Horse gestation is 11 months. Many horse live into their 20s and some live into their 30s. A baby horse is called either a colt (male) or a filly (female). The adult horse is called either a stallion (male), a gelding (a neutered male) or a mare (female).

Companionship, pleasure riding, sport (racing, polo), driving.

Herbivores, grazers, grass, hay, grain (especially oats).

Large, social, single hooved (not cloven) domestic mammal.

• When a horse is born, it's legs are almost their full adult length! - giving them that extremely cute "long legged look" we all love so much.
• A horse's tail is very important to him. Not only does it act as a flyswatter in summer, it keeps him warm in the winter! The area between his hind legs is the only part of a horse not kept warm by hair and so it loses the greatest amount of warmth.
• Most foals are born at night under cover of darkness and away from prying eyes and possible danger.
• The best time for a foal to be born is in the spring, when the weather is at its kindest and the lush spring grass is at its best for the mares.
• A newborn foal can stand up within an hour of being born and can keep up with the rest of the herd within 24 hours!
• When first born, foals cannot eat grass because their legs are too long to reach it!
• Horses all have their birthday on the same day. This makes it easier for keeping racing, breeding and showing records. In the northern Hemisphere, (which includes the USA, Canada and Europe), horses have their birthday on January the 1st. But, in the southern hemisphere, (which includes Australia, New Zealand and Japan), horses have their birthday on August the 1st.