Horses can actually kill a variety of animals due to the strength it wields. Such animals include even predators!
It all boils down to what the situation is between the horse and the potential danger it’s facing. Horses shouldn’t be underestimated as they are very intelligent, agile, and powerful animals.
1. Lion
Lions are also known as “king of the jungle”. These ferocious predators are located in open grasslands and usually travel and hunt with their pride. Lions are fast animals, however, they can only cover a short distance.
The size of lions is usually measured at 5 and a half and eight feet long. Moreover, these big cats weigh between 350 and 550 pounds.
Can a horse beat a lion?
A horse can beat a lion, not by confronting it through a fight, but by fleeing from the lion. Lions are accompanied by their pride the majority of the time in the wild, so if a horse is alone and not with its herd, it will definitely gallop away as fast as possible.
This is a typical scenario of predator v.s. Prey, and of course, the prey is usually the one who would avoid confrontation to avoid getting killed and eaten.
Lions won’t bother wasting stamina in catching their prey because they’re the type of predators that would rather chase prey that is injured because that has a higher success rate for lions and guarantee them a meal.
Can a horse kick kill a lion?
A horse is known for its strong kicks so a horse kick can definitely kill a lion because of the strength it wields.
Horses are excellent kickers and if you couple that with a horse that is healthy and large in size, then the horse may have an advantage against a lion. This pertains to wild horses though because domestic horses are rarely exposed to predators so that poses a disadvantage for them.
Can a horse kill a lion?
There’s a slim chance that a horse can kill a lion. If the horse ever manages to land a kick onto a lion’s head, then that would be enough to kill it.
Moreover, horses don’t have any protection that would repel lions such as sharp appendages like tusks. So this is a big disadvantage for horses. So the only way they can kill a lion is by kicking it on the head.
2. Bear
Bears are considered predators that are placed on top of the food chain. Despite being predators, their diet usually consists of mostly berries, roots, leaves, fruit, and fish. Occasionally they also consume rodents and moose. Bears like to isolate themselves and live out in solitary.
Can a horse fight a bear?
A horse can fight a bear especially if they’re bigger in size. However, horses would most likely avoid conflict against predators and flee from the scene. Bears on the other hand rarely hunt down horses because they love to isolate themselves.
However, there have been cases wherein bears attacked horses and riders, and this usually occurred in the United States.
Can a horse kill a bear?
A horse can kill a bear if it manages to kick it on the head. Again, horses are known for their powerful kicks, and that in itself is enough to cause severe damage to any living thing.
3. Dog
Dogs are domestic animals which makes them less violent compared to their wild counterparts such as wolves. Dogs are a common sight in farms, so they are usually exposed to horses. This increases the tendency of dogs herding horses and some horses don’t like this kind of behavior and sees it as a threat.
Can a horse kill a dog?
A horse can definitely kill a dog. Considering that horses are large animals, they already overpower horses in that area, plus, horses are strong animals and can be very dangerous when threatened.
Can a horse kick kill a dog?
A horse kick can easily kill a dog.
4. Tiger
Tigers hunt alone and then ambush the prey it’s stalking. These predators are known for hunting down large prey like wild boars and deer. If tigers find themselves within the vicinity of humans, chances are they would attack and kill livestock and other domestic animals.
Can a horse kill a tiger?
A horse can kill a tiger if it manages to kick it. There can be two outcomes when a horse is faced with a deadly predator such as the tiger. First, the tiger will stalk the horse as it eats grass, the tiger will creep in and approach the horse with caution and as soon as it sees an opportunity to attack, it will pounce on the horse and kill it with the help of its sharp claws and teeth.
Then there’s another scenario where the horse is able to pick up the presence of the tiger, it would either run from the predator (which is what would likely happen) or confront it.
5. Coyote
Coyotes are a small species of canine and are often mistaken as domestic dogs due to their small to medium build. When coyotes hunt they either do it alone (if the prey is small) or do it in small packs (when the prey is big). Furthermore, coyotes are actually omnivores, which means they eat both meat and plants.
Will horses keep coyotes away?
Horses will keep coyotes away especially if coyotes approach a horse’s herd. Horses can easily overpower a single coyote, however, circumstances may change if a coyote brought its pack with it.
Can a horse kill a coyote?
A horse can single-handedly kill a coyote just by kicking or trampling over it. Coyotes are small animals and horses are massive when fully grown, so horses can easily overpower a single coyote.
6. Snake
Snakes have a strict meat-only diet and they mostly consume small mammals and other snakes. Snakes have two ways of looking for their next meal and that includes waiting for the perfect moment to strike and ambush its prey or it will wait for the prey to come to them.
Are horses afraid of snakes?
Horses are not necessarily afraid of snakes. Since horses tend to become easily frightened, a sudden slither of a snake would be enough to cause panic in a horse.
Can a horse kill a snake?
A horse can kill a snake just by stomping and trampling all over it once the horse gets startled by the sudden movements of the snake.
7. Wolf
Wolves are predators who are strictly carnivores. Their diet includes large hoofed animals such as moose, deer, bison, and elk. However, it’s a rare case for wolves to hunt down horses and there have only ever been a few cases.
Are horses afraid of wolves?
Horses are afraid of any type of animal that poses a potential threat to them. Horses aren’t necessarily afraid of predators, however, since they’re not equipped with horns or tusks, their first response to predation would be to flee.
Can a horse kill a wolf?
A large horse can easily kill a wolf, especially if the wolf is alone. Without the wolf’s pack to back it up, the horse won’t have any distractions and can easily stomp and kick the horse until it dies.
8. Mountain lion
Mountain lions or cougars are solitary animals like bears and they are actually harder to find compared to bears. These predators are dangerous, however, they rarely attack humans and horses. However, there have been cases wherein they jump on the backs of horses that pass by canyons and cliffs.
Can a horse kill a mountain lion?
A horse can kill a mountain lion if it confronts the predator and inflicts damage by kicking.
9. Bull
Bulls are a species of cattle where they possess a large muscular body, large feet, and horns. The only instance wherein a bull attacks a horse is during bullfights where they are being ridden by picadors.
Can a horse kill a bull?
A horse can kill a bull, however, chances are slim. Bulls are heavier than horses and they have horns, so they can easily charge at horses and kill them before a horse can manage to inflict damage by kicking it.
10. Cow
Cows are the most common domesticated hoofed animals which are primarily used for the production of dairy products. These animals are commonly seen grazing around in farms.
Are horses afraid of cows?
Horses are not afraid of cows. As a matter of fact, these two animals actually get along peacefully. A horse won’t care even if it sees a cow in the same pasture with it.
Can a horse kill a cow?
A horse can kill a cow however it won’t kill one for no apparent reason.
11. Zebra
Zebras are part of the horse family, and like horses, they have the ability to do powerful kicks. They can defend themselves and their herd by inflicting serious damage to predators by kicking them.
Who would win in a fight, a zebra or a horse?
A horse is more likely to win in a fight against a zebra simply because there are horse breeds that tend to grow large in size and that can make horses quickly overpower a zebra.
Can a horse kill a zebra?
A horse can kill a zebra, however, there’s a very slim chance that horses would do that since there aren’t many cases wherein both animals confronted each other head-on due to being threatened and such.
12. Donkey
Donkeys are considered to be cousins with horses and zebras. A donkey shares some physical attributes with a horse, however, it’s obvious that donkeys are smaller. Moreover, some donkeys are actually trained to protect livestock from predators and they will stomp on animals that pose a threat.
What kicks harder? A horse or a donkey?
A fully-grown adult horse can kick harder than a donkey since horses are larger than the latter. Foals on the other hand have weaker kicks compared to donkeys.
Can a horse kill a donkey?
Horses can kill donkeys but of course, the donkey would be able to inflict damage on the horse as well as they are known to confront animals, especially if they pose a threat to them.
13. Camel
Camels are amazing animals that can travel great distances in the desert. Camels can actually travel as fast as horses, but the thing that makes them stand out is their endurance. They can cover a great distance without eating or drinking.
Who would win in a fight? A camel or a horse?
A horse would probably win in a fight against a camel since camels aren’t really used to fighting off other animals. Camels are mainly good at strategic mobility while horses are better at fighting.
Can a horse kill a camel?
A horse can kill a camel if it inflicts serious damages to its body by kicking it.
Resources:
https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2020/06/10/most-dangerous-wild-animals-to-horses
https://archive.org/details/lion0000john/page/n39/mode/2up
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/tiger
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Are Horses Stronger than Bulls, Donkeys, Mules, Camel (& Others)
