other elements that would otherwise leave them exposed and susceptible to the dangers of changing weather and conditions.  They must have access to fresh water and food, along with room to run and exercise in, or else they can develop habits and problems that make them uneasy and hard to handle.  Because many horses have short hair or are clipped for show, they may need a blanket for when it is too cold, and shade for when it is too hot.  It is important for a horse to have the room it needs to roam around and be a horse in – land to run and to play in.  behaviors of the horse in their environments are usually better if kept near other horses because they are a herd animal and have the mentality of being in a herd much of the time.

An option is to keep a horse in a pasture, where they can roam around and graze as they wish.  The amount of land needed for basic care and maintenance caries with the weather climates and such, where an animal will need more land for grazing in a dry climate than in a moist one.  Usually two acres is a sufficient amount for one horse, so each additional horse should add two acres, thereby giving you the calculation H x 2 = Acres.  They must also still have shelter from the sun and rain, along with wind, and a place to go in the cold.   Fencing must be visible, and large enough so that the horse sees it, and cannot be harmed by it.

Nutrition that supply energy for horses are fat and carbohydrates – protein is a critical element for muscle formation and upkeep. Horses that are pregnant, hard working, or lactating need higher amounts of feed and of water in their nutrition, in order to function, to remain healthy and to remain fit.  The fat that can be found in plant matter is usually in the low levels of the plant, and can be added to increase the available amounts of energy and density to the diet.  Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for a horse in its nutrition and are found in forage, such as hay, grasses, and grains – which have soluble carbohydrates that can be easily converted into glucose for energy.  It is important you do not shock the horses system with too many sugars or carbohydrates at one, as this can cause problems like colic and laminitis.

One of the reasons that horse shoes have become a necessity is the nutrition differences from wild and domesticated horses, where wild horses were able to eat all sorts of grasses and grains and gained valuable minerals from the – domesticated horses eat domestic feeds which lack some of these minerals and vitamins, leading to softer hooves and making it a necessity to have stronger horse hooves or protection for their feet, along with this horses are now in wetter environments than the arid areas they evolved in, which leads to softer hooves as well, and many physical stresses make horse shoes a valuable addition.  many horseshoes can be made to custom fit the horse if it has gait problems and correct otherwise detrimental issues, leading to a happier healthier horse – however there are still debates over horse shoes and their actual necessities now.

Forages make up the first of horse feed, and is the most common seen when a horse eats, this is usually hay and grass, then there are concentrates that have pelleted rations or grains for an additional nutritional boost, supplements to help the horse stay healthy with minerals.  Many experts say that horses should have 50% of their food as forages, with the rest being split between the other types.  It is important that the horse have access to forages throughout the day, as that is how they would normally feed rather than eating one lump sum three times a day like humans or other carnivores.  Horses also like treats, such as carrots, sugar cubes, peppermint candies, apples, or horse cookies, which can be healthy for the horse and good for them, however it can be a risk of colic or choke, and kill the horse.  Generally though, carrots and apples are seen as healthy, and not a risk for choking – however human foods should be avoided at all times.  Never let your horse be fed bread, meats, processed sugars, chocolate, and most obviously alcohol.