Horses Are Special!

 Charlotte Jones - O’Brien                                                        March 7th, 2013

Grade 4                                                                        Reading/Writing

Horses Are Special!

From the Akhal-Teke, a Turkmeni workhorse, to the Welsh Cob, there are more than 250 breeds of horses. The modern horse has been around for thousands of years. I present here some important facts about horses.

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Horses! These are beautiful racing animals. What makes them so large, but quick,?  Here are some parts of their body structure. The leg carries the body. The leg area includes a Sorrel, a Stifle, a Hock, and the Point of the Shoulder. They are mammals. Why is the neck long? The neck of a horse is long because if its neck wasn’t there, the horse wouldn’t be able to graze. Did you know that a horse has two types of teeth? It has one type for pulling  the grass, and the other for chewing the grass.

Their body structure is magnificent.

Species

There are at least 250 breeds of horses, following are seven examples of horses.  Some ancient horses are the First Horse  (Eohippus) and the Giant Horse. Modern horses include the Barb, Mustang, Arab, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Lusitano, Clydesdale, and many more. Clydesdales and Shires are work horses. They pull and carry heavy things and are used in farming. The Bard, Arab, and the Thoroughbred are bred for racing and acrobatics. The Mustangs were almost hunted to extinction, but now they are protected by law. The First Horse was tiny and had three “toes” as they called them. It fed primarily on leaves.  The Giant Horse was the biggest horse ever to exist on Earth.

Habitats

Horses live all over the world. They live in places with lush grass and water holes. The desert is an unusual place for a horse to live. The Barb and Arab breeds originated there. The rocky mountains are another unusual place for horses because of the steep sides and deep canyons. Horses live wherever there are people.

Behavior and Adaptations

Horses have many special behaviors and physical adaptations. For example, a horse has lots of reaction to smells, quick movements, and all sort of other things. When a horse has its ears to the side, it is relaxed. When a horse has its ears forward, that signifies that it is alert. When a horse’s ears are backward, it is fearful or  feeling threatened. A horse doesn’t have many physical adaptations. Two examples of adaptations: it sheds its hair very quickly when the cold weather has passed because when a horse sweats it can get very sick; a horse will also grow new winter hair very quickly to protect it from the cold. If a horse gets too cold, it can die very quickly.