We all know basic things about horses - they are big creatures, they have hooves, they are beautiful - but let me share some facts about them that will both blow your mind and bring a newfound admiration for them!

Horses have highly developed senses, especially their eyesight and hearing. They have large eyes, which, positioned on the sides of their heads, give them an almost 360-degree field of vision. They can also rotate their ears whichever way they like, and sometimes you can tell if they're feeling relaxed, attentive, or panicked by their ears. They can also sense your feelings.

Horses can sleep standing up - in fact, they rarely sleep lying down. This is because they are prey animals. It takes a while for them to get up after lying down, and if they were being attacked by another animal, it would be better if they had just been standing up and ready to run. These are horse instincts, so domesticated horses do this as well.

Horses have a very developed respiratory system, allowing them to exert themselves in activities like racing and jumping.

One really cool thing is that you can tell a horse's emotion by their body language! The first thing to look at is their outline - a soft outline with a droopy head and relaxed tail means they are happy, while an arched neck, tense muscles, and pricked ears indicate they are alert or panicked. If they show the whites of their eyes, it means they are startled or scared.

Horses are amazing, and now you know so much more about them - hopefully, this new knowledge will help form strong bonds!

Written by Dyana and proof-read by Akasha