On the Range
Sharing the Range?
Flies! Yes flies. Have you ever watched horses in spring? Swishing tails, shaking heads, rubbing their eyes on their front legs. Even the horses on the range get annoyed by these pesky insects.
What is their purpose, anyway? (Besides annoying horses and humans alike!) Flies are nature’s decomposers. Eggs hatch within hours and larvae feed on rotting organic material (ie: manure) for about five days before turning into adult flies. So believe it or not, they do have a beneficial side.
There are several types of flies. House flies don’t bite but go for areas that are wet such as around the horses’ eyes. Stable flies bite and feed off of blood from the bite. And if you’ve ever sat at a distance and observed on the range, a horse grazing peacefully might suddenly react and even run around with unknown purpose. You might even see that large black body flying around them in the air. Horse flies have a very painful bite and when a horse knows they are there, they will try to avoid being bitten by shaking, kicking and even trying to run away from it.
Did You Know? Horses Swim!
By Deborah Walker
Wild horses, all horses actually, can and do swim. Like all other individual preferences, some are prolific swimmers and welcome the opportunity, others have no desire to get wet or swim. This is sometimes due to depth perception, a previous bad experience, or they just don’t care for it. Some areas such as the Salt River Horses even eat the grasses under the water.
Wild horses who swim are very good at it due to their very large lungs, which help them to float. When crossing water, horses will instinctively swim when it gets deep. They will use a paddling technique much like the trotting gait, to propel themselves forward and stay afloat. They will keep their heads out of water sometimes with what looks like a grin on their face which is actually to keep water out of their nose and mouth. Unless they are swimming with the current, swimming takes a tremendous amount of energy.
Another amazing fact about the incredible American Mustang (and other horses)!
