THE FROG-POWERED HORSE

Protectionist wins the 2014 Melbourne Cup - easily!



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Wonder mare - Black Caviar

The horse relies on ground pressure against the V-shaped 'frogs' in its hooves to pump venous blood back to the heart, which is comparatively small for such a large active animal.  Watch racehorses cantering around to the starter-gate to get the blood circulating for that 'jump-start', or horses galloping around a paddock before nightfall to avoid lameness next morning. 

What an amazing example of power-pack design – a heart with 4 auxiliary pumps!
Let's get back to the drawing-board and design a mammal that:

·         has 4 powerful legs with a long stable stride
·         is large enough for us to harness or ride
·         has stamina for prolonged activity
·         is mono-gastric (1 compartment stomach) but still eats grass – not us!
·         carries no surplus weight e.g. huge heart
·         has panoramic vision with independent eyes
·         has excellent memory, smell & omni-directional hearing
·         gives birth to live young

We have just designed the horse but....too late - who has beaten us to it?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Dr. Jobe Martin, Biologist

R.D. Frandson, Anatomy & Physiology of Farm Animals, 1974, Lea & Febigor, Philadelphia

T.G. Hungerford, Diseases of Livestock, 1959, Angus & Robertson

PHOTO CREDITS:

The horse’s frog / animalturd.hubpages.com
Protectionist / theaustralian.com.au