A horse is a mammalian animal that is part of the equidae family. It is a perissodactyl: an ungulate being (uses the end of the fingers to support and walk) whose extremities have an odd number of toes ending in hoof and whose central finger has a greater development compared to the rest.
Horses are characterized by their long limbs and their tail made up of a large number of extensive bristles. The largest breeds can present specimens with a height of 1.80 meters and a weight close to one ton. These animals are herbivores and communicate with each other by neighing.
The domestication of the horse began thousands of years before Christ. Since ancient times, the human being used the horse as a draft animal or to move on its body. It is also used for the practice of equestrian sports, which are disciplines carried out on horseback, such as show jumping or racing.
The behavior of the horses varies according to the breed. In general, they are sociable animals that can develop bonds with people. There are even horses that are used in therapies to assist patients with autism and other disorders.
It goes without saying that it does not matter if it is dressage for forced labor (such as pulling carts), equestrian sports or equine therapy, in none of these cases the freedom of the animal is respected, which is why we should not perform none of these activities if we wish to become just and compassionate beings. The horse is not born to satisfy our needs, but theirs, although human beings have misinterpreted this simple premise for millennia.
As if the degree of mistreatment that horses receive was not serious enough, as soon as they suffer an injury that prevents them from continuing to carry out their duties normally, it is normal for their owners to kill them or abandon them. That is where some sanctuaries come into play, welcoming them and giving them a second chance to be happy.
Horses are fascinating beings, with characteristics worthy of being admired: they have a beautiful physical appearance, an exceptional bearing that is the envy of many and many models, manes that flutter in the wind, considerable physical strength and a speed that, in combination with their resistance allows them to travel great distances in a short time. Unfortunately, not many horses can enjoy their skills in the wild.
In chess, the knight is a piece that has the peculiarity of being able to jump over the rest. Their movements are oblique: from the white square to the black, leaving a white one in the middle, or from black to white, leaving a black one in the middle.
The horse is also a card of the Spanish playing cards. It is numbered 11, with four knights (one per suit) per deck.
In everyday speech, we say horseback riding to describe the action of climbing on top of another person by passing our legs around their waist and holding us with our arms on their shoulders, so that they carry us on a litter. This is usually done for fun, either between adults or children, and it is also normal for parents to carry their children in this way to amuse them or when they feel too tired to continue walking.
As with other popular expressions, it has many variations depending on the country or the Spanish-speaking region, and some have even arisen as a result of transliterating their equivalents in other languages or dialects: go or ride a camichocho, go to cococho, go in a burrica, go to carranchapernas, go to fetch, go to coscoletas, go to burrichicos or go to slippers, among others.
