Horses are adapted to grazing

Horse are anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight instinct. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. 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 saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four.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.

Teeth

Horses are adapted to grazing. In an adult horse, there are 12 incisors, adapted to biting off the grass or other vegetation, at the front of the mouth. 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 that are called "tushes". Some horses, both male and female, will also develop one to four very small vestigial teeth in front of the molars, known as "wolf" teeth, which are generally removed because they can interfere with the bit.

Movement

All horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, which averages 6.4 kilometres per hour ; the two-beat trot or jog at 13 to 19 kilometres per hour; the canter or lope, a three-beat gait that is 19 to 24 kilometres per hour ; and the gallop.The gallop averages 40 to 48 kilometres per hour but the world record for a horse galloping over a short, sprint distance is 88 kilometres per hour .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.Ambling gaits are often genetic in some breeds, known collectively as gaited horses.Often, gaited horses replace the trot with one of the ambling gaits.

Behavior

Horses are prey animals with a strong fight-or-flight instinct. Their first response to threat is to startle and usually flee, although they will stand their ground and defend themselves when flight is not possible 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.However, through selective breeding, some breeds of horses are quite docile, particularly certain draft horses.Horses are herd animals, with a clear hierarchy of rank, led by a dominant animal.They are also social creatures who 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 a human as a companion, and thus be comfortable away from other horses.