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horses also provide psychological benefits to people whether they actually ride or not. "Equine-assisted" or "equine-facilitated" psychotherapy is a form of experiential psychotherapy that uses
horses as companion animals to assist people with psychological problems, including anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, behavioral difficulties, mental illness and those who are going through major life changes. Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) (also known as equine guided education or equine assisted professional development) is field of experiential learning for corporate, professional and personal development. There are also experimental programs using
horses in prison settings. Exposure to
horses appears to improve the behavior of inmates in a prison setting and help reduce recidivism when they leave. Most
horses perform work such as carrying humans or are harnessed to pull objects such as carts or plows. Hundreds of distinct
horse breeds have been developed, allowing
horses to be specialized for certain tasks; lighter
horses for racing or riding, heavier
horses for farming and other tasks requiring pulling power. Some
horses, such as the miniature
horse, can be kept as pets. In some societies,
horses are a source of food, both meat and milk; in others it is taboo to consume these products. In industrialized countries,
horses are predominantly kept for leisure and sporting pursuits, while in other parts of the world they are still used as working animals. 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.
Yearling: a
horse of either sex that is between one and two years old.
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. Most
horses perform work such as carrying humans or are harnessed to pull objects such as carts or plows. Hundreds of distinct
horse breeds have been developed, allowing
horses to be specialized for certain tasks; lighter
horses for racing or riding, heavier
horses for farming and other tasks requiring pulling power. Some
horses, such as the miniature
horse, can be kept as pets. In some societies,
horses are a source of food, both meat and milk; in others it is taboo to consume these products. In industrialized countries,
horses are predominantly kept for leisure and sporting pursuits, while in other parts of the world they are still used as working animals. Light riding
horses such as Arabians, Morgans, or Quarter
horses usually range in height from 14.0 to 16.0 hands and can weigh from to . Larger riding
horses such as Thoroughbreds, American Saddlebreds or Warmbloods usually start at about 15.2 hands and often are as tall as 17 hands weighing from to . Heavy or draft
horses such as the Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron, and Shire are usually at least 16.0 to 18.0 hands high and can weigh from about to . While ponies cannot be taller than 14.2h (147 cm), they may be much smaller, down to the Shetland pony at around 10 hands and the Falabella which can be no taller than , the size of a medium-sized dog. However, while many miniature
horse breeds are small as or smaller than a Shetland pony, because they are bred to have a
horse phenotype (appearance), their breeders and registries classify them as very small
horses rather than ponies. 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." Sports such as polo and
horseball do not judge the
horse itself, but rather use the
horse as a partner for human competitors as a necessary part of the game. Although the
horse assists this process and requires specialized training to do so, the details of its performance are not judged, only the result of the rider's actions -- be it getting a ball through a goal or some other achievement. Examples of these sports of partnership between human and animal also include jousting (reenacting the skills used by medieval knights), where the main goal is for one rider to dismount the other, and buzkashi, a team game played throughout Central Asia, the aim being to capture a goat carcass while on
horseback. Sports such as polo and
horseball do not judge the
horse itself, but rather use the
horse as a partner for human competitors as a necessary part of the game. Although the
horse assists this process and requires specialized training to do so, the details of its performance are not judged, only the result of the rider's actions -- be it getting a ball through a goal or some other achievement. Examples of these sports of partnership between human and animal also include jousting (reenacting the skills used by medieval knights), where the main goal is for one rider to dismount the other, and buzkashi, a team game played throughout Central Asia, the aim being to capture a goat carcass while on
horseback.
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.