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Filly: a female
horse under the age of four. Foal: a
horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling. Most domesticated foals are weaned at 4-6 months of age. Gelding: a castrated male
horse of any age, though for convenience sake, many people also refer to a young gelding under the age of four as a "colt." For centuries
horses have been one of the most economically important domesticated animals, especially relied upon for farmwork and for transportation. Their importance declined following the introduction of mechanization. The history of the
horse is prominent in religion, mythology, art, transportation, agriculture, and warfare. Mare: a female
horse four years old and older. For centuries
horses have been one of the most economically important domesticated animals, especially relied upon for farmwork and for transportation. Their importance declined following the introduction of mechanization. The history of the
horse is prominent in religion, mythology, art, transportation, agriculture, and warfare. The
horse (Equus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten living species of the family Equidae.
Gelding: a castrated male
horse of any age, though for convenience sake, many people also refer to a young gelding under the age of four as a "colt." All
horses move naturally with four basic gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot or jog, and the leaping gaits known as the canter or lope (a three-beat gait), and the gallop. Besides these basic gaits, some
horses perform a two-beat pace, instead of the trot. In addition, there are several four-beat "ambling" gaits that are approximately the speed of a trot or pace, though smoother to ride. These include the lateral slow gait, rack, running walk, and tölt as well as the diagonal fox trot. Ambling gaits are often genetic traits in specific breeds, often referred to as gaited
horses. In most cases, gaited
horses replace the standard trot, a 2-beat gait, with one of the four beat gaits. epending on breed, management and environment, the domestic
horse today has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. It is uncommon, but a few
horses live into their 40s, and, occasionally, beyond. The oldest verifiable record was "Old Billy," a
horse that lived in the 19th century to the age of 62. In modern times, Sugar Puff, who had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest then-living pony, died at age 56. The size of
horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition. The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a
horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands as measured at the withers. An animal 14.2h or over is usually considered a
horse and one less than 14.2h is a pony. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some smaller
horse breeds who typically produce individual
horses both under and over 14.2h are considered "
horses" regardless of height. Likewise, some pony breeds, such as the Welsh pony, share some features of
horses and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2h, but are still considered ponies. The English-speaking world measures the height of
horses in hands, abbreviated "h" or "hh," and is measured at the highest point of an animal's withers. One hand is . Intermediate heights are defined by hands and inches, rounding to the lower measurement in hands, followed by a decimal point and the number of additional inches between 1 and 3. Thus a
horse described as 15.2 hh tall, means it is 15 hands, 2 inches, or in height.