113-737: A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated ). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed , but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to female horses, known as mares , and castrated males, called geldings . Temperament varies widely based on genetics and training , but because of their instincts as herd animals, they may be prone to aggressive behavior, particularly toward other stallions, and thus require careful management by knowledgeable handlers. With proper training and management, stallions are effective equine athletes at
226-454: A clear hierarchy of rank, led by a dominant individual, usually a mare. They are also social creatures that are able to form companionship attachments to their own species and to other animals, including humans. They communicate in various ways, including vocalizations such as nickering or whinnying, mutual grooming , and body language . Many horses will become difficult to manage if they are isolated, but with training, horses can learn to accept
339-428: A constant eye out for danger. Unlike humans, horses do not sleep in a solid, unbroken period of time, but take many short periods of rest. Horses spend four to fifteen hours a day in standing rest, and from a few minutes to several hours lying down. Total sleep time in a 24-hour period may range from several minutes to a couple of hours, mostly in short intervals of about 15 minutes each. The average sleep time of
452-740: A domestic horse is said to be 2.9 hours per day. Horses must lie down to reach REM sleep . They only have to lie down for an hour or two every few days to meet their minimum REM sleep requirements. However, if a horse is never allowed to lie down, after several days it will become sleep-deprived, and in rare cases may suddenly collapse because it slips, involuntarily, into REM sleep while still standing. This condition differs from narcolepsy , although horses may also suffer from that disorder. Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( Croatian : Lipicanac , Czech : Lipicán , German : Lipizzaner , Hungarian : Lipicai , Italian : Lipizzano , Serbian : Lipicaner , Slovene : Lipicanec )
565-473: A full 60 calendar months (five years) old. The horse skeleton averages 205 bones. A significant difference between the horse skeleton and that of a human is the lack of a collarbone —the horse's forelimbs are attached to the spinal column by a powerful set of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that attach the shoulder blade to the torso. The horse's four legs and hooves are also unique structures. Their leg bones are proportioned differently from those of
678-440: A group. Overall, stallions can be trained to keep focused on work and may be brilliant performers if properly handled. A breeding stallion is more apt to present challenging behavior to a human handler than one who has not bred mares, and stallions may be more difficult to handle in spring and summer, during the breeding season, than during the fall and winter. Some stallions are used for both equestrian uses and for breeding at
791-414: A herd setting and may lose considerable weight, sometimes to the point of a health risk. Some may become highly protective of their mares and thus more aggressive and dangerous to handle. There is also a greater risk that the stallion may escape from a pasture or be stolen. Stallions may break down fences between adjoining fields to fight another stallion or mate with the "wrong" herd of mares, thus putting
904-551: A herd setting if proper precautions were taken while the initial herd hierarchy was established. As an example, in the New Forest , England, breeding stallions run out on the open Forest for about two to three months each year with the mares and youngstock. On being taken off the Forest, many of them stay together in bachelor herds for most of the rest of the year. New Forest stallions, when not in their breeding work, take part on
1017-580: A herd with both males and females, reduce aggressive or disruptive behavior, and allow the horse to be around other animals without being seriously distracted. If a horse is not to be used for breeding, it can be gelded prior to reaching sexual maturity. A horse gelded young may grow taller and behave better if this is done. Older stallions that are sterile or otherwise no longer used for breeding may also be gelded and will exhibit calmer behavior, even if previously used for breeding. However, they are more likely to continue stallion-like behaviors than horses gelded at
1130-503: A high degree of genetic diversity . This had been expected, as it was known that the mare families of the Lipizzan included a large number of different breeds, including Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and other European breeds. The Lipizzan International Federation (LIF) is the international governing organization for the breed, composed of many national and private organizations representing the Lipizzan. The organizations work together under
1243-640: A high level of intelligence that may or may not be used to cooperate with human handlers. Small size, by itself, is not an exclusive determinant. For example, the Shetland pony which averages 10 hands (40 inches, 102 cm), is considered a pony. Conversely, breeds such as the Falabella and other miniature horses , which can be no taller than 76 centimetres; 7.2 hands (30 in), are classified by their registries as very small horses, not ponies. Horses have 64 chromosomes . The horse genome
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#17327729503081356-439: A higher rate of gastric ulcers than horses listening to music, and racehorses stabled where a radio was played had a higher overall rate of ulceration than horses stabled where there was no radio playing. Horses have a great sense of balance, due partly to their ability to feel their footing and partly to highly developed proprioception —the unconscious sense of where the body and limbs are at all times. A horse's sense of touch
1469-413: A human as a companion, and thus be comfortable away from other horses. However, when confined with insufficient companionship, exercise, or stimulation, individuals may develop stable vices , an assortment of bad habits, mostly stereotypies of psychological origin, that include wood chewing, wall kicking, "weaving" (rocking back and forth), and other problems. Studies have indicated that horses perform
1582-420: A human. For example, the body part that is called a horse's "knee" is actually made up of the carpal bones that correspond to the human wrist . Similarly, the hock contains bones equivalent to those in the human ankle and heel . The lower leg bones of a horse correspond to the bones of the human hand or foot, and the fetlock (incorrectly called the "ankle") is actually the proximal sesamoid bones between
1695-526: A major component of grass, through the process of hindgut fermentation . Cellulose fermentation by symbiotic bacteria and other microbes occurs in the cecum and the large intestine . Horses cannot vomit , so digestion problems can quickly cause colic , a leading cause of death. Although horses do not have a gallbladder , they tolerate high amounts of fat in their diet. The horses' senses are based on their status as prey animals , where they must be aware of their surroundings at all times. The equine eye
1808-797: A number of cognitive tasks on a daily basis, meeting mental challenges that include food procurement and identification of individuals within a social system . They also have good spatial discrimination abilities. They are naturally curious and apt to investigate things they have not seen before. Studies have assessed equine intelligence in areas such as problem solving , speed of learning, and memory . Horses excel at simple learning, but also are able to use more advanced cognitive abilities that involve categorization and concept learning . They can learn using habituation , desensitization , classical conditioning , and operant conditioning , and positive and negative reinforcement . One study has indicated that horses can differentiate between "more or less" if
1921-589: A precocial species, and foals are capable of standing and running within a short time following birth. Foals are usually born in the spring. The estrous cycle of a mare occurs roughly every 19–22 days and occurs from early spring into autumn. Most mares enter an anestrus period during the winter and thus do not cycle in this period. Foals are generally weaned from their mothers between four and six months of age. Horses, particularly colts, are sometimes physically capable of reproduction at about 18 months, but domesticated horses are rarely allowed to breed before
2034-477: A predominantly white hair coat and pink skin, a fairly rare occurrence. Different and unrelated genetic factors can produce white coat colors in horses, including several different alleles of dominant white and the sabino-1 gene . However, there are no " albino " horses, defined as having both pink skin and red eyes. Gestation lasts approximately 340 days, with an average range 320–370 days, and usually results in one foal ; twins are rare. Horses are
2147-467: A setback to its population when a viral epidemic hit the Piber Stud in 1983. Forty horses and 8% of the expected foal crop were lost. Since then, the population at the stud has increased. By 1994, 100 mares were at the stud farm and a foal crop of 56 was born in 1993. In 1994, the rate of successful pregnancy and birth of foals increased from 27 to 82%; the result of a new veterinary center . In 1996,
2260-406: A stallion with a mare herd year-round, others will only turn a stallion out with mares during the breeding season. In some places, young domesticated stallions are allowed to live separately in a "bachelor herd" while growing up, kept out of sight, sound or smell of mares. A Swiss study demonstrated that even mature breeding stallions kept well away from other horses could live peacefully together in
2373-568: A study funded by the European Union Indo-Copernicus Project assessed 586 Lipizzan horses from eight stud farms in Europe, with the goal of developing a "scientifically based description of the Lipizzan horse". A study of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was performed on 212 of the animals, and those studied were found to contain 37 of the 39 known mtDNA haplotypes known in modern horses, meaning that they show
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#17327729503082486-432: A tendency to bite, may pose a danger of serious injury. The advantage of natural types of management is that the stallion is allowed to behave "like a horse" and may exhibit fewer stable vices . In a harem model, the mares may "cycle" or achieve estrus more readily. Proponents of natural management also assert that mares are more likely to "settle" (become pregnant) in a natural herd setting. Some stallion managers keep
2599-463: A white hair coat. Gray horses, including Lipizzans, are born with a pigmented coat—in Lipizzans, foals are usually bay or black—and become lighter each year as the graying process takes place, with the process being complete between 6 and 10 years of age. Lipizzans are not actually true white horses, but this is a common misconception. A white horse is born white and has unpigmented skin. Until
2712-535: A younger age, especially if they have been used as a breeding stallion. Modern surgical techniques allow castration to be performed on a horse of almost any age with relatively few risks. In most cases, particularly in modern industrialized cultures, a male horse that is not of sufficient quality to be used for breeding will have a happier life without having to deal with the instinctive, hormone-driven behaviors that come with being left intact. Geldings are safer to handle and present fewer management problems. Some in
2825-574: Is a European breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroque type, and is powerful, slow to mature and long-lived; the coat is usually gray . The name of the breed derives from that of the village of Lipica ( Italian : Lipizza ), which was part of the Habsburg empire at the time the breed was developed, now in Slovenia , one of
2938-544: Is a long-standing tradition for the Spanish Riding School to have at least one bay Lipizzan stallion in residence, and this tradition is continued through the present day. The ancestors of the Lipizzan can be traced to around 800 AD. The earliest predecessors of the Lipizzan originated in the seventh century when Barb horses were brought into Spain by the Moors and crossed on native Spanish stock. The result
3051-505: Is adequate healthy food. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits : Besides these basic gaits, some horses perform a two-beat pace , instead of the trot. There also are several four-beat ' ambling ' gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral rack , running walk , and tölt as well as the diagonal fox trot . Ambling gaits are often genetic in some breeds, known collectively as gaited horses . These horses replace
3164-407: 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. Horses are adapted to run , allowing them to quickly escape predators, and possess a good sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response . Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild
3277-965: Is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down, with younger horses tending to sleep significantly more than adults. Female horses, called mares , carry their young for approximately 11 months and a young horse, called a foal , can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under a saddle or in a harness between the ages of two and four. They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draft horses and some ponies , suitable for slow, heavy work; and " warmbloods ", developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in
3390-557: Is carried high and well set. The legs are well-muscled and strong, with broad joints and well-defined tendons. The feet tend to be small, but are tough. Lipizzan horses tend to mature slowly. However, they live and are active longer than many other breeds, with horses performing the difficult exercises of the Spanish Riding School well into their 20s and living into their 30s. Aside from the rare solid-colored horse (usually bay or black ), most Lipizzans are gray . Like all gray horses, they have black skin, dark eyes, and as adult horses,
3503-450: Is controversial, as the condition is at least partially genetic and some handlers claim that cryptorchids tend to have greater levels of behavioral problems than normal stallions. Horse at least 48 published The horse ( Equus ferus caballus ) is a domesticated , one-toed , hoofed mammal . It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus . The horse has evolved over
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3616-416: Is in the nostrils and nasal cavity, which analyze a wide range of odors. The second, located under the nasal cavity, are the vomeronasal organs , also called Jacobson's organs. These have a separate nerve pathway to the brain and appear to primarily analyze pheromones . A horse's hearing is good, and the pinna of each ear can rotate up to 180°, giving the potential for 360° hearing without having to move
3729-410: Is measured at the highest point of the withers , where the neck meets the back . This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse. In English-speaking countries, the height of horses is often stated in units of hands and inches: one hand is equal to 4 inches (101.6 mm). The height is expressed as
3842-480: Is most easily corrected by gelding the horse. A more complex and costly surgical procedure can sometimes correct the condition and restore the animal's fertility, though it is only cost-effective for a horse that has very high potential as a breeding stallion. This surgery generally removes the non-descended testicle, leaving the descended testicle, and creating a horse known as a monorchid stallion. Keeping cryptorchids or surgically-created monorchids as breeding stallions
3955-417: Is one of the largest of any land mammal. Horses are lateral-eyed, meaning that their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads. This means that horses have a range of vision of more than 350°, with approximately 65° of this being binocular vision and the remaining 285° monocular vision . Horses have excellent day and night vision , but they have two-color, or dichromatic vision ; their color vision
4068-426: Is somewhat like red-green color blindness in humans, where certain colors, especially red and related colors, appear as a shade of green. Their sense of smell , while much better than that of humans, is not quite as good as that of a dog. It is believed to play a key role in the social interactions of horses as well as detecting other key scents in the environment. Horses have two olfactory centers. The first system
4181-467: Is summed up by the traditional adage, "no foot, no horse". The horse hoof begins with the distal phalanges , the equivalent of the human fingertip or tip of the toe, surrounded by cartilage and other specialized, blood-rich soft tissues such as the laminae . The exterior hoof wall and horn of the sole is made of keratin , the same material as a human fingernail . The result is that a horse, weighing on average 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), travels on
4294-617: Is usually considered to be a horse and one less than 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) a pony, but there are many exceptions to the traditional standard. In Australia, ponies are considered to be those under 14 hands (56 inches, 142 cm). For competition in the Western division of the United States Equestrian Federation , the cutoff is 14.1 hands (57 inches, 145 cm). The International Federation for Equestrian Sports ,
4407-520: Is well-developed. The most sensitive areas are around the eyes, ears, and nose. Horses are able to sense contact as subtle as an insect landing anywhere on the body. Horses have an advanced sense of taste, which allows them to sort through fodder and choose what they would most like to eat, and their prehensile lips can easily sort even small grains. Horses generally will not eat poisonous plants, however, there are exceptions; horses will occasionally eat toxic amounts of poisonous plants even when there
4520-609: The Ancient Greek writer Xenophon , whose works were rediscovered in the sixteenth century. His thoughts on development of horses' mental attitude and psyche are still considered applicable today. Other writers who strongly influenced the training methods of the Spanish Riding School include Federico Grisone , the founder of the first riding academy in Naples, who lived during the sixteenth century, and Antoine de Pluvinel and François Robichon de la Guérinière , two Frenchmen from
4633-605: The Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria , where the entire group of stallions live part-time in a bachelor herd as young colts , then are stabled, train, perform, and travel worldwide as adults with few if any management problems. Even stallions who are unfamiliar with each other can work safely in reasonable proximity if properly trained; the vast majority of Thoroughbred horses on
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4746-488: The Morgan horse . Horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. In an adaptation from life in the wild, horses are able to enter light sleep by using a " stay apparatus " in their legs, allowing them to doze without collapsing. Horses sleep better when in groups because some animals will sleep while others stand guard to watch for predators. A horse kept alone will not sleep well because its instincts are to keep
4859-603: The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as Lipizzan horse breeding traditions since 2022. Inscriptions include states parties, Austria , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Hungary , Italy , Romania , Slovakia and Slovenia. The traditional horse training methods for Lipizzans were developed at the Spanish Riding School and are based on the principles of classical dressage, which in turn traces to
4972-544: The Spanish Riding School of Vienna , Austria, where the horses demonstrate the haute école or "high school" movements of classical dressage , including the highly controlled, stylized jumps and other movements known as the " airs above the ground ". These horses are mostly bred at the Piber Federal Stud , near Graz, Austria , and are trained using traditional methods of classical dressage that date back hundreds of years. Eight stallions are recognized as
5085-477: The Trakehner or Hanoverian , developed when European carriage and war horses were crossed with Arabians or Thoroughbreds, producing a riding horse with more refinement than a draft horse, but greater size and milder temperament than a lighter breed. Certain pony breeds with warmblood characteristics have been developed for smaller riders. Warmbloods are considered a "light horse" or "riding horse". Today,
5198-516: The animal rights community maintains that castration is mutilation and damaging to the animal's psyche. A ridgling or "rig" is a cryptorchid , a stallion which has one or both testicles undescended. If both testicles are not descended, the horse may appear to be a gelding, but will still behave like a stallion. A gelding that displays stallion-like behaviors is sometimes called a "false rig". In many cases, ridglings are infertile , or have fertility levels that are significantly reduced. The condition
5311-406: The cannon bones (a single equivalent to the human metacarpal or metatarsal bones ) and the proximal phalanges , located where one finds the "knuckles" of a human. A horse also has no muscles in its legs below the knees and hocks, only skin, hair, bone, tendons , ligaments , cartilage , and the assorted specialized tissues that make up the hoof . The critical importance of the feet and legs
5424-466: The gene controlled by the Melanocortin 1 receptor , also known as the "extension gene" or "red factor". Its recessive form is "red" (chestnut) and its dominant form is black. Additional genes control suppression of black color to point coloration that results in a bay , spotting patterns such as pinto or leopard , dilution genes such as palomino or dun , as well as greying , and all
5537-435: The racetrack are stallions, as are many equine athletes in other forms of competition. Stallions are often shown together in the same ring at horse shows , particularly in halter classes where their conformation is evaluated. In horse show performance competition, stallions and mares often compete in the same arena with one another, particularly in Western and English "pleasure"-type classes where horses are worked as
5650-590: The semen at ejaculation , but are not strictly necessary for fertility. Domesticated stallions are trained and managed in a variety of ways, depending on the region of the world, the owner's philosophy, and the individual stallion's temperament. In all cases, however, stallions have an inborn tendency to attempt to dominate both other horses and human handlers, and will be affected to some degree by proximity to other horses, especially mares in heat . They must be trained to behave with respect toward humans at all times or else their natural aggressiveness, particularly
5763-462: The stud for two years, returning April 1, 1807, but then, following the Treaty of Schönbrunn in 1809, the horses were evacuated three more times during the unsettled period that followed, resulting in the loss of many horses and the destruction of the written studbooks that documented bloodlines of horses prior to 1700. The horses finally returned to Lipica for good in 1815, where they remained for
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#17327729503085876-594: The "cold-bloods", such as most draft breeds , are quieter and calmer. Sometimes "hot-bloods" are classified as "light horses" or "riding horses", with the "cold-bloods" classified as "draft horses" or "work horses". "Hot blooded" breeds include " oriental horses " such as the Akhal-Teke , Arabian horse , Barb , and now-extinct Turkoman horse , as well as the Thoroughbred , a breed developed in England from
5989-1066: The LIF represent almost one-quarter of the horses in Europe. Sâmbăta de Jos , in Romania, has the greatest number of horses, with 400, followed by Piber in Austria (360), Lipica in Slovenia (358), Szilvásvárad in Hungary (262), Monterotondo in Italy (230), Đakovo - Lipik in Croatia (220), and Topoľčianky in Slovakia (200). The other two studs are smaller, with stud Vučijak in Bosnia near Prnjavor having 130 horses and Karađorđevo in Serbia having just 30. Educational programs have been developed to promote
6102-662: The Lipizza stud. Beginning in 1920, the Piber Federal Stud , near Graz, Austria , became the main stud for the horses used in Vienna. Breeding became very selective, allowing only stallions that had proved themselves at the Riding School to stand at stud, and breeding only mares that had passed rigorous performance testing. Today, eight foundation lines for Lipizzans are recognized by various registries, which refer to them as "dynasties". They are divided into two groups. Six trace to classical foundation stallions used in
6215-601: The Lipizzan International Federation. These are: Several other stallion lines have died out over the years, but were used in the early breeding of the horses. In addition to the foundation stallion lines, there were 20 "classic" mare lines, 14 of which exist today. However, up to 35 mare lines are recognized by various Lipizzan organizations. Traditional naming patterns are used for both stallions and mares, required by Lipizzan breed registries . Stallions traditionally are given two names, with
6328-480: The Lipizzan as one of their mounts. In October 2008, during a visit to Slovenia, a Lipizzan at Lipica, named 085 Favory Canissa XXII, was given to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. She decided to leave the animal in the care of the stud farm. On the initiative of Slovenian Ministry of Culture, the tradition of breeding and maintaining a purebred Lipizzaner is recognized by UNESCO and inscribed on
6441-510: The Lipizzan stallions is depicted in the 1963 Walt Disney movie Miracle of the White Stallions . The movie was the only live-action, relatively realistic film set against a World War II backdrop that Disney has ever produced. Television programs featuring the Lipizzans include The White Horses , a 1965 children's television series co-produced by RTV Ljubljana (now RTV Slovenija ) of Yugoslavia and BR-TV of Germany, rebroadcast in
6554-638: The Lipizzans by the United States Army, made famous by the Disney movie Miracle of the White Stallions , occurred in two parts: The Third United States Army , under the command of General George S. Patton , was near St. Martins in the spring of 1945 and learned that the Lipizzan stallions were in the area. Patton himself was a horseman, and like Podhajsky, had competed in the Olympic Games . On May 7, 1945, Podhajsky put on an exhibition of
6667-466: The Lipizzans. The finished movements include: Other movements include: Lipizzans have starred or played supporting roles in many movies, TV shows, books, and other media. The 1940 film Florian stars two Lipizzan stallions. It was based on a 1934 novel by Felix Salten . The wife of the film's producer owned the only Lipizzans in the US at the time the movie was made. The rescue during World War II of
6780-500: The Slovene word lipa , meaning " linden tree ." Spanish, Barb, and Arabian stock were crossed at Lipizza, and succeeding generations were crossed with the now-extinct Neapolitan breed from Italy and other Baroque horses of Spanish descent obtained from Germany and Denmark. While breeding stock was exchanged between the two studs, Kladrub specialized in producing heavy carriage horses, while riding and light carriage horses came from
6893-640: The Southern Hemisphere. The exception is in endurance riding , where the minimum age to compete is based on the animal's actual calendar age. The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages: In horse racing , these definitions may differ: For example, in the British Isles, Thoroughbred horse racing defines colts and fillies as less than five years old. However, Australian Thoroughbred racing defines colts and fillies as less than four years old. The height of horses
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#17327729503087006-450: The Spanish Riding School are based on practices taught to cavalry riders to prepare their horses for warfare. Young stallions come to the Spanish Riding School for training when they are four years old. Full training takes an average of six years for each horse, and schooling is considered complete when they have mastered the skills required to perform the "School Quadrille". There are three progressively more difficult skill sets taught to
7119-515: The Spanish Riding School stallions for Patton and Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson , and at its conclusion requested that Patton take the horses under his protection. Meanwhile, the Third Army's United States Second Cavalry , a tank unit under the command of Colonel Charles Reed , had discovered the horses at Hostau, where 400 Allied prisoners of war were also being kept, and had occupied it on April 28, 1945. " Operation Cowboy ", as
7232-482: The Spanish Riding School were evacuated to St. Martins , Austria, from Vienna in January 1945, when bombing raids neared the city and the head of the Spanish Riding School, Colonel Alois Podhajsky , feared the horses were in danger. By spring of 1945, the horses at Hostau were threatened by the advancing Soviet army, which might have slaughtered the animals for horse meat had it captured the facility. The rescue of
7345-456: The age of three, especially females. Horses four years old are considered mature, although the skeleton normally continues to develop until the age of six; maturation also depends on the horse's size, breed, sex, and quality of care. Larger horses have larger bones; therefore, not only do the bones take longer to form bone tissue , but the epiphyseal plates are larger and take longer to convert from cartilage to bone. These plates convert after
7458-488: The annual round-ups , working alongside mares and geldings, and compete successfully in many disciplines. There are drawbacks to natural management, however. One is that the breeding date, and hence foaling date, of any given mare will be uncertain. Another problem is the risk of injury to the stallion or mare in the process of natural breeding, or the risk of injury while a hierarchy is established within an all-male herd. Some stallions become very anxious or temperamental in
7571-486: The banner of the LIF to promote the breed and maintain standards. As of 2012, almost 11,000 Lipizzans were registered with the LIF; residing with private breeders in 19 countries and at nine state studs in Europe. The largest number are in Europe, with almost 9,000 registered horses, followed by the Americas, with just over 1,700, then Africa and Australia with around 100 horses each. The nine state studs that are part of
7684-474: The breed and foster adherence to traditional breeding objectives. Because of the status of Lipizzans as the only breed of horse developed in Slovenia, via the Lipica stud that is now located within its borders, Lipizzans are recognized in Slovenia as a national animal. For example, a pair of Lipizzans is featured on the 20-cent Slovenian euro coins . Mounted regiments of Carabinieri police in Italy also employ
7797-603: The breed from extinction. The first was in March 1797 during the War of the First Coalition , when the horses were evacuated from Lipica. During the journey, 16 mares gave birth to foals. In November 1797, the horses returned to Lipica, but the stables were in ruins. They were rebuilt, but in 1805, the horses were evacuated again when Napoleon invaded Austria. They were being taken care of in Đakovo Stud . They remained away from
7910-747: The calm, patient temperament needed to pull a plow or a heavy carriage full of people. They are sometimes nicknamed "gentle giants". Well-known draft breeds include the Belgian and the Clydesdale . Some, like the Percheron , are lighter and livelier, developed to pull carriages or to plow large fields in drier climates. Others, such as the Shire , are slower and more powerful, bred to plow fields with heavy, clay-based soils. The cold-blooded group also includes some pony breeds. " Warmblood " breeds, such as
8023-431: The classic foundation bloodstock of the breed, all foaled in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. All modern Lipizzans trace their bloodlines to these eight stallions, and all breeding stallions have included in their name the name of the foundation sire of their bloodline. Also classic mare lines are known, with up to 35 recognized by various breed registries . The majority of horses are registered through
8136-414: The court stud at Kladrub . In 1580, his brother, Archduke Charles II , ruler of Inner Austria , established a similar stud at Lipizza (now Lipica), located in modern-day Slovenia, from which the breed obtained its name. When the stud farm was established, Lipizza was located within the municipal limits of Trieste , an autonomous city under Habsburg sovereignty. The name of the village itself derives from
8249-469: The day. Therefore, compared to humans, they have a relatively small stomach but very long intestines to facilitate a steady flow of nutrients. A 450-kilogram (990 lb) horse will eat 7 to 11 kilograms (15 to 24 lb) of food per day and, under normal use, drink 38 to 45 litres (8.4 to 9.9 imp gal; 10 to 12 US gal) of water . Horses are not ruminants , having only one stomach, like humans. But unlike humans, they can digest cellulose ,
8362-472: The earliest stud farms established; the stud farm there is still active. The breed has been endangered numerous times by warfare sweeping Europe, including during the War of the First Coalition , World War I , and World War II . The rescue of the Lipizzans during World War II by American troops was made famous by the Disney movie Miracle of the White Stallions . The Lipizzaner is closely associated with
8475-550: The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Lipizza stud, and two additional lines were not used at Lipizza, but were used by other studs within the historic boundaries of the Habsburg Empire. The six "classical dynasties" are: Two additional stallion lines are found in Croatia, Hungary, and other eastern European countries, as well as in North America. They are accepted as equal to the six classical lines by
8588-450: The eighteenth century, Lipizzans had other coat colors, including dun , bay, chestnut , black, piebald , and skewbald . However, gray is a dominant gene . Gray was the color preferred by the royal family, so the color was emphasized in breeding practices. Thus, in a small breed population when the color was deliberately selected as a desirable feature, it came to be the color of the overwhelming majority of Lipizzan horses. However, it
8701-663: The first Spanish riding hall was built, during the Austrian Empire , and is the oldest of its kind in the world. The Spanish Riding School, though located in Vienna, Austria, takes its name from the original Spanish heritage of its horses. In 1729, Charles VI commissioned the building of the Winter Riding School in Vienna and in 1735, the building was completed that remains the home of the Spanish Riding School today. The Lipizzans endured several wartime relocations throughout their history, each of which saved
8814-536: The first being the line of the sire and the second being the name of the dam. For example, "Maestoso Austria" is a horse sired by Maestoso Trompeta out of a mare named Austria. The horse's sire line traces to the foundation sire Maestoso. The names of mares are chosen to be "complementary to the traditional Lipizzan line names" and are required to end in the letter "a". The Spanish Riding School uses highly trained Lipizzan stallions in public performances that demonstrate classical dressage movements and training. In 1572,
8927-401: The front of the mouth, adapted to biting off the grass or other vegetation. There are 24 teeth adapted for chewing, the premolars and molars , at the back of the mouth. Stallions and geldings have four additional teeth just behind the incisors, a type of canine teeth called "tushes". Some horses, both male and female, will also develop one to four very small vestigial teeth in front of
9040-507: The head. Noise affects the behavior of horses and certain kinds of noise may contribute to stress—a 2013 study in the UK indicated that stabled horses were calmest in a quiet setting, or if listening to country or classical music, but displayed signs of nervousness when listening to jazz or rock music. This study also recommended keeping music under a volume of 21 decibels . An Australian study found that stabled racehorses listening to talk radio had
9153-428: The highest levels of many disciplines, including horse racing , horse shows , and international Olympic competition. "Stallion" is also used to refer to males of other equids, including zebras and donkeys . Fillies usually soon join a different band with a dominant stallion different from the one that sired them. Colts or young stallions without mares of their own usually form small, all-male, "bachelor bands" in
9266-437: The incisors show changes as the horse ages; they develop a distinct wear pattern, changes in tooth shape, and changes in the angle at which the chewing surfaces meet. This allows a very rough estimate of a horse's age, although diet and veterinary care can also affect the rate of tooth wear. Horses are herbivores with a digestive system adapted to a forage diet of grasses and other plant material, consumed steadily throughout
9379-554: The member organizations of the Lipizzan International Federation, which covers almost 11,000 horses in 19 countries and at 9 state studs in Europe. Most Lipizzans reside in Europe, with smaller numbers in the Americas, South Africa, and Australia. Lipizzan horse breeding traditions are recognized by UNESCO and inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . Most adult Lipizzans measure between 14.2 and 15.2 hands (58 and 62 inches, 147 and 157 cm). However, horses bred to be closer to
9492-435: The molars, known as "wolf" teeth, which are generally removed because they can interfere with the bit . There is an empty interdental space between the incisors and the molars where the bit rests directly on the gums, or "bars" of the horse's mouth when the horse is bridled . An estimate of a horse's age can be made from looking at its teeth. The teeth continue to erupt throughout life and are worn down by grazing. Therefore,
9605-1030: The number of full hands, followed by a point , then the number of additional inches, and ending with the abbreviation "h" or "hh" (for "hands high"). Thus, a horse described as "15.2 h" is 15 hands plus 2 inches, for a total of 62 inches (157.5 cm) in height. The size of horses varies by breed, but also is influenced by nutrition . Light-riding horses usually range in height from 14 to 16 hands (56 to 64 inches, 142 to 163 cm) and can weigh from 380 to 550 kilograms (840 to 1,210 lb). Larger-riding horses usually start at about 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) and often are as tall as 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm), weighing from 500 to 600 kilograms (1,100 to 1,320 lb). Heavy or draft horses are usually at least 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) high and can be as tall as 18 hands (72 inches, 183 cm) high. They can weigh from about 700 to 1,000 kilograms (1,540 to 2,200 lb). The largest horse in recorded history
9718-555: The older oriental breeds. Hot bloods tend to be spirited, bold, and learn quickly. They are bred for agility and speed. They tend to be physically refined—thin-skinned, slim, and long-legged. The original oriental breeds were brought to Europe from the Middle East and North Africa when European breeders wished to infuse these traits into racing and light cavalry horses. Muscular, heavy draft horses are known as "cold bloods." They are bred not only for strength, but also to have
9831-460: The original carriage-horse type are taller, approaching 16.1 hands (65 inches, 165 cm). Lipizzans have a long head, with a straight or slightly convex profile. The jaw is deep, the ears small, the eyes large and expressive, and the nostrils flared. They have a neck that is sturdy, yet arched and withers that are low, muscular, and broad. They are a Baroque horse , with a wide, deep chest, broad croup , and muscular shoulder. The tail
9944-435: The other factors that create the many possible coat colors found in horses. Horses that have a white coat color are often mislabeled; a horse that looks "white" is usually a middle-aged or older gray . Grays are born a darker shade, get lighter as they age, but usually keep black skin underneath their white hair coat (with the exception of pink skin under white markings ). The only horses properly called white are born with
10057-605: The other parts of the bones, and are crucial to development. Depending on maturity, breed, and work expected, horses are usually put under saddle and trained to be ridden between the ages of two and four. Although Thoroughbred race horses are put on the track as young as the age of two in some countries, horses specifically bred for sports such as dressage are generally not put under saddle until they are three or four years old, because their bones and muscles are not solidly developed. For endurance riding competition, horses are not deemed mature enough to compete until they are
10170-496: The past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, Eohippus , into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BCE , and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BCE. 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 , which are horses that never have been domesticated. There
10283-700: The pedigree of ensuing foals in question. Complete isolation has significant drawbacks; stallions may develop additional behavior problems with aggression due to frustration and pent-up energy. As a general rule, a stallion that has been isolated from the time of weaning or sexual maturity will have a more difficult time adapting to a herd environment than one allowed to live close to other animals. As horses are instinctively social creatures, even stallions are believed to benefit from being allowed social interaction with other horses, though proper management and cautions are needed. Properly trained stallions can live and work close to mares and to one another. Examples include
10396-570: The quantity involved is less than four. Domesticated horses may face greater mental challenges than wild horses, because they live in artificial environments that prevent instinctive behavior whilst also learning tasks that are not natural. Horses are animals of habit that respond well to regimentation, and respond best when the same routines and techniques are used consistently. One trainer believes that "intelligent" horses are reflections of intelligent trainers who effectively use response conditioning techniques and positive reinforcement to train in
10509-480: The rescue was known, resulted in the recovery of 1,200 horses, including 375 Lipizzans. Patton learned of the raid, and arranged for Podhajsky to fly to Hostau. On May 12, American soldiers began riding, trucking, and herding the horses 35 miles across the border into Kotztinz , Germany. The Lipizzans were eventually settled in temporary quarters in Wimsbach , until the breeding stock returned to Piber in 1952, and
10622-562: The rest of the nineteenth century. The first evacuation of the twentieth century occurred in 1915 when the horses were evacuated from Lipica due to World War I and placed at Laxenburg and Kladrub. Following the war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up, with Lipica becoming part of Italy. Thus, the animals were divided between several different studs in the new postwar nations of Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia. The nation of Austria kept
10735-496: The same animals as horses. The distinction between a horse and pony is commonly drawn on the basis of height, especially for competition purposes. However, height alone is not dispositive; the difference between horses and ponies may also include aspects of phenotype , including conformation and temperament. The traditional standard for height of a horse or a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm). An animal 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) or over
10848-507: The same bones as would a human on tiptoe. For the protection of the hoof under certain conditions, some horses have horseshoes placed on their feet by a professional farrier . The hoof continually grows, and in most domesticated horses needs to be trimmed (and horseshoes reset, if used) every five to eight weeks, though the hooves of horses in the wild wear down and regrow at a rate suitable for their terrain. Horses are adapted to grazing . In an adult horse, there are 12 incisors at
10961-472: The same color may be distinguished from one another by white markings , which, along with various spotting patterns, are inherited separately from coat color. Many genes that create horse coat colors and patterns have been identified. Current genetic tests can identify at least 13 different alleles influencing coat color, and research continues to discover new genes linked to specific traits. The basic coat colors of chestnut and black are determined by
11074-438: The same general time of year. Though compromises may need to be made in expectations for both athletic performance and fertility rate, well-trained stallions with good temperaments can be taught that breeding behavior is only allowed in a certain area, or with certain cues, equipment, or with a particular handler. If a stallion is not to be used for breeding, castrating (gelding) the male horse will allow it to live full-time in
11187-543: The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The methods for training the Lipizzan stallions at the Spanish Riding School were passed down via an oral tradition until Field Marshal Franz Holbein and Johann Meixner, Senior Rider at the School, published the initial guidelines for the training of horse and rider at the school in 1898. In the mid-twentieth century, Alois Podhajsky wrote a number of works that serve as textbooks for many dressage riders today. The principles taught at
11300-476: The stallions of the Spanish Riding School and some breeding stock . By 1920, the Austrian breeding stock was consolidated at Piber. During World War II, the high command of Nazi Germany transferred most of Europe's Lipizzan breeding stock to Hostau , Czechoslovakia. The breeding stock was taken from Piber in 1942, and additional mares and foals from other European nations arrived in 1943. The stallions of
11413-822: The stallions returned to the Spanish Riding School in 1955. In 2005, the Spanish Riding School celebrated the 60th anniversary of Patton's rescue by touring the United States. During the Croatian War of Independence , from 1991 to 1995, the horses at the Lipik stable in Croatia were taken by the Serbs to Novi Sad , Serbia . The horses remained there until 2007, when calls began to be made for them to be returned to their country of origin. In October 2007, 60 horses were returned to Croatia. The Lipizzan breed suffered
11526-414: The stallions, which are: Although the Piber Stud trains mares for driving and under saddle , the Spanish Riding School exclusively uses stallions in its performances. Worldwide, the Lipizzan today competes in dressage and driving , as well as retaining their classic position at the Spanish Riding School. The "airs above the ground" are the difficult "high school" dressage movements made famous by
11639-470: The style that best fits with an individual animal's natural inclinations. Horses are mammals . As such, they are warm-blooded , or endothermic creatures, as opposed to cold-blooded, or poikilothermic animals. However, these words have developed a separate meaning in the context of equine terminology, used to describe temperament, not body temperature . For example, the " hot-bloods ", such as many race horses , exhibit more sensitivity and energy, while
11752-558: The term "Warmblood" refers to a specific subset of sport horse breeds that are used for competition in dressage and show jumping . Strictly speaking, the term " warm blood " refers to any cross between cold-blooded and hot-blooded breeds. Examples include breeds such as the Irish Draught or the Cleveland Bay . The term was once used to refer to breeds of light riding horse other than Thoroughbreds or Arabians, such as
11865-788: The trot with one of the ambling gaits. Horses are prey animals with a strong fight-or-flight response . Their first reaction to a threat is to startle and usually flee, although they will stand their ground and defend themselves when flight is impossible or if their young are threatened. They also tend to be curious; when startled, they will often hesitate an instant to ascertain the cause of their fright, and may not always flee from something that they perceive as non-threatening. Most light horse riding breeds were developed for speed, agility, alertness and endurance; natural qualities that extend from their wild ancestors. However, through selective breeding, some breeds of horses are quite docile, particularly certain draft horses. Horses are herd animals , with
11978-401: 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 . Depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, beyond. The oldest verifiable record
12091-412: The wild. Living in a group gives these stallions the social and protective benefits of living in a herd. A bachelor herd may also contain older stallions who have lost their herd in a challenge. The external genitalia comprise: The internal genitalia comprise the accessory sex glands , which include the vesicular glands , the prostate gland and the bulbourethral glands . These contribute fluid to
12204-1085: The world governing body for horse sport, uses metric measurements and defines a pony as being any horse measuring less than 148 centimetres (58.27 in) at the withers without shoes, which is just over 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm), and 149 centimetres (58.66 in; 14. 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 hands), with shoes. Height is not the sole criterion for distinguishing horses from ponies. Breed registries for horses that typically produce individuals both under and over 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) consider all animals of that breed to be horses regardless of their height. Conversely, some pony breeds may have features in common with horses, and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm), but are still considered to be ponies. Ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails, and overall coat. They also have proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, shorter and thicker necks, and short heads with broad foreheads. They may have calmer temperaments than horses and also
12317-569: The world today, developed for many different uses. 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
12430-408: Was sequenced in 2007. It contains 2.7 billion DNA base pairs , which is larger than the dog genome , but smaller than the human genome or the bovine genome . The map is available to researchers. Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings , described by a specialized vocabulary. Often, a horse is classified first by its coat color, before breed or sex. Horses of
12543-550: Was " Old Billy ", a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62. In modern times, Sugar Puff, who had been listed in Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living pony, died in 2007 at age 56. Regardless of a horse or pony's actual birth date, for most competition purposes a year is added to its age each January 1 of each year in the Northern Hemisphere and each August 1 in
12656-451: Was probably a Shire horse named Mammoth , who was born in 1848. He stood 21.2 ⁄ 4 hands (86.25 inches, 219 cm) high and his peak weight was estimated at 1,524 kilograms (3,360 lb). The record holder for the smallest horse ever is Thumbelina , a fully mature miniature horse affected by dwarfism . She was 43 centimetres; 4.1 hands (17 in) tall and weighed 26 kg (57 lb). Ponies are taxonomically
12769-693: Was the Andalusian horse and other Iberian horse breeds. By the sixteenth century, when the Habsburgs ruled both Spain and Austria, a powerful but agile horse was desired both for military uses and for use in the fashionable and rapidly growing riding schools for the nobility of central Europe. Therefore, in 1562, the Habsburg Emperor Maximillian II brought the Spanish Andalusian horse to Austria and founded
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