Home

Olympics

“Honestly Thought That This Was True”: Equestrian Once Cleared Misconceptions on Strength of Different Colored Horses

Published 03/17/2023, 1:15 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

There are certain horse facts/myths that might puzzle a lot of people. One of them is that horses can actually sleep while standing (Myth? or fact?). Along with this, many other myths exist about these animals, and with no further verification, they spread vigorously. However, it was of utmost importance to clear out all the misbeliefs, and an expert did it, logically.

A popular equestrian from Australia recently decided to clarify certain myths about horses. Among the ten myths she talked about, Han mentioned one about the strength of horses. Let’s find out her point of view on this matter.

An equestrian debunked misbeliefs

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

In September 2019, a horse rider from Australia named Han shared a video on her YouTube channel that capped off all myths about the now domesticated mammals. Among them, one myth was about whether dark hooves are stronger than white hooves. To shed a light on this, the expert stated, “I’ve heard this my entire life. I honestly thought that this was true.”

 

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

In fact, she also mentioned scientists who did research, gathering “squares” from different colored horses’ hooves. But they found, “there was no difference in the strength of the different-colored hooves.” Furthermore, Han indicated that the water content of different horses may lead to varying strength. She described, “a hoof with high water content is softer and therefore fell apart more easily. But that didn’t relate that back to the color of horses’ feet.” 

“Not Gonna Suddenly Have a Heart Attack”: Equestrian Debunked A Common Myth Around Horses’ Lives

There’s also another conception that Han herself was not so sure about, so she asked for viewers’ suggestions. The myth was about certain breeds of horses that don’t have a good reputation with strong feet, and she thought it to be the main reason behind the rumor. Although there is research still going on, Han moved to the next myth, the popular one, about the sleeping process of the animal.

Do horses sleep while standing?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

People believe that horses sleep only while standing. As this fact is not completely false, it’s not completely true either. While addressing this myth, Hand first confirmed that the horses can sleep in a standing position. As she explained, “…now don’t get me wrong horses can sleep while they’re standing. I think we’ve all seen that before. They do have a locking mechanism which allows them to not fall flat on their faces while they’re doing that.”

But it doesn’t signify that the animal cannot lie on the ground and sleep. Han further stated, “…but they also still need REM sleep. Now that is essentially a very deep sleep, and they can only achieve it when they’re lying down.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch This Story – Top 10 Moments of Olympic Sporting Spirit

So, to reiterate, the color of their hooves doesn’t judge the strength of the horses. This was a misconception, just like the other one, that the horses could just sleep while standing.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Soumili Chatterjee

437Articles

One take at a time

Soumili Chatterjee is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She secured her bachelor’s and master's degree in English literature from the University of Calcutta. After being a technical and blog writer for nearly three years, it was her ardent love for sports that steered her career toward the sports industry.
Show More>

Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa