The mammal Equisetum Chiroptera is a herbivorous livestock. In ancient times, horses were the main driving force of agricultural production, transportation and military activities. With the invention and wide application of power machinery, the service value of horses has obviously declined in some industrialized countries, and almost all field operations have been replaced by tractors. Horses are mainly used for equestrian sports and milk and meat production, and the breeding quantity has been greatly reduced. However, in some developing countries and regions, horses are still mainly used for service and are an important source of service strength.
The origin and domestication of horses originated from Cenozoic and Early Tertiary 60 million years ago. Its primitive ancestor was a protohoofed animal, with a short stature, five toes on each limb and a well-developed middle toe. Shi Xinma, or ancestor horse, who lived in the early Eocene of Tertiary 58 million years ago, was about 40 cm tall. The forelimb is low and has four toes; The hind legs are high and have three toes. Simple teeth, suitable for tropical forest life. After entering the Miocene, the dry grassland replaced the wet shrub, and the function and structure of the horse changed obviously: the physique increased, the limbs became longer and became single toe; Teeth become hard and complicated. After the gradual evolution of Singapore-Malaysia, China-Singapore-Malaysia and Shanghai-Singapore-Malaysia, it was not until the Quaternary Pleistocene that a single-hoofed, tall Malaysia appeared.
Domestic horses are domesticated by wild horses. China was one of the first countries to domesticate horses. From the relics of Dawenkou culture period and Yangshao culture period in Shandong and Jiangsu in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, it is proved that several wild horse breeds have been domesticated as domestic animals around 6000 years. Horses were domesticated later than dogs and cows.
Biological properties
Different breeds of horses vary greatly in size. Heavy variety weight 1200 kg, height 200 cm. The small variety weighs less than 200 kg and is only 95 cm tall. The so-called pocket pony is only 60 centimeters tall. The head is straight and long and the ears are short. The limbs are long, the bones are solid, the tendons and ligaments are developed, and cicadas with palm and pillow traces (commonly known as night eyes) have hard hooves and can run quickly on hard ground. The coat color is complex, mostly dark brown, chestnut, blue and black. Take off the quilt in spring and autumn. Developed sweat glands are conducive to regulating body temperature, not afraid of cold and heat, and easy to adapt to the new environment. The chest is deep and wide, with developed heart and lungs, suitable for running and strenuous labor. Esophageal stenosis, single stomach and large intestine, especially cecum, are extremely developed, which is helpful to digest and absorb coarse grains. Without gallbladder, bile duct is developed. The chewing ability of teeth is very strong, and the gap between incisors and molars is called occlusal part, which is used to hold the occlusal body when driving. According to the number, shape and wear degree of teeth, the age can be determined (Figure 3), and the hearing and smell are keen. The distance between the eyes is large, and the overlapping part of the visual field is only 30%, so the judgment of the distance is poor; At the same time, the eye's focal length adjustment ability is weak, and it can only form a blurred image for objects 500 meters away, but it can distinguish the shape and color of nearby objects well. The head and neck are flexible, and the visual area of both eyes reaches 330 ~ 360. There is a photosensitive film on the outer layer of retina, which has strong sensitivity and can see the surrounding objects clearly at night. Horses are easy to train. Through the sense organs such as hearing, smell and vision, a firm memory can be formed. The average life expectancy is 30 ~ 35 years old, and the longest can reach more than 60 years old. The service age is 3 ~ 15 years old, and some can reach 20 years old.
type
There are more than 200 kinds of horses in the world, and there are more than 30 kinds in China. It can be mainly divided into local small breeds, riding type, fast-paced type, heavy-pulling type and both-pulling and riding type. Feeding management methods mainly include herd management, house feeding management and pony training and cultivation.
Mongolian horse
Mongolian horse is one of the oldest horse breeds in China and even in the world. Mainly produced in Inner Mongolia grassland, it is a typical grassland horse breed. Mongolian horses are not big, with an average height of 120 ~ 135 cm and a weight of 267 ~ 370 kg. Strong body, strong limbs, strong constitution, big head, wide chest, short legs, developed joints and tendons. The coat is thick and complex in color. It bears hardships and stands hard work, is not afraid of cold, can adapt to extremely extensive feeding management, has strong vitality and can survive in harsh conditions. You can walk about 60 kilometers in 8 hours. The tamed Mongolian horse is fearless and brave on the battlefield. Has always been a good army horse.
Kazakh horse
Kazakh horses produced in Xinjiang are also prototype horses. Its morphological characteristics are: medium-sized head, delicate and pretty, short ears. The neck is slender, slightly raised, the nail is high, the brooch is narrow, and the hind limbs are often knife-shaped.
Today, the area around Kazak Prefecture in Yili is the Wusun Kingdom in the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty. Two thousand years ago, during the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wudi sent three envoys, including Zhang Qian, to the Western Regions in search of a good horse. The horse he got may be the predecessor of Kazakh horse. By the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the number of horses sold to the Tang Dynasty in Uighur reached 100,000 every year. Many of them are Kazakh horses. Therefore, some horse breeds in northwest China are mostly related to Kazakh horses.
Hequma
Hequ Horse is also an ancient and excellent local horse breed in China, which is often used as a tribute in history. Originated in the grassland at the junction of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, it is named Hequma because it is located in the Yellow River. It is the largest excellent horse among the local breeds in China. Average height 132 ~ 139 cm, weight 350 ~ 450 kg. Hequ Horse has a slightly larger head, a slightly rabbit-headed nose, a wide neck, a straight trunk, a deep and wide chest and a strong figure, which has an absolute advantage in Lama. Carry100 ~150kg, and you can travel 50km a day. Hequ horse is docile, stable, strong in endurance and quick in fatigue recovery. So it is mostly used for service, and a single cart can pull 500 kilograms of heavy objects. This is a good farm horse.
Southwest horse
Southwest horses are distributed in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi. It is characterized by its small size and easy access to mountain roads. Southwest horsehead is big, neck is high, mane, tail and mane are long. Good body structure, developed tendons and firm hooves. Good at climbing mountains and mountains, able to bear more than 100 kilograms, and travel 30 ~ 40 kilometers a day. It is a force that needs transportation very much in the southwest mountainous area. Among them, the famous ones are Jianchang Horse in Sichuan, Lijiang Horse in Yunnan and Guizhou Horse.
Sanhema
Three hippos are extremely complicated horses. At the beginning of the 20th century, some Russian aristocrats came to the northeast of China, bringing with them fine breeds such as orlov Horse and Pitching Kama. During the Japanese occupation, thoroughbred horses and British-Arabian horses were introduced. These horses gradually formed today's three hippos by crossing with local horses.
Three hippos are taller than Mongolian horses. They are solid and compact in shape, handsome in appearance, long in chest, muscular, strong in physique, straight in back, strong in limbs and obvious in joints. There are three main colors of coat: beard hair, millet hair and black hair. Average height 140 ~ 147 cm, weight 330 ~ 380 kg. These three hippos are fierce, but gentle. They can resist rough feeding and adapt to a wide range of grazing life. It belongs to the economic type of riding and pulling. It only takes 1 minute 1 0 second to run on horseback. A single horse can lift a rubber-tyred vehicle with a load of more than 500 kilograms and can walk 10 km in half an hour.
Ilima
Ili horse is based on Xinjiang Kazakh horse, which is a cross between orlov horse and Dun hippo in the former Soviet Union. Local herders call it "two horses". After 1960s, Ili horse was mainly bred by Dun Hippo, and its blood volume reached more than 50%.
Ilima Ilima's average height is 144 ~ 148 cm and his weight is 400 ~ 450 kg. It is tall and symmetrical, with a small and smart head, big eyes, high head and neck and strong limbs. When its neck is held high, it is fierce, its coat color is shiny and beautiful, and its appearance is more beautiful. Hair color is mainly mane, millet hair and black hair, and there are often white patches on limbs and forehead, which are called "white stripes". Ilima is gentle, sensitive and good at jumping. Suitable for mountain riding and plain service. 126 km long-distance running, with a load of 80 kg, can be reached in 7 hours 12 minutes. This is an excellent Qingqi.
Dutch blood (KWPN)
If there is any kind of horse that will be as popular as a star, it is Dutch warm blood. This is a new variety. The Netherlands began to have a pedigree register in 1958, and now it has become the most successful, popular and popular equestrian horse in the world. Dutch warm-blooded Kyle is said to be a new product in the 20th century, which is different from the warm-blooded horse that existed before the 20th century. It is a warm-blooded horse specially bred for equestrian events. Although this is a variety created by the Dutch, it should actually be regarded as a European variety, because in addition to the Netherlands, there are British, Spanish, French and German ancestry.
The origin of Dutch warm blood comes from two native Dutch varieties, Gelderlander and Groningen. In fact, this is closely related to the local soil. Heldland is in the middle of the Netherlands, where the soil is sandy and the horses bred are relatively light. Groningen, on the other hand, is full of hard clay, and the horses grow heavier. However, the genes of the two varieties are compatible, so breeders often add the pedigree of Groningen horse to the pedigree of Herdrama to increase the weight of Herdrama, and vice versa.
Herdeland horse and Groningen horse have existed in the Netherlands and its adjacent areas since the Middle Ages. Britain has Andalusian horse, Neapolitan horse, Norman horse, Norfolk sports car, oldenburg horse, Holstein horse, Anglo-Norman horse and Hackney horse. Groningen horse is a cross between Danish frys horse and German oldenburg horse.
Since ancient times, Dutch farmers have made a living from horses, and they have established strict methods of raising horses very early to eliminate the shortcomings of health and personality and the lack of intelligence. This strict screening practice has created today's Dutch warm blood. The mechanization after the industrial revolution changed the use of horses to leisure riding and sports, and the Dutch once again successfully demonstrated their farming techniques. The two breeds, Heldeland Horse and Groningen Horse, have some exciting characteristics: gorgeous movements, good infrastructure, elegant quality, stable growth ability and gentle cooperation temperament. The Dutch introduced the British thoroughbred horse to increase its courage and improve its sometimes defects, such as too long back, too short neck and too short forelimbs. Quite light movements are also brought by thoroughbred horses. In order to get rid of the unruly characteristics of thoroughbred horses, in addition to introducing other Dutch lineages, we should also introduce the lineages of French Cesar Lefranc Sias, German Hanover and Holstein to improve the final breed. In addition, Hackney was introduced from England to cultivate beautiful horses, and some people continued to cultivate the traditional Herdeland horses, which eventually evolved into three types of dutch warmblood.
Horse's sense of smell
Horse's sense of smell is very developed, and it is an organ with very strong information perception ability. It is easy to accept all kinds of information from outside without being detected by hearing or other sensory organs, and it can react quickly. The perfect combination of developed sense of smell, sensitive hearing and agile movements is the success of horses' evolution for thousands of years and the main physiological characteristics of horses' contribution to mankind.
1. Horses recognize external things mainly by smell.
The horse's information about things, especially the recognition or discrimination of strange objects or animals at close range, is first manifested in the behavior of using the sense of smell. Sometimes they will take the initiative to approach things, flap their noses, take short breaths, try to inhale more fresh smell information, and strengthen the recognition or exploration of new things. Then take corresponding actions such as rest or avoidance. Horses can identify their owners, sexes, females, estrus, companions, roads, stables and feed types according to their olfactory information. For example, it has been proved that the smell of estrus mares can attract stallions from far away. Of course, the stallion can determine the estrus mare within a certain distance by smell. When a stallion meets a mare in heat, he often turns his lips to smell the sky (sexual olfactory reflex).
2. Horses adapt to the environment through their sense of smell.
Horse herders or wild horses rely on their sense of smell to identify trace amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere, thus finding water sources and grasslands miles away. So wild horses can survive in the arid desert. According to the smell of feces, horses can find companions and avoid wild animals and natural enemies. Horses have different conditioned responses to different olfactory information. When a horse smells unfamiliar or dangerous information, it will also make a short snorting (sniffing) to show its vigilance and inform its companions of this information. Horses react strongly to the odor emitted by their companions. It is observed that the stallion is willing to urinate where the estrus mare urinates. If the foal smells fresh excrement, it will be awakened by a high excretion reaction, causing urination. Therefore, horses can change their life and directional activities in the group according to the olfactory information.
3. Horses can distinguish sewage or harmful forage by smell.
The horse's nasal cavity is very large, and the sieve plate under the nasal cavity is connected with the soft palate to form a partition. Therefore, the olfactory information can still be inhaled through the nasal cavity when eating, which can not only choose food, but also be alert to the enemy's harm, and the two do not interfere with each other. Horses can use their sense of smell to eat nutrients that are in short supply in their bodies, and they can identify poisonous plants or grasses on the grassland. Horses seldom eat poisonous weeds by mistake. Horses can recognize polluted water, eat by smell and refuse to drink. In the daily management of horses, attention should be paid to the sanitation of water sources, feed ponds, sinks and feed troughs, which is very important for the health of horses.
4. Horses are easy to accept things with a familiar sense of smell.
Therefore, when approaching or training a horse, let it learn something new, and it is best to greet it with olfactory information first. For example, wearing harness and saddle, let the horse smell it first, and the operation will be smoother. Sometimes when it is necessary to find another mare to foster the pony, smearing the pony with mare's milk will increase the acceptance of the mare to the pony. Horses are the easiest to feel the changes in feed and stable environment and need to adapt gradually. Attention should be paid to the hygiene of feeding trough and water source in management, which can reduce the adverse stimulation of the environment to horses.
5. After-effect behavior can also be established by using the horse's sense of smell.
Horses have a keen sense of smell, and the aftereffect behavior of horses can also be established by using their sense of smell. The habit of excreting feces and urine in a fixed position can be established by feeding horses in the house with a little training. The training method is as follows: first, clean the stable, pile feces only in the designated position, and put a small amount of urine in the buried trough. Putting the horse in the stable and letting it smell freely will make the horse defecate and urinate under the stimulation of ammonia. If the position is slightly inappropriate, you can use a small pole to drive it away. It can be done in a few days of training. Later, when the horse excretes, it will find its original position with feces and urine. For horse racing, it is necessary to train it to urinate and defecate 15 minutes before the game, which is also very important to ensure the horse racing to play a better level.
In a word, horses have a keen sense of smell. Horses use their sense of smell to identify their environment and what they touch, and can act accordingly. By carefully observing the horse's olfactory behavior, such as the reaction to forage, water source and surrounding environment, we can find out the conditions and factors that are not suitable for the horse and improve them in time to ensure the horse's health. It is also a priority for excellent breeding managers to use the sense of smell of horses to establish corresponding behaviors.
Horse's sense of taste
Horses collect food for a long time in a day, and the speed and amount of eating are mainly determined by their sense of smell. Therefore, taste is a very important sensory organ of horses. There is not much information about horse flavor, but it is very distinctive and easy to master and use.
1. Horses have an average taste, so they eat a wide range of food.
Horses explore and chew by taste. Horses have taste receptors in their mouths and tongues, also called taste buds. Most of these taste buds are concentrated in outline mastoid, mushroom mastoid and phylloid mastoid.
Horses are not sensitive to taste, so they collect a wide range of food. Horses are also one of the easiest animals to raise. A variety of feed horses can adapt, and some are even rough and have poor palatability. In the pastoral areas of northern China, horses mainly eat grass in winter, and sometimes even eat branches and fallen leaves, with limited supplementary feeding. Some grass horses in agricultural areas are also edible, so it is better to cut them properly. A wide range of feed is also a major feature of horse adaptability. Of course, even if the horse has a wide appetite, it is necessary to always give the horse high-quality and delicious forage.
2. Horses have strong taste preference.
Although horses collect a wide range, they still have a preference for the taste of food. Horses are not sensitive to bitterness, but have a strong sense of sweetness and sourness. Horses prefer sweetness to sourness. Sweet feeds, such as carrots, green corn, alfalfa and syrup, are horses' favorite foods. These feeds can be used as food bait or reward in training to strengthen some after-effects behaviors. Sour feed needs to go through an adaptation process to gradually adapt.
3. Poor taste is easy to cause digestive disorders.
The horse's hearing
Horse's hearing is very developed, and it is an organ with strong information perception ability, which was formed in the long-term evolution process. Auditory development is a physiological compensation for poor eyesight of horses, which is very necessary for the survival of horses in the primitive state. Because the key problem for horses to survive in nature is to avoid predators' attacks, and the skills for horses to avoid predators' attacks are escape and limited counterattack. For Malays, it is undoubtedly very important to hear the danger signal as soon as possible and take a quick escape behavior.
1. Horse has a developed and keen organizational structure.
Horse ears are located at the highest point of the head, with large ear wings, well-developed ear muscles, sensitive movements and large rotation angles, indicating that hearing is developed. Horses don't need to change their posture and move their heads, but only need to judge the direction of the sound source through the movement of the auricle. Horses use flexible external auditory canal to capture the source and direction of sound and play the role of sound localization. The function of the middle ear is to amplify sound. The main function of the inner ear is to distinguish the frequency, timbre and sound intensity of sound. Horse ears are small and upright, such as "cutting bamboo", and flexible transshipment is the main feature of a good horse.
2. Horses have better ability to distinguish sound frequency and timbre than people.
The main feature of horse's developed hearing is that horse's ears have a very keen response to sound. Horses have a better sense of sound and tone than people. Horses can distinguish 1 0,000 vibration waves and 1 0,025 vibration waves, which is about 1/8 notes. It is reported that Kyle responds to audio up to 22,000 Hz. In practice, it is often seen that newborn foals can recognize the mother's slight calling information. Herdsman can find his own group and send messages according to the cries. When eating grass at night, horses can hear sounds that people can't hear from afar. They can judge the sounds. So looking for a lost horse at night, it is best to let your mount lead the way, and people should obey its guidance. Horses can also judge their situation according to the different voices they hear from their companions, such as seeking, anxiety, happiness, fear and so on. It can also accurately judge the sounds of other animals around it, and can take and prepare to take corresponding emergency actions.
3. It is easy to establish the horse's reflex behavior by password or whistle.
The developed hearing of horses is beneficial for human beings to use horses. It is the horse's hearing, which people use for training, training and service. For example, a horse can tell when its owner calls its name. Of course, it is not that it knows the meaning of the name, but that it establishes the sound reflection of the name. Therefore, in training or riding, you can use passwords or whistles to establish reflex behavior or learn to do other actions. It is very important for the newly trained pony to establish reflex behavior by using sound. This kind of performance is also extremely necessary for military horses, such as lying posture, standing posture, standing posture, standing at attention, advancing, retreating and attacking. Can be given by language password.
4. Horses are afraid of loud noises.
Excessive sound or audio is a kind of adversity stimulus for Malay, which makes it feel painful. In the process of training a horse, there is no need to "shout" at it, as long as there is a slight order, the horse will obey. This is not clear to many people. Our ethnic minorities have clear training passwords, or just whistle orders. Excessive sound or audio frequency will cause horses to panic, such as train flute, gunfire and drums. Therefore, military horses should be trained for a long time and reviewed frequently. Over-sensitive military horses or racehorses can also wear earmuffs to reduce sound stimulation.
In short, the horse's hearing is developed and sharp, which is beneficial to the horse's function. However, acute hearing sometimes brings some side effects, which will make the horse easily in an excited state, easily reduce the competitive level, and sometimes accidents will occur. As a horse manager or trainer, it is very important to realize the following two aspects: first, attach great importance to and use the horse's hearing, give full play to the horse's physiological functions, and second, create a quiet and comfortable environment for the horse and reduce unnecessary acoustic stimulation.
Horses rarely have excess energy in the wild, which may be the reason why horses show unsuitable behavior in an energy-rich environment. Once they encounter very delicious feed, they will eat much more feed than their digestive ability, which is the main cause of digestive tract diseases in horses. Especially when the horse is hungry, or has no or little concentrate for a long time, give it a lot of concentrate and high-quality forage immediately, and it will eat more food than the normal capacity of its stomach, and soon it will swell or produce gas under the action of digestive juice, leading to acute bloating and life-threatening.
It is difficult for horses to suffer from anorexia.
Under the experimental conditions, horses can learn to refuse to eat less delicious food like alfalfa pellet feed, but they can't learn to refuse to eat sugared oats. This reflex behavior of taste is in obvious contrast with other after-effects behaviors of horses: when horses are stimulated by whipping or electric shock, they will quickly develop the ability of enduring aversion to stimulation, but they can't seem to learn to avoid delicious food that makes them sick. It shows that it is difficult for horses to learn the ability to form anorexia. Unlike other monogastric ungulates, such as pigs, they can learn to refuse to eat even delicious food related to diseases.
Horses can also receive Chinese medicine in feed.
Horses are not sensitive to taste, especially to bitterness. Therefore, some traditional Chinese medicines for treating horse diseases can be ground into powder and fed directly to horses. A little adaptation of horses can save a lot of trouble. Of course, other drugs can also use this method to treat and prevent horse diseases.
In a word, horses have a general but distinctive taste. Making good use of these characteristics is conducive to improving the level of feeding management and to the health and production performance of horses.
The way to sleep
Horses don't have to sleep at night, let alone sleep until dawn. If no one disturbs it, it can sleep, stand, lie down and lie down anytime and anywhere. Malaysia can sleep eight or nine times a day, which adds up to almost six hours. Horses sleep best in two hours before dawn.