Horse Gestation Period: How Long are Horses Pregnant?

Horses are common domesticated livestock animals in many parts of the world. They serve many uses, from draft horses to racehorses, all domestic horses have been bred for specific purposes. Scientists believe the first horses were domesticated around 6,000 years ago. Since then, humans have selectively bred them for specific traits, resulting in a proliferation of horse types throughout the world. But, just how long is a horse’s gestation period, and how long are they pregnant?

Here, we’ll learn more about the horse as an animal before diving into the details of the reproductive cycles. We’ll start by learning what different types of horses look like and how big, or how small, they grow. Then, we’ll go over horse behavior and what’s normal for a horse. After that, we’ll look at how long horse gestations last and how many foals a mare can have in her lifetime. Finally, we’ll discover how to tell whether or not a horse is pregnant and how common twins are in horses.

Species Profile: The Horse

Female horses are known as mares, while males are either stallions or geldings.

Appearance

Most people are familiar with what horses look like, but would you believe that horses’ wild ancestors were actually much smaller and sturdier than the horses of today? Today’s horses have four long legs built for running, long bodies with flat backs, and graceful, upright necks topped with narrow, attentive faces.

Horses come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Some, like mustangs and paint horses, are bred specifically for their coloring. Horses may be white, black, brown, yellow, or anything in between. In addition to their coats, horses also have long manes and tails, which they use to keep flies away from their skin.

Horses range in size from small ponies to gigantic draft horses.

Today’s horses range in size from about 14-20 hands (one hand equals four inches). Anything under 14 hands tall is considered a pony, which is just another word for a small

 horse. Horses even bigger, like Shire horses, and horses even smaller, like miniature