Horses 2

MORE INFO ON HORSES

Horses drink 5-10 gallons of water a day.

They can only survive 3-6 days without water.

Horses cannot puke. So if they eat something toxic, they can’t puke it back up.

Horses live to be 25-30 years old.

Swimming

Horses can swim, but some are afraid of water.

Sleeping

Horses only sleep for 2 hours a day, and only a few minutes at a time.

They usually sleep standing up, but sometimes they will lie down. This is because they are prey animals, so they must be ready to take flight at the first hint of danger.\

Even horses need a nap sometimes

Horses don’t only sleep standing up – they get most of their rest this way, but they do need to enter REM sleep, just like humans do.

They can’t achieve that state while standing.

A horse will only need to lie down for a couple hours every four to five days to ensure they are getting the minimum of REM sleep they need.

Also, they rest easier in groups than when they are alone because of the inherent predator instincts they possess.

Behavior/ Indicators of Attitude

Every horse has a will, emotions, personalities and quirks.

They think, feel, act and react differently.

They all have their own personalities and quirks.

They are less loyal/protective than dogs – if your character is thrown on the battle field, his horse will likely bolt. It’s their fight or flight survival instincts.

Horses are herd animals, which means they’re social and prefer to live in a group.

If they are being kept on their own without other horses for company, they will often befriend other animals like donkeys, sheep, goats, cows, etc.

Communications

Horses communicate using snorts, nickers, whinnies, squeals, and neighs. (From softest to loudest).

A whinny is similar to a neigh, but a neigh is a little deeper.

Horses communicate mostly through body language, and are pretty quiet animals.

One clarification on horse communication.

They will whinny for each other when separated.

Frightened horses

Every horse is frightened by different things, whether it’s a predator, an unfamiliar object, a loud noise, an unexpected movement, or water.

When a horse is frightened or “spooked”, he might shy away, buck, balk, or bolt.

Indicators of behavior

- A horse threatening to bite has an open mouth and maybe bared teeth.

- Ears moving back and forth=Uncertainty.

- Ears pinned back=Anger or Fear

- Ears point in direction of attention. Horses should have one ear back at rider, one ear forward.

- Face: Long nose and tight mouth=anxiety and fear

- High Tail=Excited

- Horses generally run when scared

- Horses mouth flexes when learning something new, relaxes when it understands.

- Horses stay in the security of the herd

- Kinked Tail=Submissive Fear.

- Lashing Tail=Annoyance

- Tail Flattened=Scared

- wrinkled nose=Annoyance and Disgust