HORSE

HORSE. The horse in America dates at least from the single-hoofed Equus caballus that emerged in Pleistocene times, about 1 million years ago. Ancestors of the modern horse began a westward migration from North America across the land bridge between the north coast of Alaska and that of Siberia. Some paleontologists suspect that the horse disappeared in America not more than, and possibly less than, 10,000 years ago.

The horse was reintroduced into the Western Hemisphere with the voyages of discovery by Christopher Columbus for Spain at the end of the fifteenth century. These Spanish steeds, derived from Moorish stock, first landed in the Caribbean in November 1493. The Spanish horses acclimated rapidly and within twenty years formed the chief supply for the Spanish mainland expeditions. Other European explorers brought horses to eastern and western parts of the New World in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. English colonists imported European horses. In the British colonies as a whole, horses were valued for riding, hunting, and racing.

The adoption of the horse by Native Americans, after the initial impact, increased rapidly and proved a major implement of change for the nomadic Plains tribes. By 1660, Indians had learned the value of horses and had begun to use them. During the next forty years the horse spread into the plains and mountains with great rapidity. In 1805 and 1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark noted the use of horses by Indians. With horses, the Kiowa ranged more than 1,000 miles in a summer. Some eastern forest tribes, once partially agricultural, moved out into the grassland with acquired horses and turned to hunting. The equestrian tribes were often at war with one another and raided white settlements to steal more horses.

Horses were crucial for transportation and inland migration prior to the development of the railroad. Extractive industries, manufacturers, and city distributive systems were all dependent on horsepower. The stagecoach was the first inland interregional utility, and the post rider opened communication with outlying settlements. Horses drew canal boats and railcars and served hunters, trappers, and miners. Cow horses carried cowboys on long cattle drives, herding livestock. The night horse was used to stand guard. Cavalry mounts and supply teams were adjuncts of military organizations and campaigning on every front. Approximately 1,500,000 horses and mules died during the Civil War (1861–1865).

The twentieth-century revolution worked by the internal combustion engine resulted in a displacement of horses for power and transportation. Tractor-drawn corn planters could plant an average of seventy acres of corn, compared to a horse-drawn average of only sixteen acres. From about 26 million farm horses and mules in the United States in 1920, the number declined to slightly more than 3 million horses and mules on farms in 1960.

American Breeds

American horse breeders carefully selected breeding stock and monitored pedigrees in an attempt to cultivate desired characteristics. Sometimes especially swift or capable horses were produced by chance. Superb horses were occasionally discovered and of unknown parentage. These animals were retained as studs or broodmares in the hopes that their talents or physical attributes would be transmitted to offspring. As a result, breeds unique to the United States were developed, especially in the twentieth century, to meet performance needs. Breed associations were formed to preserve genetic records and promote specific types of horses.

The American Quarter Horse is the first horse breed distinctive to the United States. Descended from a mixture of American breeds and imported bloodstock during the colonial period, Quarter Horses are exceptionally sturdy, muscular, versatile, and fast. They accompanied Americans from Atlantic colonies to the western frontier, where they were valued for their cow sense. Cattlemen, including those at the famous King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, developed outstanding lines of Quarter Horses. One of the King Ranch Quarter Horses, Wimpy, was named grand champion stallion at the 1941 Fort Worth Exposition. The American Quarter Horse Association, founded in 1940, assigned Wimpy its first registration number, and he became a leading foundation sire. Quarter Horses fill many roles. The All-American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, distributes a $2 million purse to Quarter Horses that sprint 440 yards. The American Quarter Horse Heritage Center and Museum at Amarillo, Texas, preserves this breed's history.

Justin Morgan's horse Figure, foaled in Massachusetts in 1793, founded a line notable not only for speed but also for light draft. Rhode Island developed one of the most distinctive and noted types of the period in the Narragansett pacer, a fast, easy-gaited saddle horse, but one not suited for driving or draft purposes. The stylishly moving American Saddlebred represents a mixture of Narragansett Pacer, Arabian, Standardbred, and Thoroughbred ancestors. Established in 1891, The American Saddle Horse Breeder's Association (later renamed American Saddlebred Horse Association) was the first American breed association, and Denmark was designated the main foundation sire.

Tennessee Walking Horses represent a conglomeration of breeds which produced a gaited horse that is renowned for its running walk. This breed is based on the line of foundation sire Allan F-1. The Racking Horse has a comfortable, natural four-beat gait which southern planters valued. Ozark settlers bred the Missouri Fox Trotter, which had a sliding gait that eased travel in hilly areas.

Most modern Appaloosas are related to the horses bred by the Nez Perce Indians. These spotted horses often

also have Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and Arabian ancestry. Joker B. and Colida were two of the Appaloosa Horse Club's outstanding foundation stallions after that association was formed in 1938. The Pony of the Americas (POA) was created by crossing an Appaloosa mare and a Shetland pony stallion. The resulting foal, Black Hand, became the POA foundation sire, establishing a breed especially for children to ride and show.

The American Cream Draft Horse is the sole draft breed created in the United States. Representatives of this breed are descended from a pink-skinned, cream-colored Iowa mare named Old Granny. After mechanization resulted in the slaughter of many draft horses, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy cited the American Cream Draft Horse as an endangered breed.

Horse Culture

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, 6.9 million horses were living in the United States and were used by 1.9 million horse owners for recreational or commercial purposes. Approximately one-half of American horses are kept for their owners to enjoy and ride for pleasure. About one-third of horses are used primarily for shows and competitions. An estimated 725,000 horses race or are used as broodmares and studs on racehorse farms. Slightly more than one million horses fill working roles such as agricultural laborers and police mounts. Others are used as rodeo stock or for polo teams.

Although horses are found throughout the United States, Kentucky's Bluegrass region is specifically identified with equines. The center of American horse racing activity, Kentucky is home to major racing stables and tracks. The Kentucky Horse Park and the International Museum of the Horse were established at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1978 to educate people about horses and to host significant equine-related artistic, cultural, and sporting events. This thousand-acre site includes the Hall of Champions and the grave of the famous racehorse Man o' War. The museum is the world's largest equestrian museum and examines the history of human-horse interactions, providing online access to exhibits via the Internet. The daily Parade of Breeds highlights representatives of distinctive American horse breeds.

Pony, 4-H, and local riding clubs offer opportunities for equestrians to learn about horses. Riders barrel race at rodeos. Equestrians also compete at such prestigious events as the National Horse Show, held annually at Madison Square Garden in New York since 1883. Members of the United States Equestrian Team participate in international equestrian sporting events including the Olympics.

Legislation and Statistics

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was organized in 1866 to protest horse abuse. During the late nineteenth century, George T. Angell established similar humane groups in Massachusetts to protect horses. Congress passed the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in 1970, then amended it in 1976 with further revisions in 1983 to provide legal measures to prevent abusive treatment of horses. Specifically, the HPA forbids people from soring horses. This procedure involves application of stimulants, such as chemical pastes or sharp chains, to make a horse step higher or perform more spectacularly than normal in order to win competitions or earn higher prices at sales. After receiving training and being licensed by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)–approved horse agency, a Designated Qualified Person (DQP) monitors horses at shows and auctions to inspect, detect, and bar any animals that have been sored.

The HPA declares that soring of horses for exhibitions or sales as well as the interstate transportation of sored animals to horse shows is prohibited. People convicted of soring horses are usually prevented from participating in future shows and sales for a specific time period, occasionally being disqualified for life, fined as much as $5,000, and sometimes sentenced to as much as a two-year prison term. State and local governments often prosecute people for committing acts that violate regional animal welfare legislation.

In 1996, the American Horse Council Foundation, created in 1969, commissioned a study to evaluate how the horse industry impacts the U.S. economy. The study determined that the American horse industry contributes annually $25.3 billion of goods and services to the national economy and pays taxes totaling $1.9 billion. The horse industry provides more income to the gross domestic product than such significant industries as furniture and tobacco manufacturing, motion picture production, and railroad transportation.

Throughout the United States, breeding, training, and boarding stables, horse show arenas, racetracks, and auction barns hire workers for various tasks, ranging from grooms and stable hands to jockeys and stable managers. At least 7.1 million people participate in some aspect of the horse industry. More Americans are employed by the horse industry than work in media broadcasting, railroad, or tobacco, coal, and petroleum manufacturing positions. Millions more are active as spectators at equine events.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

American Horse Council Home page at: http://www.horsecouncil.org/

American Quarter Horse Association. Home page at http://www.aqha.com.

Appaloosa Horse Club. Home page at http://www.appaloosa.com.

Kentucky Horse Park and the International Museum of the Horse. Home page at http://www.imh.org.

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association. Home page at http://www.twhbea.com.

Cypher, John. Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch: A Worldwide Sea of Grass. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.

Denhardt, Robert M. The Quarter Running Horse: America's Oldest Breed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979.

Edwards, Elwyn Hartley. The Encyclopedia of the Horse. Photography by Bob Langrish and Kit Houghton. Foreword by Sharon Ralls Lemon. London and New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1994.

Gray, Bob. Great Horses of the Past. Houston: Cordovan Corp., 1967.

Hillenbrand, Laura. Seabiscuit: An American Legend. New York: Random House, 2001.

Horse Industry Directory. Washington, D.C.: Published annually by the American Horse Council in cooperation with American Horse Publications, 1976–.

Mellin, Jeanne. The Complete Morgan Horse. Lexington, Mass.: S. Greene Press, 1986.

Ward, Kathleen Rauschl. The American Horse: From Conquistadors to the 21st Century. Belleville, Mich.: Maple Yard Publications, 1991.

Zeh, Lucy. Etched in Stone: Thoroughbred Memorials. Lexington, Ky.: Blood-Horse, 2000.

TomFulton

Elizabeth D.Schafer

See alsoHorse Racing and Showing ; Indians and the Horse ; Mule ; Mustangs ; Pony Express ; Rodeos .

horse hoofed, herbivorous mammal now represented by a single extant genus, Equus. The term horse commonly refers only to the domestic Equus caballus and to the wild Przewalski's horse . (Other so-called wild horses are feral domestic horses or their descendants.) Adapted to plains environments, all Equus species, including the ass and the zebra , have lengthened foot bones ending in a single toe covered by a hoof, for fast running; teeth shaped for grinding grass; and intestinal protozoa for digesting cellulose. All species have tufts of hair on the tail, used against insects, and manes on the neck. Horses, zebras, and asses can interbreed, but the offspring are usually sterile. The offspring of a horse and a donkey (domestic ass) is called a mule.

A male horse is called a stallion, or if castrated, a gelding; a female is a mare; her offspring are foals—males are colts, females are fillies. A male parent is a sire, a female parent is a dam. A single foal is born after a gestation of about 11 months. Horses reach sexual maturity in about two years, but are not fully grown for about five years. The average life span is 18 years, but 30-year-old horses are common. The standard unit of height is a hand, equal to 4 in. (10 cm).

See horse racing ; equestrianism .

History and Breeds

The earliest known direct ancestor of Equus, the eohippus [Gr.,=dawn horse], 10 to 20 in. (25–50 cm) tall, lived approximately 50 million years ago in both the Old and New Worlds. Equus originally evolved in North America by the late Pliocene epoch, about three million years ago, spreading to all continents except Australia. Horses disappeared from the Americas for unknown reasons about 10,000 years ago, to be reintroduced by Europeans, c.AD 1500.

Many species of Equus arose in the Old World. Horses were probably first domesticated by central Asian nomads around 3500 BC Horses were recorded in Mesopotamia and China (c.2000 BC), Greece (c.1700 BC), Egypt (c.1600 BC), and India (c.1500 BC). Horses were domesticated in W Europe no later than 1000 BC It is not known whether these early domesticated horses developed from a single wild race or from many local races.

Largely superseding the slower, less manageable ass, which had been domesticated much earlier, the horse's first known use was for drawing Mesopotamian war chariots. It was long reserved primarily for warfare and for transportation for the rich and well-born, while cheaper animals (e.g., oxen, mules, and donkeys) were used for lowlier work. Horses figured importantly in war and conquest in Europe, central Asia, and the Middle East for over 3,000 years. Early warriors rode bareback or with saddle cloths. The saddle and the stirrup were probably developed in China in the early Christian era, spread by Asian horsemen (such as the Huns), and adopted by Arabs and Europeans in the early Middle Ages. Arab cavalry conquered the Middle East and N Africa in the 7th cent. AD In the same period, armored knights were riding to battles in Europe. With highly developed cavalry tactics, the Mongols extended their 13th cent. empire from China to E Europe.

The Spanish conquistadors brought horses to the New World, where Native Americans soon acquired them from ranches and missions. The Plains Indians of North America quickly developed a horse culture that led to their ascendancy in numbers and power. Horses were used for hunting buffalo and other game, for warfare, and for pulling loads on a travois . Escaped Indian horses were ancestral to the mustang , the so-called wild horse of the W United States.

The two major groups of modern horses—the light, swift southern breeds, called light horses , and the heavy, powerful northern breeds, called draft horses —are believed to have arisen independently. The small breeds called ponies may derive from a southern, light horse or from a wild race.

Draft Horses

During Roman times the Gauls and other Europeans used horses of the heavy, northern type for pulling loads and other work. In the Middle Ages huge draft animals, over 16 hands (64 in./160 cm) high, were bred to carry armored knights as well as their own armor. As cavalry warfare declined, such medieval inventions as the horseshoe and the rigid horse-collar (see harness ) made draft horses more useful for work. By the 19th cent. the draft horse had replaced the ox in N Europe and North America. Draft breeds common in the United States were the Belgian , the Clydesdale , the Percheron ; and the Shire , also the most common draft horse in England.

Light Horses

Modern light horses, all descended in part from the Arabian horse , the oldest surviving breed of known lineage, include the Thoroughbred , celebrated as a racehorse; the American saddlebred horse , known for its easy gaits; the Morgan and the quarter horse , favored for riding and cow herding; and the Standardbred , or trotter, developed for light harness racing. The Appaloosa and the Pinto , much used in cow herding, are distinguished by their patterned colors. The palomino is not a breed but a color type. Among the small horses are the Shetland pony and Welsh pony . The terms cow pony and polo pony refer to the animal's use rather than its size or breed. Although little used for work today, horses are widely owned for recreational riding and show activities.

Classification

Horses are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Perissodactyla, family Equidae.

Bibliography

See A. Hyland, Equus (1990); E. H. Edwards and C. Geddes, ed., The Complete Horse Book (1991); K. R. Ward, The American Horse (1991); J. Clutton-Brock, Horse Power (1992); J. Holderness-Roddam, The New Complete Book of the Horse (1992); A. N. Greene, Horses at Work: Harnessing Power in Industrial America (2008); P. Kelekna, The Horse in Human History (2009).

336. Horse

1. Al Borak white horse Muhammad rode to the seven heavens. [Islam: Leach, 172]
2. Arion fabulous winged horse; offspring of Demeter and Poseidon. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 31]
3. Arundel Bevis’s incomparable steed. [Br. Lit.: Bevis of Hampton ]
4. Assault famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
5. Balius immortal steed of Achilles. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 44]
6. Bavieca the Cid’s horse. [Sp. Legend: Brewer Dictionary, 80]
7. Black Beauty story of a horse has become a children’s classic. [Br. Lit.: Black Beauty, Payton, 80]
8. Black Bess belonged to the notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin. [Br. Hist.: Benét, 103]
9. Bucephalus wild steed, broken by Alexander to be his mount. [Gk. Hist.: Leach, 167]
10. centaur beast that is half-horse, half-man. [Gk. Myth.: Mercatante, 201–202]
11. Citation famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
12. Clavileño legendary wooden horse on which Don Quixote and Sancho Panza think they are taking a journey through the air. [Span. Lit.: Bella, 205]
13. Flicka a paragon of horses. [TV: “My Friend Flicka” in Terrace, II, 125]
14. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The ride white, red, black, and pale horses, symbolizing, respectively, invasion, civil strife, scarcity and famine, and pestilence and death. [N.T.: Revelation 6:1-8]
15. Gallant Fox famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
16. Gilpin, John his borrowed horse carries him at a mad pace for miles to its owner’s home, then turns and runs back. [Br. Poetry: John Gilpin’s Ride ]
17. Grane Brünnhilde’s war horse, presented to Siegfried. [Ger. Opera: Wagner, Gotterdammerung, Westerman, 244]
18. Gringalet Gawain’s steed. [Br. Lit.: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ]
19. Gunpowder Ichabod Crane’s favorite steed. [Am. Lit.: Washington Irving “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”]
20. Hambletonian famous trotting horse after which race for threeyear-old trotters is named. [Am. Culture; Mathews, 769]
21. Harum, David would rather trade horses than eat or sleep. [Am. Lit.: David Harum in Magill I, 192]
22. Hippolytus, St. patron saint of horses. [Christian Hagiog.: Brewster, 367]
23. Houyhnhnms race of horses that represent nobility, virtue, and reason. [Br. Lit.: Gulliver ’s Travels ]
24. Man o’ War (“Big Red” ) famous racehorse foaled at Belmont Stables. [Am. Hist.: Payton, 421]
25. Meg (Maggie ) Tam O’Shanter’s gray mare that lost her tail to the witch. [Scot. Poetry: Burns “Tam O’Shanter”]
26. Mr. Ed the talking horse. [TV: Terrace, II, 116–117]
27. Native Dancer famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
28. Pegasus winged mount of Bellerophon. [Gk. Myth.: Hall, 238]
29. roan stallion tramples its owner to death and is shot by his wife, though she had been seduced by the stallion’s beauty. [Am. Poetry: Robinson Jeffers The Roan Stallion in Magill I, 835]
30. Rosinante Don Quixote’s mount. [Span. Lit.: Don Quixote ]
31. Scout Tonto’s horse. [TV: “The Lone Ranger” in Terrace, II, 34; Radio: “The Lone Ranger” in Buxton, 143]
32. Seabiscuit famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
33. Seattle Slew famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
34. Secretariat famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]
35. Shadowfax great horse of the wizard Gandalf. [Br. Lit.: J. R. R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings ]
36. Silver the Lone Ranger’s trusty steed. [Radio: “The Lone Ranger” in Buxton, 143–144; TV: Terrace, II, 34–35]
37. Sleipnir Odin’s eight-legged gray horse. [Norse Myth.: Benét, 937]
38. Tony Tom Mix’s “Wonder Horse.” [Radio: “Tom Mix” in Buxton, 241–242]
39. Topper Hopalong Cassidy’s faithful horse. [Cinema and TV: “Hopalong Cassidy” in Terrace, I, 369]
40. Trigger Roy Roger’s horse. [TV: “The Roy Rogers Show” in Terrace, II, 260]
41. Whirlaway famous horse in history of thoroughbred racing. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1273]

HORSES

The horse originated in the Western Hemisphere but it became extinct there at the end of the ice age (around 10,000 b.c.). Horses had migrated into Asia before this time, and there the species continued. From Asia horses spread both northward and westward, and they were domesticated by man by 4350 b.c.. Between a.d. 900 and 1000 horses came into widespread use throughout Europe. When Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) landed at Hispaniola (present-day Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) in 1492, he brought with him horses and cattle. These were the first seen in the New World in 7,500 years; the Native Americans had no beasts of burden prior to the arrival of the Europeans. In 1540 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (1500?–42) landed on the Gulf coast of Florida with more than six hundred men and two hundred horses. Also in 1540, Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (c. 1510–54), who was looking for the Seven Cities of Cibola (mythical cities thought to contain vast treasures), arrived in the American southwest and brought with him the first horses and livestock ever seen in the region.

The introduction of the horse had a profound effect on North and South America. The Spanish conquistadors rode on horseback in battle against the native inhabitants, and they could easily subdue them and claim their lands. (The Spaniards also had guns, which combined with the horse to give them the advantage over the Native American warriors.) The American Indians that survived European incursion learned how to raise and use horses themselves. This knowledge enabled them to hunt game such as buffalo more effectively. The horse allowed the European settlers to expand westward via stagecoach and covered wagon and to convey messages cross country (by Pony Express).

Until the advent of the train (called the "iron horse") in the mid-1800s, the horse was the primary means for overland travel in the United States. It also figured prominently in the nation's military history, including the American Revolution (1775–83) and the American Civil War (1861–65). In 1811 construction began on the first federal road, the Cumberland Road (also called the National Road). Beginning in Cumberland, Maryland, the road continued west to St. Louis, Missouri. As a result, St. Louis received an influx of immigrants and became a vital trade center later that century.

See also: Columbian Exchange, National Road, Mesoamerica

horses were probably introduced into Ireland during the early Bronze Age. Harness trappings from archaeological sites and early medieval literature both suggest a connection between horsemanship and high social status. During the later medieval period small riding ‘hobby’ horses were highly valued, and small dual‐purpose horses (gearrain), for working and riding, became common. Descendants of the latter survived into the 20th century in hilly areas such as west Kerry and the Glens of Antrim.

Horse racing has been a major sport in Ireland since the 18th century, and the Irish thoroughbred industry is now world famous. Large working horses such as Clydesdales were introduced to lowland farms in Ireland during the early 19th century. Between 1846 and 1871 there were 206 Irish Clydesdale sires registered in the breed's stud book, and the breed remained popular until the 1950s. On smaller farms, however, lighter dual‐purpose horses remained most common. In the late 19th century it became accepted that these constituted a distinctively Irish type of working horse. During the 1880s, the Royal Dublin Society began an organized breeding programme to upgrade these horses, and by 1905 an ‘Irish Draught’ horse was generally recognized. A stud book for the breed was established in 1917.

In 1901, there were 564,916 horses in Ireland, and numbers remained at this level until after the First World War, when tractors, lorries, and motor cars slowly began to compete. It was not until c.1960, however, that the number of tractors exceeded the number of working horses in Ireland. The modern horse‐breeding and ‐training industries are based on horse racing and other leisure pursuits. Irish Draught horses survive as basic stock for cross‐breeding with thoroughbreds to produce the world‐famous Irish Hunter. Halfbred cobs and riding ponies, notably the Connemara, are bred for riding and trekking.

Jonathan Bell

211. Horses

See also 16. ANIMALS .

dressage

the training of horses in obedience and the execution of precise movements.

equestrianism

1. the art of horsemanship.

2. the practice of this art. —equestrian, equestrienne , n. —equestrian , adj.

equitation

the art or act of riding on horseback; horsemanship.

hippiatrics

1. the study and treatment of diseases of horses.

2. a work on the diseases of horses. Also hippiatry . —hippiatrist , n. —hippia-tric , adj.

hippodrome

Ancient Greece and Rome. an arena for horse races.

hippology

the study of horses.

hippomancy

a form of divination involving the observation of horses, especially by listening to their neighing.

hippomania

a mama for horses.

hippopathology

the study and treatment of the diseases of the horse.

hippophile

a lover of horses.

hippophobia

an abnormal fear of horses.

leucippotomy

the sculpting of white horses on hillsides by cutting away grass and earth to reveal underlying stone or chalk deposits, thought to be a sym-bol of Odin, as near Uffington, England.

manège, manege

1. the art and practice of horsemanship.

2. the special paces taught to a horse in training.

3. the school or academy where they are taught.

horse the horse, used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads, is taken as a type of strength. (See also horses.)
horse chestnut the fruit of this tree is said to have been an Eastern remedy for chest diseases in horses, and the name (recorded from the late 16th century) translates (now obsolete) botanical Latin Castanea equina.
Horse Guards in the UK, the mounted squadrons provided from the Household Cavalry for ceremonial duties.
horse latitudes a belt of calm air and sea occurring in both the northern and southern hemispheres between the trade winds and the westerlies.
Horse-marines a name for the 17th Lancers, two troops of whom were once employed as marines during fighting in the West Indies (see also, tell that to the horse marines).
you can take a horse to water but you cannot make him drink even if you create the right circumstances, you cannot persuade someone to do something against their will; proverbial saying recorded from the late 12th century.

See also back the wrong horse, put the cart before the horse, dark horse, never look a gift horse in the mouth, a good horse cannot be of a bad colour, horses, straight from the horse's mouth.

horse / hôrs/ • n. 1. a solid-hoofed plant-eating domesticated mammal (Equus caballus) with a flowing mane and tail, used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads. The horse family (Equidae) also includes the asses and zebras. ∎  an adult male horse; a stallion or gelding. ∎  a wild mammal of the horse family. ∎  [treated as sing. or pl.] cavalry: forty horse and sixty foot. 2. a frame or structure on which something is mounted or supported, esp. a sawhorse. ∎  short for pommel horse or vaulting horse. 3. inf. heroin. 4. inf. a unit of horsepower: the huge 63-horse 701-cc engine. • v. [tr.] (usu. be horsed) provide (a person or vehicle) with a horse or horses. PHRASES: from the horse's mouth (of information) from the person directly concerned or another authoritative source.PHRASAL VERBS: horse around inf. fool around. DERIVATIVES: horse·less adj. horse·like / -līk/ adj.

horses change horses in midstream change one's mind or tactics midway through a course of action. Recorded from the mid 19th century, quoted by Abraham Lincoln as the saying of ‘an old Dutch farmer’, and often as the proverbial saying, don't change horses in midstream.
horses for courses proverbial saying, late 19th century, originally (in horse-racing) meaning that different horses are suited to different race-courses; now used more generally to mean that different people are suited to different roles.
wild horses won't drag someone to something nothing will make someone go to a particular place, an emphatic assertion referring to the traditional punishment of tying someone to one or more wild horses to be dragged to death or pulled apart. (St Giles and St Hippolytus, a Roman martyr of the 3rd century are said to have been torn apart by wild horses.)

See also horse, if you can't ride two horses at once, if wishes were horses at wish.

horse Hoofed mammal that evolved in North America but became extinct there during the late Pleistocene epoch. Early horse forms crossed the land bridge across the Bering Strait, dispersed throughout Asia, Europe and Africa, and produced the modern horse family. The only surviving true wild horse is Przewalski's horse. The horse was first domesticated about 5000 years ago in central Asia and played a crucial role in agricultural and military development. Horses returned to the New World with the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s. Horses are characterized by one large functional toe, molars with crowns joined by ridges for grazing, an elongated skull and a simple stomach. Fast runners, they usually live in harasses. All species in the family can interbreed. Family Equideae; species Equus caballus.

horse.
1. An elevated rod, fixed at both ends and parallel with the deck of a sailing vessel, to which the sheets of sails can be led. Lateral movement of the sheet is made by means of a traveller which can slide from side to side of the horse according to the trim of the sail. Before yachts were Bermudan rigged with foresails that overlapped the mainsail, a horse was fitted mainly for use with foresails. In old-fashioned sailing dinghies, the mainsail sheet is sometimes led to a small horse fitted on the boat's counter or taffrail. See also flemish horse.

2. See footropes.

horse the quadruped Equus caballus OE.; contrivance whose use suggests the service of a horse XIV. OE. hors n. = OS. hros, hers (MLG. ros, ors, MDu. ors, Du. ros), OHG. (h)ros (MHG. ros, ors, G. ross) n., ON. hross m. :- Gmc. *χursam, -az, of unkn. orig. In attrib. use often denoting coarseness, roughness, or large size, as horse chestnut (XVI), laugh (XVIII), leech (XV), mackerel (XVII), play (XVI), radish (XVII).
Hence horse vb. OE. horsian.

horse Equus caballus; a 150‐g portion is an exceptionally rich source of iron; a rich source of protein and niacin, and a source of vitamins B₁ and B₂; contains about 5 g of fat, of which one‐third is saturated; supplies 175 kcal (735 kJ).

horse A lenticular or sigmoidal mass of rock which is completely bounded by two or more thrust faults which rejoin along the strike and up-dip. The term may also be used for the analogous structure in strikeslip terrains (see STRIKE-SLIP FAULT).

horse n.
1. cavalry: forty horse and sixty foot.

2. a horizontal bar, rail, or rope in the rigging of a sailing ship for supporting something.
v. (usually be horsed) provide (a person or vehicle) with a horse or horses.
horseless adj.

horse n. a horizontal bar, rail, or rope in the rigging of a sailing ship for supporting something.

Horses, see EQUESTRIAN DRAMA.

horse (Equus) See EQUIDAE.

horse •coarse, corse, course, divorce, endorse (US indorse), enforce, force, gorse, hoarse, horse, morse, Norse, perforce, reinforce, sauce, source, torse •Wilberforce • workforce • packhorse •carthorse • racehorse • sea horse •hobby horse • Whitehorse •sawhorse, warhorse •clothes horse • shire horse •workhorse • racecourse • concourse •intercourse • watercourse •outsource