The horse's eyes have
all-round vision, except for about 15 degrees behind it.
This is their blind spot and horse's will often get nervous
if you approach them from behind, because they cannot see
you.Their sight is developed to see movement. Ideal for
detecting predators while grazing.
Horse's
have very good hearing, and the external pinae (the
part of the ear you can see) is very mobile, so that it can
be positioned to focus on the source of the sound, which is
reflected down in to the ear canal onto the ear drum. The
ear canal is very narrow, running down the side of the head,
before turning inwards
to connect to the middle and inner ears. These are the areas
that convert sound waves into nerve impulses that the brain
can understand. They are situated just behind the articulation
of the jaw. The inner ear is also important for maintaining
balance.
The
skin provides a flexible but robust surface to protect underlying
structures from the environment. Its physical strength resists
abrasions & cuts, and if damaged can repair itself. It
grows hair, as an insulating layer, which helps maintain the
bodies heat. Muscles in the skin cause the hairs to stand
up or
lie
flat, which controls the amount of insulation. Trapping more
air against the skin which is warmed to creat an insulated
layer above the skin. The skin also controls blood flow, increasing
the bloodflow to the surface of the skin as the body becomes
hot, which in turn causes heat to be lost at the skins surface.
Sweat glands cover the skin surface with fluid which cools
the body by evaporation.
The horse's nose (often known as the muzzle) is a very sensitive
part of their body, it has many different functions:
The horse uses its nose to breath (a horse can only breath
through its nose not through its mouth). A horse also requires
its nose to smell for food, and then uses the whiskers on
its muzzle to find and examine its food. A horse also uses
its whiskers to feel around it and judge distance from its
muzzle. A horse's sense of smell and sense of feel is very
well developed. A horse uses its sense, much as we do, to
build up an impression of our surroundings, so that it can
judge what is a threat to it as well as what is food. Once
a horse has seen you and realised that you are not a threat,
if it is being inquisitive it
will then use it nose to sniff and touch you to find out more.
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