A horse is a horse.
Of course, they'll say. But for many people, a horse is also a family member, a friend, a partner, or a kind of overgrown child, and there's a risk of believing that horses like the same things, always trust us, and won't harm us.
On the one hand, that's true, because horses are naturally good-natured, but firstly, they operate according to their own perceptions, instincts, and drives; secondly, they have a life history with good and bad experiences ; and thirdly, they can seriously injure us with a kick, run away in fear, or buck in shock. And not out of malice, but out of survival and flight instincts.
A horse is just a horse.
Horses have much longer legs, stronger teeth and more muscles than humans, can run up to 65 kilometers per hour , have an extremely long intestine and a much larger heart.
Their ears can move independently of each other and nearly 360 degrees, and can prick up or flatten. Horses hear things that remain hidden from us humans.
Their eyes are positioned laterally, allowing them to see far around. Each eye works independently, sending images to different parts of the brain, as if constantly scanning for lurking predators. The frame rate is 18 frames per second, compared to more than 20 in humans, meaning they can see objects as if in slow motion or with greater detail than we humans.
However, it has to move its head closer to the object to see more clearly. Otherwise, large, close objects appear blurry. Horses have such large retinas that they can magnify objects, making them appear up to 50 percent larger than they appear to us. Its reactions often seem incomprehensible, sometimes stupid, to us, because we believe it sees and hears like we do. However, it has excellent distance vision . It also needs this in the wild to monitor the open prairie.
As a flight animal, it can react immediately and instinctively— without pausing to think —and put distance between itself and the threat. Horses react immediately and without deliberation; their reaction is instinctive. A horse is a horse.
