Horses
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133 free Horses trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
114 free horses trivia questions with answers. Discover how much you really know about horses with our engaging trivia quiz. From majestic breeds to remarkable abilities, test your equine expertise and learn surprising facts about these magnificent animals. Whether you're a seasoned horse lover or just starting to explore the equestrian world, this quiz offers fun and educational challenges.
30 of 133 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the average gestation period for a mare?
11 months
The average gestation period for a mare is approximately 340 days, which is about 11 months, though it can vary between 320 and 370 days.
Q 02Which of these is considered one of the three basic coat colors for horses?
Chestnut
The three basic coat colors in horses are chestnut, bay, and black. Other colors like palomino, roan, and buckskin are variations or dilutions of these base colors.
Q 03What is the primary natural defense mechanism of a horse when faced with danger?
Flight
Flight comes first: a horse startles and runs, and only bites, kicks, strikes or rears when escape is impossible or a foal is threatened.
Q 04In which equestrian discipline do riders guide horses through a pattern of circles, spins and sliding stops?
Reining
Reining is a western riding discipline where horses and riders perform a precise pattern that includes small and large circles, flying lead changes, rollbacks, and impressive sliding stops.
Q 05What unit measures a horse's height from the ground to the withers?
Hand
Hand is four inches, so a 16-hand horse stands 64 inches at the withers, where the neck meets the back.
Q 06Which horse breed was developed by the Nez Perce people?
Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is an American horse breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern, which was developed by the Nez Perce Native American tribe.
Q 07The horse's digestive system is uniquely adapted to process what kind of diet?
Small, frequent meals of forage
Small, frequent meals of forage suit a stomach that starts emptying once it is two-thirds full, processed or not.
Q 08Approximately how much does the stomach of an average adult horse hold?
9-15 liters
An adult horse's stomach holds only about 9-15 liters, roughly a tenth of its total digestive capacity, which is why it is built to eat little and often.
Q 09What is a young female horse, typically under the age of four, called?
Filly
A filly is a young female horse, typically under four years of age; the Kentucky Oaks, run the day before the Derby, is restricted to three-year-old fillies.
Q 10What is the term for a horse's long, thick hairs that grow from the top of its neck?
Mane
The mane consists of the long, coarse hairs that grow from the dorsal ridge of a horse's neck, primarily serving as protection from insects.
Q 11What is the record speed for a horse galloping over a short sprint distance?
About 43 mph (70 km/h)
The record is about 43 mph (70 km/h), clocked by the Thoroughbred Winning Brew over two furlongs in 2008; an ordinary gallop averages only 25 to 30 mph.
Q 12Which part of a horse's anatomy is often used to estimate its age, especially in younger animals?
Teeth
A horse's age can often be estimated by examining the eruption, wear, and specific characteristics of its teeth.
Q 13In which two-beat gait do the two legs on the same side of the horse move forward together?
Pace
The pace is a two-beat lateral gait in which both legs on one side swing forward together, as in Standardbred pacers; the trot moves diagonal pairs instead.
Q 21What are the free-roaming horses of the western US, descended from Spanish conquistadors' animals, called?
Mustang
Mustangs are the free-roaming horses of the American West; usually called wild, they are properly feral, descended from Colonial Spanish horses brought over from the 1500s.
Q 22When a horse shows the whites of its eyes, what emotion is it typically conveying?
Anger or fear
Anger or fear is the message: the eye is opened wide enough to show the white sclera, and it often precedes a bite, kick or bolt.
Q 23What layer of skin directly beneath the hoof wall contains blood vessels and nerves?
Sensitive laminae
The sensitive laminae are the blood-rich, nerve-filled layer that interlocks with the hoof wall and suspends the coffin bone; when that bond fails, the result is laminitis.
Q 14What is the specialized name for someone who cares for horses' hooves?
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including trimming and shoeing horses.
Q 15The 'Flehmen response' in horses is often seen when they are doing what?
Investigating an unusual scent
The flehmen response is a way of investigating an unusual scent: curling the upper lip and raising the head routes odours to the vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth.
Q 16Which region is the ancestral home of the horse breed known for its dished head and high tail carriage?
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is the ancestral home of the Arabian, the breed with the dished profile and high tail carriage, bred for centuries by Bedouin tribes of the desert.
Q 17What is the typical lifespan of a domesticated horse?
25-30 years
While individual lifespans can vary, the typical lifespan of a domesticated horse is around 25-30 years, with some living even longer.
Q 18Besides directly behind it, where is a horse's other blind spot?
In front of its nose
A horse cannot see directly in front of its nose; that blind cone reaches about a metre out, which is why it tips its head to look at something held close up.
Q 19Most of a horse's wide field of view uses which kind of sight?
Monocular vision
Monocular vision covers most of the horse's field of view, each eye seeing its own side; only about 65 degrees in front of the face is seen with both eyes, which gives depth perception.
Q 20Which of these structures is NOT part of a horse's foregut?
Cecum
The foregut of a horse consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. The cecum is part of the hindgut.
Q 24What is the soft, low sound a horse makes in greeting?
Nicker
A nicker is the soft, low, pulsating sound a horse makes in greeting, at feeding time or to its foal; the whinny is louder and carries much farther.
Q 25What is the term for a castrated male horse?
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated male horse; most males not kept for breeding are gelded, usually before they are two, which makes them calmer and easier to handle.
Q 26Which continent is believed to be the evolutionary origin of the modern horse (genus Equus)?
North America
Equus evolved in North America, spread to the Old World across the Bering land bridge, and died out in its homeland until the Spanish brought horses back in the 1500s.
Q 27What is the purpose of the 'stay apparatus' in a horse's legs?
To enable them to sleep standing up
Dozing upright is not enough on its own: a horse still has to lie down to reach REM sleep, though only for an hour or two every few days.
Q 28Which coat pattern mixes white hairs into the base colour for a frosted look, usually with a solid-coloured head?
Roan
A roan coat pattern is characterized by white hairs evenly mixed with the base coat color, but usually with a solid-colored head, lower legs, mane, and tail.
Q 29In practice, what does calling horses 'hindgut fermenters' mean?
Fiber digestion primarily occurs in the large intestine.
Fiber digestion primarily occurs in the large intestine, where microbes in the cecum and colon ferment roughage and also make vitamin K and B vitamins; they need weeks to adapt to a feed change.
Q 30What is the broad strap under a horse's belly that holds the saddle in place called?
Girth
The girth is a strap that goes around the horse's barrel, just behind the front legs, and attaches to the saddle to keep it securely in place.