The domestic horse: Everything you need to know about breeds, keeping, life expectancy and domestication

Admittedly, the name is somewhat misleading. Horse lovers and riders are more familiar with the terms riding horse, driving horse, or sport horse. Or more specifically: dressage, show jumping, eventing, or leisure horse. This refers more to (sporting) use, which was preceded by domestication many thousands of years earlier. In this respect, these horses are also ‘domestic horses’. The syllable -domestic- denotes the domesticated form of animals. Domestication (also domestication; from the Latin domesticus ‘domestic’) refers to the process of changing wild animals through targeted breeding by humans.

We find this domestication process in all our farm animals, pets and cultivated plants.

‍Domestication of the horse: from wild animal to domestic animal‍

Domestication is THE decisive phenomenon that has made mankind what it is today. The domesticated form is genetically isolated from the wild animal form over generations to achieve a benefit for humans through targeted breeding. The domestication of the horse is regarded as one of the key moments in human history and, together with the invention of the wheel, it could have been a brilliant success story. With the horse, man created a new habitat. Travel to distant countries and cultures, land reclamation, transportation, and trade would not have been possible without horses.

Even in ancient times, they were not just livestock, but status symbols, companions, and mythical creatures. Alongside dogs, humans have probably the most intense and important relationship with horses. Hardly any other relationship is so full of wonderful stories and goosebump moments, fantastic myths and legends. But history and the present day unfortunately show us just as many dark chapters in the coexistence of humans and horses.

But let's start at the beginning:

The domestic horse (Equus caballus) is the domesticated form of the wild horse (Equus ferus). For a long time, the Przewalski's horse was considered the original wild form of our domestic horses. However, the latest research has come to different conclusions: 

According to a DNA analysis, horse breeding began 5000 years ago. An international team of researchers had already solved the mystery of the beginning of domestication in 2009 using the latest methods of genetic engineering.

According to this, the influence of coat colors began at least 5000 years ago in the Ponto-Caspian steppe in present-day Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Romania - 1000 years earlier than previously assumed. This means that all of today's domestic horses can be traced back to mutations south of the lower reaches of the Don and Volga rivers around 3000 BC. 

The domestication of the horse brought many advantages for humans. Long distances could be covered more quickly, herds could be better controlled and hunting also became more effective. 

The greatest advantage was also evident in warfare.

Time travel: Horses as beast of burden and "instrument of war"

Over the millennia, the size, color, character, and performance of the horses were adapted to the changing needs of the people through breeding. In the early empires of the Assyrians and Hittites, they were rather small and agile for use in front of chariots, whereas in the 9th century, heavy workhorses were needed for agriculture.

Later, horses were mainly bred for use in war. The focus of 19th century state horse breeding was to breed horses primarily for military purposes.

Horses have always been used successfully in military conflicts, but in modern times and world wars, we are talking about completely different dimensions than all the centuries before.

Over 8 million horses took part in the Second World War. This makes this war the largest "horse battle" in human history in terms of numbers.

This does not include the hundreds of thousands of horses that accompanied the streams of refugees. Especially the last few centuries have shown how the horse has shared friendship and suffering, life and death with the people.

The domestic horse as an economic factor

Today, this image has changed. The horse is now less of a livestock animal and more of a leisure or sports partner. Modern technologies and machines have replaced horses in industry, agriculture, and the military and have taken over their work. And that is a good thing. In the 1960s, it looked as if horses had had their day. The horse almost seemed to have lost its usefulness. The equestrian sport was only accessible to a small elite group and the domestic horse slipped onto the list of old and endangered domestic animal breeds (GEH). However, the economic crisis and prohibitive fuel costs caused the demand for pack animals and mounts to skyrocket, especially in the poorer regions of the world.

"I believe in the horse, the automobile is a passing phenomenon." (Wilhelm II.) 

This quote is attributed to the German Emperor Wilhelm II. It wasn't quite like that, but amazing things still happened in the industrialized countries. Although the horse had become superfluous due to mass motorization, the long connection between humans and horses proved to be much more sustainable. Although horses largely disappeared as working animals, they survived as leisure horses in an unprecedented variety.

More and more people discovered the horse as a sport and leisure partner. Equestrian sport has now become an important economic factor. Here are a few figures from the FN / DOKR annual report for 2023‍

The economic factor horse / Horses in Germany

• According to an AWA study, around 14 million respondents said they were interested in horse riding in 2016. Around 4 million were even particularly interested in this sport. However, only people over the age of 14 were surveyed.
• 3.89 million people describe themselves as riders. 1.25 million practice horse riding intensively. If you add children up to the age of 14, the figure rises to around 1.8 million. Of these, 78% are women. There are also around 900,000 horse owners in Germany.
• The turnover of the German equine industry is estimated at 7 billion euros. Of this, 39% (2.7 billion euros) is spent on horse husbandry and 61% (4.3 billion euros) on retail and services.
• More than 10,000 companies, craft businesses, and service providers in Germany have horses as their main business either directly or indirectly. Riders, drivers, vaulters, and breeders spend around 2.6 billion euros a year on running costs in equestrian sports and keeping horses.

Domestic horse breeds: Over 330 horse breeds at a glance

The term domestic horse covers an incredible variety of horse breeds.
You can find an overview here: Horse breeds from A-Z

Breeding was an important factor in the domestication of the wild horse into a domestic horse. However, it was hardly possible to speak of systematic breeding with a stud book as we know it today. The animals from more distant regions in particular were sought-after trade goods or war booty and were crossed with the native horses. Today, most horses are bred as sport and leisure horses. Only horses that are registered in the herd or studbook of the respective horse breed are usually permitted for breeding. Breeding shows and tests are used to separate the wheat from the chaff. Stallions must be licensed and mares must be registered in the studbook.

Horse breeding now focuses on maintaining and improving the respective breed, as well as breeding successful young horses for equestrian sport. The most successful sport horses in particular, especially stallions with high-performance capabilities, are in great demand for breeding. The stud fee is correspondingly high.

Form follows function: color, form, movement‍

The "original horses" were small and stocky, only brown or black, with an eel line. Coat color and size adapted to the steppe-like environment of the time. Bone finds from the last ice age around 12,000 years ago prove that horses were originally only brown and black. Only human intervention led to a sudden and rapid increase in the number of coat colors and color mixtures. 

Breeding ultimately produced the diversity in shape, color, size and movement potential of our domestic horses today.

Here are a few examples:

Falabellas are the smallest horse breed. Due to their small size, they naturally have a high cuteness factor. In contrast to other horse breeds, Falabella horses have 17 instead of 18 vertebrae and also a few fewer ribs. Their heart, on the other hand, is relatively large in relation to their body, similar to that of a large horse. These horses cannot be ridden, but are used as therapy horses in retirement homes.

The Shire Horse is a cold-blooded horse and, with a maximum mass of more than 1200 kg and an average height at the withers of 1.78 m, is the largest horse breed in the world. It presumably descends from the mighty warhorses of the knightly era, which the Normans brought to England and which were bred to native mares.

Gaited horses: Horses with the special gaits tölt, amble, paso, foxtrot, walk, marcha. The aim in breeding is always a flowing movement that enables the rider to move with as little vibration as possible. In principle, gaited horses can belong to any breed of horse, but there are also breeds specially selected for special gaits. The Icelandic horse is certainly the best-known representative of gaited horses. The Mongolian horse is an Asian breed with a gait predisposition.
Gaited horses are genetically predisposed to their special gait, and it is also partly a natural development process due to the terrain in which the horses live.
Breed portrait: Icelandic horse‍
Sport horses: As with gaited horses, the breeding of sport horses is not limited to one breed. The number of sporting disciplines and therefore the special requirements are becoming increasingly diverse. In addition to the well-known equestrian sports such as dressage, show jumping, and eventing, driving, galloping, or trotting are now joined by various activities from western riding or working equitation. A sport horse is a horse specially bred for the competitive sport of the respective riding discipline. It is characterized by athleticism, endurance, and willingness to perform and also has the desired dispositions, such as speed, jumping ability, and movement potential.

Breeding goal of a dressage and/or jumping horse is a rideable sport horse with a lot of potential for sport, preferably with a double disposition and large-framed movements. A noble, correct, healthy horse with lively, expansive, elastic movements that is suitable for riding purposes of all kinds due to its temperament, character and rideability.

See also some breed portraits:

Horse breed: Oldenburg
Horse breed: Hanoverian
Horse breed: Trakehner
Horse breed: German Riding Pony

Which domestic horse breed is the most popular in Germany? 

1. Hanoverian
2. Oldenburg
3. German Riding Pony
4. Haflinger
5. Westphalian
6. Icelandic horses
7. German Riding Horse
8. American Quarter Horse
9. Holstein
10. Shetland Pony

(Source: Check24 with data from Allianz-Tierversicherung)

Health, keeping, feeding and care of domestic horses

Keeping domestic horses

First of all, horse husbandry involves keeping horses, ponies, mules and donkeys in human care. In accordance with their natural way of life, equidae need a lot of exercise to stay healthy. 

The question of optimum nutrition and husbandry for our domestic horses is becoming increasingly important. In the past, stabling, with little or no free movement, was an accepted form of husbandry, but today the demands of horse owners have changed significantly.
The welfare of the horses is the main priority. Many want to fulfill their horses' natural needs for light, free movement, a dust-free environment, social contact, and good hay as a basic feed in the best possible way. What sounds simple is unfortunately very complex to implement.

One of the main problems of modern horse keeping is the lack of exercise coupled with excessively long breaks from eating. Our domestic horses are running and fleeing animals and permanent feeders. In the natural, steppe-like habitat of the wild horses, the herds were almost constantly on the lookout for good sources of food and water, often covering long distances of 30 to 40 km. Even wild domestic horses are on the move 14-16 hours a day - mostly to feed. Typically, they move slowly but steadily while grazing.

This high exercise requirement cannot usually be met by daily training, even for sport horses. For this reason, more and more horse owners are specifically looking for active stables and open stabling for their horses to ensure as much free movement as possible. Even though this type of husbandry is complex, expensive and involves an enormous amount of work, it is an essential component in keeping horses healthy.

More about horse husbandry: Horse husbandry - species-appropriate forms of husbandry and legal regulations for horses

Feeding horses

Good feeding is, alongside sufficient exercise, the best health care for our horses. These two factors go hand in hand and are virtually interdependent and complementary. As already mentioned, wild horses were steppe dwellers, searching for food almost all day long. They constantly ate small quantities, so that over the day, depending on the season, a quantity of 50 to 60 kg of pasture grasses, flowers, roots, and herbs came together. If this quantity is calculated as dry matter, i.e. the water content is deducted, this corresponds to a quantity of 10 to 12 kg. This is still the standard measure for calculating the hay ration today, i.e. 2 kilograms of hay per 100 kg of live weight.  

High-quality, good hay in this quantity is perfectly adequate for a horse doing light work. Much depends on the quality of the roughage, the breed of horse, the training and the performance requirements.

The amount of feed must be well distributed throughout the day, as the horse's stomach is relatively small. The digestive tract of domestic horses has not changed significantly compared to that of wild horses and is designed to constantly digest small amounts of food. This is only possible if sufficient saliva is produced through continuous chewing activity, which ensures a balanced pH value in the stomach.

Long breaks from eating and excessive amounts of food often have fatal consequences and colic, stomach ulcers, behavioral disorders and metabolic problems are often the result of incorrect feeding.

The administration of feed supplements and additives such as minerals, oils, herbs, and other substances is a controversial issue. There are controversial discussions and recommendations in this area as to which and how many additives are important and necessary. The feed industry has become a flourishing branch of business in recent decades. The range of special feeds on offer is unmanageable. Every horse owner would do well to carefully check the feed rations for their horse or have them put together by an independent feed consultant. Feeding domestic horses is a topic in itself, so here is a little cheat sheet.

• How much hay does a horse need per day? Horses need regular roughage (hay and straw) for healthy digestion; 1.5 to 2 kilograms of roughage per 100 kilograms of horse weight is the minimum. Important: Feed roughage before concentrated feed!
• How should hay be fed? Horses prefer to eat hay from the ground. This is the natural feeding position. There are various models and devices to slow down the eating of roughage and thus extend the feeding times. (Hay nets, grids, barrels.)‍
• How often should concentrates be fed? Concentrated feed should be divided into at least three meals.

Horse care

Regular and thorough horse care is important for the health and well-being of your horse. It helps to prevent injuries and illnesses, promotes blood circulation and strengthens the relationship between horse and rider.

Horse and man

A topic with many facets. Beautiful, but, we have to be honest, often frightening. For many of us, horses are our purpose in life, for others they are an expensive "sport", for some entrepreneurs, they are simply good business.

"The horse was the first muse and the last slave of man"(Stefan Schomann)

Throughout history, horses have been food, prey, weapons, means of transportation, tractors, sports, or prestige objects for us humans, but often also companions, comforters, and friends for life. Today, we see an often strong bond between humans and horses more than ever in equestrian sport and especially in the growing popular sport.

Domestic horses are the comforters for our small and big worries, proven therapists, and guides. We admire their beauty and love their gentleness. They allow us to grow beyond ourselves and give us wings. They can do great things with and for us. But love horses - love horses. We (sport) riders will have to face many critical questions in the future. 

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about the domestic horse

How old do horses get?

The life expectancy of domestic horses is between 25 and 30 years.

How old is the oldest horse?

Old Billy died in the British village of Woolston in 1822 at the proud age of 62 and is still considered the oldest horse in the world today. At 55, pony "Frieda" is the oldest living pony in Germany (as of February 2024)

However, it is a rare exception, most horses do not live past the age of 35.

How long is the gestation period for horses?‍

The gestation period of domestic horses is 11-12 months.

How expensive is a horse?

The acquisition costs depend on the respective requirements. Prices vary greatly. Age, breed, level of training, and pedigree are important indicators for the price. A fully-grown and already trained horse can cost 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 euros or more, depending on the level of training. However, foals have also changed hands for 154,000 euros at elite auctions.

Is it permitted to keep a horse alone?

Social contact is a must for every horse. Horses therefore need at least visual, auditory and olfactory contact with conspecifics. Keeping a single horse without conspecifics is contrary to animal welfare.

How fast can horses run?

When walking the average speed lies between 3.5 and 6.0 km/h. And when trotting between 12 and 18 km/h.

When galloping, our horses run at an average speed of 21 to 35 km/h. However, a quarter horse can, for example, reach a speed of over 80 km/h over the distance of a quarter mile, hence the name.

The British racehorse Eclipse, born in 1764, is considered the fastest horse in the world. The stallion is said to have taken six minutes and four seconds to cover the 7190-metre English racetrack, which would correspond to an average speed of 71.9 km/h.

How long do horses sleep?

Most horses sleep between three and five hours a day. Foals sleep much more. Horses also have different sleep phases: Light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. Horses always lie down during REM sleep, while they spend the other two sleep phases standing up. 

What are the most common diseases in domestic horses?

‍Colic, stomach ulcers, laminitis, lameness, arthrosis, sweet itch, sweet itch.