Here are some pictures of what Achan’s horses from the Blood of Kings trilogy look like, along with some interesting facts I learned about the animals.
*You mount on the left side of the horse.
*You can steer with the reins, but most horses can take signals from your legs alone.
Type of Movement and Speed
Walk- 3 to 5 mph (makes a four-beat movement or sound)
Trot- 8 to 10 mph (makes a two-beat movement)
Canter- 9-15 mph (makes a three-beat movement)
Gallop- 25 to 30 mph (makes a four-beat movement)
*A horse can travel 30 miles in one day, comfortably.
*A horse can travel 50-60 miles a day, driven to a ragged and dangerous state.
*A team of six horses pulling a light carriage will go faster and farther than a single horse pulling a very heavy wagon.
Height
*Horses are measured in hands. Hands are from the ground to the withers. Measure the horse three times and take the average if you have to.
6 hands- 24 inches- There have been a few Miniature Horses reported at this height.
8 hands- 32 inches- Good average for Miniature Donkey height.
11 hands- 44 inches- Standard donkeys in this height range. Common height for most zebras.
13 hands- 52 inches- Considered Pony height in horse breeds.
15 hands- 60 inches- Typical for many saddle horse breeds.
16 hands- 64 inches- Typical range for draft horses and many saddle horse breeds.
17 hands- 68 inches- Commonly seen in some draft horse breeds.
18 hands- 72 inches- Few horses reach this height.
19 hands- 76 inches- (6 foot 4 inches at the withers) Taller than most men.
21.2 ½ hands- 86 ½ inches- Tallest horse ever documented (back in 1850).
Definitions
Colt- boy baby horse
Filly- girl baby horse
Foal- baby horse up to one year of age
Gelding- castrated male horse
Mare- female horse
Pony- small, usually less than 14.2 hands high. Used by ladies, to pull carts, or as pack horses.
Stallion- male horse; sometimes called a “stud horse” in the US only. Stallions are aggressive and are ridden by experts.
Yearling- a horse in the second year of its life. Too young to ride.
Medieval Horses
Courser- a swift and strong horse chosen for its speed.
Destrier- a superior war horse selected for brute strength and used for battle and tournaments.
Festrier- a giant horse I made up for my Blood of Kings trilogy. Think giant destrier.
Rouncy- an ordinary, all-purpose horse, often used as a pack horse.
Other Interesting Facts
*Wild horses can survive on grass alone, but horses that are going to pull or carry weight need grains to give their body strength. Horses also like apples, eggs, buts, legumes, root vegetables, and salt to help their digestion.
*Give a horse water in the morning and night, and allow it to drink any time water is available.
*Most horses aren’t ridden until at least four years old. Breaking and training may start earlier.
*Gestation- 330 to 350 days
*Horses tend to live to be 27 to 28 years old.
*Vets look at a horse’s teeth to determine age
Great overview!
Though I have a few comments to mention… When it comes to gender, not all stallions are aggressive – some of the most docile horses I’ve worked with were stallions, but there are special considerations when handling stallions so it is best left for a more experienced rider.
Also – some horses are trained and ridden before they turn four. Some racehorses are broke at early ages but it can be bad on their joints in the long run.
And may I commend you for your horse selections for Achan! 🙂
If you have an
Thanks, Nicole! If you ever decide to blog, you could blog about horse info for writers. It would be a great tool for people like me, who are clueless about horses.
🙂
Jill
Wow, great post! All those facts! You’ve been busy! Thanks for putting it all in one place, so nicely organized for us 🙂
~Adele
Thanks, Adele. I spent a few days scheduling blog posts so I wouldn’t have to do any through March and April.
So it’s funny when they pop up now and I’d forgotten I wrote them.
🙂
I love your book “By Darkness Hid!”
Thanks, Book Blogger! I’m glad you like it.
🙂
Jill
Horses are fantastic aren’t they! I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel about robin hood that talked about a certain kind of smaller horse that had a 5th gait that was easier on the rider. Supposedly those types of horses were used in medieval times in Britain for traveling. 🙂
Thanks for posting this! Very cool!
– Leighton
I bet they were, Leighton. It’s interesting to me that horses have changed so much since then.
But I suppose the demand for horses was higher back then…
Hi, Jill,
I’m glad you’re taking the time to really research this. I’ve had horses for 30+ years now (and was a horse-crazy kid before that) and it really bugs me when I read a book where it’s obvious the author just wrote a horse into the story because he/she thought it would add something…but they don’t know what they’re talking about. Everything you’ve got here sounds very accurate–keep up the good work! Dawn Shipman
Yay! Thanks, Dawn. I hate when false information pulls me out of a story, so I always “try” to research things that are important.
🙂
Jill
I’m a horse person too. Scout and Dove are real beauties. I don’t remember Bart from any of the books. Is he new for book 3? He looks like a friend of mine’s horse.
Ember,
Bart is new from book three. He doesn’t have much of a part, though. I totally didn’t think about him being in book three. Good guess.
🙂
Jill
Just read your book “By Darkness Hid”. I would never have guessed the ending in a million years and can’t wait to read “To Darkness Fled”.
Thanks, Nicki! I’m so glad you liked it.
🙂
This helps a lot. 🙂
Great research work! And some misinformed people think you don’t have to do any research for fantasy… 😉
I’m a horse person, although I’ve never owned a horse, and horses always tend to dominate my stories, lol. Just a could quick notes:
A hand is equal to four inches (approximately the width of man’s hand). This first came about in the middle ages, I believe, because horse traders didn’t want to bother with measuring sticks. A .# (i.e. .2) signifies the remaining inches (.2=2 inches).
Horses can be ridden as early as two years, although riding them before isn’t a good idea as their bones aren’t as developed.
Also, interesting fact: while walk, trot, canter, and gallop are the 4 basic gaits, there are others that are variations on the basic gaits. Many of these are commonly associated with certain breeds, such as the running-walk, which the Tennessee Walking Horse is known for. The running-walk is an ultra-smooth, gliding, brisk long-reaching walk that is an easy gait for both horse and rider. A Tennessee Walker can 10-20 mph at a running-walk, and is probably similar to the 5th gait that Leighton mentioned. 🙂
Oooh. Good info, Selina. Thanks for sharing that. I’ve only ridden horses a couple time. It was fun, but pretty freaky for me. The last one I rode was pretty big. 🙂
Jill
I really like your wordpress web template, where would you download it through?
Thanks! It is the Twenty-Ten theme that comes with most WordPress accounts. But I made a child theme of it and altered it some.