Horse vs. Sheep — What's the Difference?

A large domesticated animal with a flowing mane and tail, used for riding, racing, or carrying loads.

In textiles, a term referring to products made from sheep wool.

Equus caballus, a species known for its speed and endurance.

A woolly quadruped animal, kept for its fleece, meat, and milk.

A unit in chess with a movement in an L-shape.

Ovis aries, a species domesticated by humans thousands of years ago.

A gymnastics apparatus for vaulting and exercises.

A timid or easily led person.

Slang for heroin.

A piece in board games, often representing resources or units.

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a domesticated one-toed hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus.

Sheep (Ovis aries) are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates.

A large plant-eating domesticated mammal with solid hoofs and a flowing mane and tail, used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads.

A domesticated ruminant mammal (Ovis aries) having a thick coat, raised in many breeds for its wool, edible flesh, or hide.

A frame or structure on which something is mounted or supported, especially a sawhorse.

Any of various wild ruminant mammals related to and resembling the domestic sheep, such as the aoudad, bighorn sheep, and mouflon.

A unit of horsepower

Leather made from the skin of one of these animals.

Heroin.

A person regarded as timid, weak, or submissive.

An obstruction in a vein.

One who is easily swayed or led.

Provide (a person or vehicle) with a horse or horses

(countable) A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis.

A large hoofed mammal (Equus caballus) having a short coat, a long mane, and a long tail, domesticated since ancient times and used for riding and for drawing or carrying loads.

The domestic Ovies aries, the most well known species of Ovis.

Any of various equine mammals, such as the wild Asian species Przewalski's horse or certain extinct forms related ancestrally to the modern horse.

(countable) A timid, shy person who is easily led by others.

A frame or device, usually with four legs, used for supporting or holding.

A religious adherent, a member of a congregation or religious community (compare flock).

(Sports) A vaulting horse.

(uncountable) Sheepskin leather.

(Slang) Heroin.

A person who is easily understood by a speech recognition system; contrasted with goat.

Often horses Horsepower

Any one of several species of ruminants of the genus Ovis, native of the higher mountains of both hemispheres, but most numerous in Asia.

Mounted soldiers; cavalry

A weak, bashful, silly fellow.

A block of rock interrupting a vein and containing no minerals.

Fig.: The people of God, as being under the government and protection of Christ, the great Shepherd.

A large block of displaced rock that is caught along a fault.

Woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat

To provide with a horse.

A timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon

To haul or hoist energetically

A docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision;

To be in heat. Used of a mare.

Of or relating to a horse

Mounted on horses

Drawn or operated by a horse.

Larger or cruder than others in the same category

A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.

Any member of the species Equus ferus, including the Przewalski's horse and the extinct Equus ferus ferus.

(zoology) Any current or extinct animal of the family Equidae, including zebras and asses.

Cavalry soldiers (sometimes capitalized when referring to an official category).

A component of certain games.

(slang) A large and sturdy person.

(historical) A timber frame shaped like a horse, which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

Equipment with legs.

In gymnastics, a piece of equipment with a body on two or four legs, approximately four feet high, sometimes (pommel horse) with two handles on top.

A frame with legs, used to support something.

(nautical) Type of equipment.

A rope stretching along a yard, upon which men stand when reefing or furling the sails; footrope.

A breastband for a leadsman.

An iron bar for a sheet traveller to slide upon.

A jackstay.

(mining) A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse (said of a vein) is to divide into branches for a distance.

(US) An informal variant of basketball in which players match shots made by their opponent(s), each miss adding a letter to the word "horse", with 5 misses spelling the whole word and eliminating a player, until only the winner is left. Also HORSE, H-O-R-S-E or H.O.R.S.E. (see H-O-R-S-E).

(uncountable) The flesh of a horse as an item of cuisine.

(prison slang) A prison guard who smuggles contraband in or out for prisoners.

A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination.

Horseplay; tomfoolery.

(slang) Heroin drug.

(intransitive) To frolic, to act mischievously. (Usually followed by "around".)

(transitive) To play mischievous pranks on.

(transitive) To provide with a horse; supply horses for.

(obsolete) To get on horseback.

To sit astride of; to bestride.

(of a male horse) To copulate with (a mare).

To take or carry on the back.

To place (someone) on the back of another person, or on a wooden horse, chair, etc., to be flogged or punished.

(by extension) To flog.

(transitive) To pull, haul, or move (something) with great effort, like a horse would.

(informal) To cram (food) quickly, indiscriminately or in great volume.

To urge at work tyrannically.

To charge for work before it is finished.

A hoofed quadruped of the genus Equus; especially, the domestic horse (Equus caballus), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period. It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.

The male of the genus Equus, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.

Mounted soldiery; cavalry; - used without the plural termination; as, a regiment of horse; - distinguished from foot.

A frame with legs, used to support something; as, a clotheshorse, a sawhorse, etc.

A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.

A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse - said of a vein - is to divide into branches for a distance.

A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination; - called also trot, pony, Dobbin.

Heroin.

Horsepower.

To provide with a horse, or with horses; to mount on, or as on, a horse.

To sit astride of; to bestride.

To mate with (a mare); - said of the male.

To take or carry on the back; as, the keeper, horsing a deer.

To place on the back of another, or on a wooden horse, etc., to be flogged; to subject to such punishment.

To get on horseback.

Solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

A padded gymnastic apparatus on legs

Troops trained to fight on horseback;

A framework for holding wood that is being sawed

A chessman in the shape of a horse's head; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa)

Provide with a horse or horses

Sheep can adapt to various climates, including warm ones, but they thrive better in cooler conditions.

Horses typically live between 25 to 30 years, depending on the breed and care.

Horses require more land and resources per animal, making their environmental impact higher than that of sheep.

Horses can form hierarchical groups but often are kept individually in domestic settings, whereas sheep inherently rely on flock dynamics for survival.

Horses show a wide range of complex behaviors like galloping and can be trained for various tasks; sheep behaviors are generally simpler and geared towards flock survival.

Yes, they can graze together and often benefit from the reduced risk of parasitic disease transmission due to their different grazing habits.

Horses are primarily used for sports, recreational riding, and therapeutic purposes.

The main products are wool, meat (lamb and mutton), and milk.

Horses are generally considered more intelligent, exhibiting complex social behaviors and learning capabilities, while sheep are known for their strong flock mentality and simpler behaviors.

Horses require strong, tall fencing to prevent escape and injury, while sheep fencing needs to be secure enough to protect from predators and prevent wandering.

Horses have a gestation period of about 11 months, while sheep have about five months.

Horses are used primarily for work and transport, whereas sheep are raised for their wool, meat, and sometimes milk.

Horses commonly face colic and hoof diseases, while sheep are prone to foot rot and scrapie.

Horses can develop strong bonds with humans and are highly responsive to training, while sheep are generally more reserved and less interactive.

Horses have been crucial in warfare, transport, and exploration historically, while sheep have been vital for agricultural development, particularly through wool and meat production.