OVERVIEW
FUN FACTS
– Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.
– Horses can run shortly after birth.
– Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years.
– A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years.
– Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.
– Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years.
– Horses are herbivores (plant eaters).
– Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land.
– Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.
• Review relevant vocabulary and key terms: therapy, recreation, breed
• Read any relevant and available literature about horses before the class trip. Encourage the students to become familiar with horses to entice questions about them and to ease their interactions with the animals.
Questions to ask staff: What are the uses of a horse’s body parts? Tail? Whiskers?
Describe how the demeanor of a horse is calmed during grooming?
Observe how riders balance themselves while riding a horse. What do they look like? What are they doing to maintain their balance?
Opinion: What is a horse’s greatest attribute? Why?
Compare two horses from the stable. What are the similarities between their appearances, speed, ability, demeanor, etc.?
Challenge: Using observation, predict which horses will jump the farthest? Run the fastest? Support your predictions.