| Wikipedia: Colt (horse) |
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age.
An adult male horse if left intact is called either a "stallion" or a horse (sometimes full horse); if castrated, it is called a gelding. A rig or ridgling is a horse or colt with a retained testicle or one which has been incompletely castrated.[1]
A young female horse is called a filly until age four, and a mare thereafter.
In the wild, colts are driven from their herds by the herd stallion somewhere between the age of one and two. Some scientists[who?] believe that this may be in part an instinct to prevent inbreeding. When driven out, they usually join with other young stallions in a bachelor herd. They stay with this band until they are mature enough to form their own herd of mares.
References
- ^ Summerhayes, RS, Encyclopaedia for Horsemen, Warne & Co, London & New York, 1966
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, fifth edition. G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield: Mass., 1947.
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