Horse Facts for Kids

Do you love horses? I know I do! Horses are one of the most beloved animals on the planet. They can be used for many different purposes, such as transportation, farming, and sport. You can download a FREE horse facts for kids packet at the bottom of this post. You can read the facts, find the differences, connect the dots, and complete the horse word search puzzle and in one handy PDF! When you are done here, check out this Horse word search that you can color in too!

Different Types of Horses

Did you know that they are different kinds of horses including wild horses, draft horses, domestic horses, miniature horses, and even feral horses? From the earliest fossil horse to today’s modern horses, we will cover facts across the ages and beyond.

Did you know that there are specific terms for each kind of horse? Adult female horses are called mares, adult male horses are called stallions, and a young horse, whether a young female horse or a young male horse is called a foal.

There are over 350 different horse breeds in the world! What horse breeds do you know?

Characteristics of Horses

A horse’s brain is about the size of a grapefruit. That’s about the size of a child’s brain. That means you could have the same size brain as a horse!

Horses have a third eyelid that helps protect their eyes from dust, dirt, and flies.

A horse’s hoof has a similar function to a human fingernail; it protects the sensitive tissues beneath while providing traction on surfaces like concrete or asphalt.

A horse’s mane and tail are more than just good looks. They are also used to protect the horses from the sun and insects. Horses with long hair and a long tail tend to have more protection from these elements.

A horse’s skin is very thick and tough. It can resist cuts, scratches, and bites from other animals.

The Senses of Horses

Have you ever looked a horse straight in the eye? Horses have bigger eyes than most animals. This gives them excellent night vision and allows them to see well in low light conditions.

Horses have a strong sense of smell and can distinguish between different types of feed by scent alone.

Horses also have great hearing and can hear frequencies that are too low for humans to detect.

A horse can tell when a person is afraid or nervous around them. If you try to pet a horse that you are afraid of, it will often react by either becoming more skittish or aggressive.

Horse Facts for Kids About Size

The largest and tallest horse on record was a Shire horse named Samson; he weighed in at almost 3000 pounds and stood over 21 hands tall! Wow! There are definitely some heavy horses out there.

The smallest horse is the Falabella breed. This type of horse typically only grows to be about 28 inches tall at the shoulder. That’s just over two feet, which means these horses could be shorter than you!

Horses have a lot more muscles than humans! The human body has more than 400 muscles, but a horse has over 1800! Can you imagine that?

The average size of the Arabian horse is 5 feet. Horses are definitely not considered small animals!

Horse Facts for Kids About Diet

Horses are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. They mainly eat grasses, hay, and grains. Horses eat between 15 and 20 pounds of hay a day. That’s a lot of hay!

History of Horses

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world! Chariot races, which are a form of horse racing date back to 2000 BC. That’s a long time ago!

In ancient times, horsemen were often used in battle as they could cover more ground than soldiers on foot.

Different breeds of horses have been domesticated by humans for thousands of years. This means the wild animals have been tamed to become domesticated animals, pets, and racers. Records show horse riding has been around since 4000 BC.

Horse Facts for Kids About Speed

The average horse can run up to 30 miles per hour. Racehorses can travel at speeds up to 44 miles per hour and the fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse is 55 miles per hour. That’s faster than a lot of cars! These great speeds can be achieved by the great American Quarter Horse when travelling short distances.

More Interesting Fun Horse Facts for Kids

Horses can sleep both standing up and lying down. Have you ever fallen asleep standing up? Probably not. It doesn’t seem very comfortable.

Horses can swim! What? Have you ever seen a horse swim? Probably not. Horses usually only swim if they’re in danger or trying to get to shore.

The average lifespan of a horse is about 25 years of age.

Did you know there is such a thing as horse fairs? Horse fairs are where many people purchase their horses. The world’s largest horse fair takes place each year in the Belgian town of Mechelen; it attracts over 200,000 visitors and features over 1000 horses for sale.

Horses are used in many different forms of therapy, such as equine-assisted psychotherapy and hippotherapy. Have you ever tried equine therapy?

Have you Ever Seen a Horse?

Wow! We covered a lot of fun facts about these not so little animals. Horses can be found in areas all across the globe out in the wild, as pets, or even on the race track. Several people have horses as pets from the west coast of North America to parts of Central Asia and even Australia. There are also wild horses or feral horses that run across fields and meadowlands.

Horses are absolutely stunning animals! They have long hair and a thin coat of different color fur. Horse fur can be various shades of brown, black, white, and gray. Do you have a favorite color horse?

Whether you have a horse as a pet, see horses on the bus ride to school, or watch horse races in the summer, I’m sure you have seen a horse at least once in your life. The creatures are truly beautiful and you may want to pet them. Be careful, though. Remember, horses can actually smell fear, so take a step back and watch for afar until you are ready.

Hopefully you learned something about horses and who knows, maybe one day you will be ready to become a horseback rider.

WANT MORE FUN FACTS FOR KIDS?

Check 100 fun facts for kids here and browse all the other topics at the bottom of the post.