Biology of Horses

The biology of horses revolves around their anatomy, which encompasses the stages they go through in life, as well as their colours and breeds. It also involves the terminology which applies to them.

Life Expectancy

Years back, when the horse was relied on for many of the common things in life, such as transportation and for working, the life expectancy was of great importance. In today’s modern world, the life expectancy of the average horse is 25 to 30 years. There have been some notable ones which went far beyond this expectancy, such as:

• Old Billy who lived during the 19th century and survived to the ripe old age of 62.
• The worlds oldest pony passed away in 2007 at the age of 56.

Terminology

There is different terminology which is used to describe the age bracket of a horse. Such as:

• Foal: A baby horse, either male or female which is under the age of one.
• Weanling: If the foal has been weaned, it may be referred to as a weanling.
• Yearling: Horses between the age of one and two of either sex.
• Colt: The male horse that is under the age of four.
• Filly: The female horse that is under the age of four.
• Mare: A female horse which is four or older.
• Stallion: A male horse that is four years or older and has not been castrated.
• Gelding: This is an age of horse that has been castrated.

Understanding the terminology which applies to horses is particularly important when an individual is going to buy one. They want to know the age of the horse, and it will be explained to them using one of the above terms.