Thoroughbred horse

At the Detroit Zoo
Former racehorses Trio and Buster were rescued by the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER) and landed a cushy retirement at the Detroit Zoo in 2009. Many horses are retired from the racing industry each year, but few are as fortunate as Trio and Buster to live the good life in the Zoo’s Barnyard along with the belted Galloway cattle, Scottish highland steer, miniature donkeys, domestic yak, pigs and other barnyard animals.

Description

The Thoroughbred horse is best known for being used in horse racing. It is most often bay, chestnut, seal brown, black or gray in color. The Thoroughbred horse tends to be high-spirited, fast and very athletic.

Scientific name: Equus caballus
Continent: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia
Habitat: Most horses live in a domesticated setting, but they can live in a grassland, savannah or forest.
Size: An average of 15 to 17 hands high (a hand equals about 4 inches)
Weight: About 1,100 pounds
Diet: The Thoroughbred horse is an herbivore, with a diet consisting mainly of grass and hay. Many horses consume horse feed made up of grains such as oats along with grass and leaves.
Reproduction:  Gestation period of 335-340 days; one foal
Lifespan: 30 years

FUN FACTS

A Thoroughbred horse weighing 1,000 pounds requires 10-12 gallons of water per day.