Animal Facts #3: The Horsey

Horses! Did you know that:

1. The horse is the only animal in the world that's been domesticated by 3 other animals? They are of course Man, Lions, and Other Horses.

2. A horse was the subject of the world's first comedy cartoon strip! (pictured right). In this 18th century Nepalese tome, you could follow the adventures of Sandy as he moves slightly and changes colour, before disappearing into the abstract.

3. A disappointed horse-lover from Montana recently attempted to sue the Seattle indie-rock combo 'Band of Horses' under the trades descriptions act. Kenny Fife, 42, was disappointed to find that they definitely do not consist of equine musicians - they are of course otters with a knack for a tremendous beat.

4. Horses are a war-like and aggressive race - in times gone they were feared mercenaries, selling their cavalry services to the highest bidder, and relishing the chance of engaging with other horses. However, due to the current credit crunch (and to a lesser extent, the development in weapons technology over the last 60 or so years) they find their places on the battlefield taken by machines. To satisfy their aggressive urges, they now volunteer themselves for free to the police force in exchange for free entry to football grounds, and the occasional opportunity to bite a felon in the ear.

5. A stunted disabled horse works in a hospital! Check out this news report from the unbelievably incompetent Shannon Perrine ("the kids getting treatment... can forget about tests, and blood work, and BEING SICK..."), on Thumbelina, a class of '02 Harvard medical graduate: