From galloping heroes to gleaming coats, black horses have trotted their way into legends, books and hearts everywhere.
Who tells the story in Anna Sewell's novel Black Beauty?
Black Beauty himself
His owner, Squire Gordon
A stable boy named Joe
Ginger, a chestnut mare
Spot on! Black Beauty tells his own life story, straight from the horse's mouth.
Not quite. Black Beauty narrates the novel himself, which was a big part of its charm when it came out in 1877.
The Friesian, a famous all-black horse breed, comes from which country?
Spain
The Netherlands
Ireland
Germany
Nailed it! Friesians come from Friesland in the northern Netherlands.
Close, but it's the Netherlands! Friesians are named after Friesland, a northern Dutch province.
What's a quick way to tell a true black horse from a dark bay or brown?
Check the color of its hooves
Look at its mane and tail
Look at its muzzle and flanks
Count its white markings
Yes! A true black has no brown or reddish hairs on the muzzle and flanks, where dark bays and browns usually show lighter hairs.
The trick is the muzzle and flanks! Dark bays and browns usually have lighter brownish hairs there, while a true black stays black all over.
What's the name of Zorro's trusty black horse?
Thunder
Midnight
Shadow
Tornado
Whoosh, correct! Tornado carried Zorro on many masked adventures.
It's Tornado! A fitting name for the swift black steed of the masked hero Zorro.
In Walter Farley's books, what's the Black Stallion's name?
Shetan
Black Jack
Satan
The Black
Right on! His name is Shetan, though most people simply call him the Black.
His real name is Shetan! Readers mostly know him as the Black, an Arabian stallion who survives a shipwreck with young Alec Ramsay.
In the Book of Revelation, the rider of the black horse holds scales. What does he stand for?
War
Famine
Death
Conquest
Spot on! The black horse's rider carries scales for weighing scarce food, so he stands for famine. Hungry work for a horse!
Not quite, but close! The black horse's rider stands for famine. His scales are for weighing out scarce food, while war rides a red horse and death a pale one.
Why does a black horse often turn a bit rusty-brown after summer in the field?
It eats too many carrots
Its skin makes extra pigment
Sunlight breaks down the pigment in its hair
Dust sticks to dark hair more
Nailed it! UV light and sweat break down the dark pigment in the hair, so the coat bleaches to a reddish-brown. Basically a horse with a sun-kissed look!
Nice try! Sunlight is the culprit: UV rays break down the dark pigment in the hair and bleach the coat reddish-brown. That's why some owners give black horses fly sheets or shade.
Which gene gives a horse a black coat when the agouti gene isn't there to limit it?
Cream gene
Grey gene
Dun gene
Extension gene (E)
Yes! The Extension gene (E) lets the horse make black pigment. With no agouti in the mix to push the black to the legs, mane and tail, the whole horse comes out black.
No worries! The answer is the Extension gene (E), which lets a horse make black pigment. With no agouti in the mix to keep the black to its points, the whole coat turns black.
The Ariegeois, a breed that is almost always black, comes from which mountains?
The Pyrenees
The Alps
The Rockies
The Andes
Correct! The Ariegeois, or Merens, is a hardy little horse from the Ariege area of the French Pyrenees. The French Percheron is often black too!
Good guess, but it's the Pyrenees! The Ariegeois, or Merens, comes from the Ariege area of southern France and is famous for its glossy black coat.
Black horses pulling a hearse at a state funeral are most often there to show what?
Speed
Mourning and dignity
Good luck
Wealth from gold mines
Exactly! Black is the classic colour of mourning, so black horses add a solemn, dignified touch to royal and state funerals. Very stylish, very serious.
Don't worry! The answer is mourning and dignity. Black is the traditional colour of grief, which is why black horses so often pull hearses at royal and state funerals.
How many horseshoes... er, horses would you give this quiz?
Saddle up your friends and challenge them to the quiz!
