Website and children's activity book funded through a grant from the Maryland Horse Industry Board
Kiddy Up With Horses Inc.
Welcome to Our
Equine Education Page!
Here you will gain an introduction to the world of horses. Learn about horse care, history, riding styles, and much more. Even for our experienced horse enthusiasts there is always something new to learn!
Getting to Know Horses
Common Equine Terms
Equine is the scientific term used for the horse species. Horses are land mammals that come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, markings, colors, and breeds. While horses may vary in appearance there are many things all horses have in common. To help you become more familiar with horses, study the following terms.
Foal
A foal is an equine up to one year old that is still dependent on its mother. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four.
Mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger.
Stallion
A stallion is an adult male horse that is typically used to breed horses. In the wild the are the guardians or protectors of the herd.
Gelding
A gelding is an adult male horse that has been neutered (meaning it can not produced offspring). Gelding horses are calmer and more cooperative than Stallions.
Horse Facts 101
Caring For Horses
Check Ups & Maintenance
Just like humans, it's important for horses to have routine dentist examines and cleanings to prevent a buildup of tartar and ward off gum disease. Horse "teeth floating" is a common procedure veterinarians perform to remove the sharp points that form on horses teeth. It also makes and even grinding pattern for the horse's chewing, which aids digestion.
In the picture to the left, Angel is getting his teeth cleaned by a visiting veterinarian to the Kiddy Up Ranch.
New Pair Of Shoes
Horses need their hooves trimmed and horseshoes placed regularly, a procedure referred to as “shoeing” a horse. The person trained to shoe horses is called a farrier.
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Long before the invention of the steam engine or spinning wheels was a human invention that revolutionized ancient means of trade, transportation and warfare – horseshoes.
Indeed, the invention of the horseshoe came from necessity. Roughly the same time that humans discovered the domestication of horses, they immediately understood the need to protect the horse’s feet. The goal was to make the most out of their ride.
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The earliest forms of horseshoes can be found as early as 400 BC. Materials used ranged from plants, rawhide and leather strap gears referred to as “hipposandals” by the Romans. In Ancient Asia, horsemen equipped their horses with shoes made out of woven plants. The shoes were not just for protection but also to soothe existing injuries the horse might have sustained in its activities.
In the picture above, Merlot is getting new shoes from a visiting Farrier to the Kiddy Up Ranch.
The History of Horses
The Horse In Motion
Did You Know?
What position did the legs of a horse take when it was trotting, when it was galloping?
In1878 Mubridge answers this age old question through the new technological methods of photography. Which would later on be understood as a new form of photography called, animation or motion picture.
The Horse in Motion is one of the earliest known animations. It's a series of cabinet cards by Eadweard Muybridge, including six cards that each show a sequential series of "automatic electro-photographs" depicting the movement of a horse.
This was the first motion picture where a Black Jockey named Gilbert Domm is captured riding a horse.