The Horse - The state animal of New Jersey
		by BUDDY AMATO
		On August 14, 1977, Governor Brendan T. Byrne signed this into law while attending the farm and horse show at Augusta, Sussex County. He believed that the horse was truly deserving of this title, and so do I. The horse is also included on our state seal. Horses belong to the equus family. Equus comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "quickness." Horses are mammals in the same family as zebras, mules and donkeys. Scientists have found that the earliest ancestor of the horse was a small animal about 10 to 20 inches tall. About three million years ago, horses probably looked somewhat like modern horses. No one knows from where horses originated, but fossils show that during the Ice Age, horses lived on every single continent on earth except Australia. An average life span for a horse is about 20 to 25 years, although they can live up to 30. The oldest recorded horse was "Old Billy", an English barge horse, who lived to be 62 years old. There are over 350 different breeds of horses and ponies! It is possible to age a horse fairly accurately up to 10 years of age by their teeth (although this becomes more difficult as horses grow older). Horses love to eat short, juicy grass, but will also eat hay (dried grass) especially in the winter or when they are stabled. Extra high-energy food such as barley, oats, maize, chaff, bran or processed pony nuts are good for working horses. They have small stomachs for their size and need to eat little and often. Horses will graze for most of the day. Did you know: A stallion is a male horse A mare is a female horse A foal is a baby horse A filly is a young female horse A colt is a young male horse A foal is a yearling after its first birthday A sire is the word used for the father of a horse A dam is the word used for the mother of a horse A pony is not a baby horse. It is a fully grown small horse. A horse's height is measured in hands. One hand equals 4 inches. A horse will respond to your emotions and feelings because they are very sensitive animals. If you hold out your hand to a horse and it comes over to you and blows out warm air into the palm of your hand it may mean the horse wants to be friends with you. If it rests its head on your shoulder it may mean that the horse trusts you. Most communication between horses and humans is by jester and body language. We ride horses because they allow us to, not because we force them to. Value the horse as by doing so you show pride in your state. Grandmaster Buddy Amato operates Amato's Karate and Weapons Academy, 589 Palmer Avenue, West Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom. For more information, call (732) 671-9555. Return to top More Columns Copyright Buddy Amato Amato's Goju-ryu Karate, Nunchaku, Bo-staff, Aikido, Sword, Kendo, Sais, Kick-boxing, Tai-Chi and more 589 Palmer Ave, Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom, NJ 07734 (732) 671-9555