Did You Know? | Scientific Fun Facts About Dogs & Horses
Did you know that dogs excel at reading human facial expressions and direct emotional cues?1
Did you know that dogs excel at reading human facial expressions and direct emotional cues?Horses, on the other hand, are more sensitive to non-verbal cues and emotional states.2
Did you know that horses have superior long-term memory?
Did you know that horses have superior long-term memory?Horses recognize people, other horses, and places, even after years of separation.
Canine memories are strong for a shorter period of time and are centered around scent-based recognition.
Did you know that horses have a wide, 350-degree field of vision?
Did you know that horses have a wide, 350-degree field of vision?Horses have two blind spots: directly behind the tail and directly in front of the head.
Their depth perception is less than human’s, with much of their visual field coming from one eye; only seventy percent of the horse’s overall vision utilizes both eyes.3
Dogs have a narrower, 240-degree field of vision.
Both species have dichromatic vision, meaning they are red-green colorblind.
Did you know that horses have 10 muscles to control their ears, and dogs have 18?
Did you know that horses have 10 muscles to control their ears, and dogs have 18?Humans have only three of these kinds of muscles!
Horses can hear frequencies from 55 Hz to 33,000 Hz, which is much broader than the human hearing range of 20-20,000 Hz.
A dog’s hearing frequency range is between 76 Hz and 45,000 Hz.
Learn more about our dogs’ amazing listening abilities and
how to foster hearing longevity here: Music to My Ears
Did you know that horses have around 30 million olfactory receptors, and dogs have up to 300 million?
Did you know that horses have around 30 million olfactory receptors, and dogs have up to 300 million?For reference, humans have only five to six million olfactory receptors. These special neurons send information from the nose to the brain, allowing for the sense of smell.4
Did you know that adding water to your horse’s feed and hay pellets can help prevent choking?
Did you know that adding water to your horse’s feed and hay pellets can help prevent choking?Learn more about the importance of saliva production here:
From the Inside Out: Health Begins with Food
Did you know that active yeast strains are resistant to antibiotics?
Did you know that active yeast strains are resistant to antibiotics?This characteristic makes them a great probiotic choice during antibiotic therapy.6
Learn more about the benefits of active yeast strains here:
Remarkable Probiotic Yeasts for Horses
Did you know that certain probiotic bacteria, such as the Lactobacillus and Bifidum strains, are easily destroyed and degraded by stomach acid?
Did you know that certain probiotic bacteria, such as the Lactobacillus and Bifidum strains, are easily destroyed and degraded by stomach acid?To help protect the bacteria from breaking down in stomach acid, make sure your probiotic supplement (whether for you or your pet!) which contains these strains is either enteric-coated or microencapsulated.7
Active yeast strains and soil-based organisms (SBOs), such as Bacillus, can withstand the harsh environment of the stomach and pass readily to the small intestine.8,9 These strains do not need to be enteric-coated or microencapsulated.
Learn more about probiotics, how they work, and which strains will work best for your animal here: Choosing the Right Probiotics for Your Horse or Dog
References
1 The Way Dogs (Canis familiaris) Look at Human Emotional Faces Is Modulated by Oxytocin. An Eye-Tracking Study | PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5671652/
2 Are Horses (Equus caballus) Sensitive to Human Emotional Cues? | PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6770165/
3 Vision in Horses | Veterinary Partner: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=254034&id=4952534
4 Equine Senses – Smell | Animalweb: https://askanimalweb.com/equine-senses-smell/
5 Chew frequency and duration in horses consuming bermudagrass hay in slow feeders as compared to loose hay | ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080623001958
6 Exploring biotechnological and functional characteristics of probiotic yeasts: A review | Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215017X22000170?via%3Dihub
7 Polymeric carriers in probiotic delivery system | ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666893923000221#bib0050
8 Probiotic Yeasts: A Developing Reality? | MDPI: https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/10/7/489
9 Presence and Germination of the Probiotic Bacillus subtilis DE111® in the Human Small Intestinal Tract | Frontiers: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.715863/full
About the Author: With over 30 years experience in the equine and human supplement industry, Tigger Montague knows nutrition from the synthetic side as well as the whole food side. She started BioStar US in 2006 with formulas she created in her kitchen. Before she started the company, she was an avid rider and competitor with eventing and show jumping, until she got hooked on dressage in the late 1980’s. She has competed on horses she’s owned and trained all the way from training level to Grand Prix.
