Horse Vs. Moose : Weight, Height And Speed Comparison

Moose may be the closest lookalikes of horses, but they are not horses, as a moose is from the deer family as evidently known for its horns.

So Are moose like horses? What’s the difference between them?

The Moose Vs. Horse comparison is one of the hot topics nowadays. You might have ridden horses in your life once or twice and are known for their excellent speed and strength. Whereas moose generally have more height than horses (7 feet tall), whereas horses only reach a height of 6 feet.

In this blog post, I will make a detailed analysis of horses vs. moose. I will also describe some fascinating facts about horses and moose.

The Horse

Horses belong to the Equidae family, with a single hoof evolving 55 to 56 million years ago from multi-hoofed animals.

How do you describe a horse?

Horses have been living with humans for several centuries and served as domesticated pets and war animals. They are hoofed mammals and reach 30 years on average, with an incredible speed of 40 mph, which increases up to 50 mph in some cases.

An adult horse ultimately weighs 2000 pounds on average, but tiny horses such as geldings, colts, etc., have less weight ranging between 500 lb. to 1500lb.

An average adult horse can extend up to 8 feet or more. There are about 55 million horses in the whole world.

A horse could be colt, stallion, gelding, filly, and mare, depending upon the gender and age.

A horse needs much care but is a brilliant animal and learns new things very quickly. A horse has an IQ level of a five years old kid.

The Moose

Many people have often asked, Is a moose a type of horse? Moose belongs to the deer family but is one of the animals which look like horses.

Moose are characterized by longhorns and more significant height (7 feet) than horses. Moose attain an average speed of 35mph. Moose has an average lifespan of 15 to 25 years.

Moose eat barks, leaves, and tree twigs most of the time and originally meant twig eaters. Moose love to live independently and should not be kept in captivity for long.

Horse Vs. Moose

Male moose (bull)is cute but gets aggressive if anyone bothers them. Female moose (cow) may get aggressive during the mating season if the partner or other animal harasses them.

Moose have excellent fighting abilities and a thick coat that entrap the cold air and provides resistance against heat.

Horse Vs. Moose ‎Comparison

Now, let’s have a comparison between horses and moose. Well, differentiate their size, weight, height, and feed, etc.

Horse Vs. Moose Size

Moose and horses have been compared on a size basis. A moose has been a wild animal, while a horse is generally a domestic animal.

https://youtu.be/AX7KuW6wctM

Moose are generally called the giant elk in the family of deer. Moose is 9 feet long and up to 7 feet high, whereas horses only reach 7 feet in length and 6 feet in height.

So a moose is giant than a horse in size. But in many cases, horses can grow up to 7 feet in height.

Moose Vs. Horse Weight

Moose and horses weigh differently. Horses seem to be smaller in size, but surprisingly the horses have more weight.

Is a moose heavier than a horse?

A moose is not heavier than a horse. Male moose only go to 1500lb., and female moose is up to 1100lb. Horses, on the other hand, weigh up to 2000lb. When fully grown into a gelding.

Its geographical location primarily depicts the weight of an animal. For example, in Wyoming, the bulls (male moose) only weigh up to 800lb.

Moose Vs. Horse Height

The height of moose and horses have only a difference of 1 foot in general. Moose grow more prominent, while horses don’t grow much in size.

A standing moose will be 8 feet tall at its shoulders and 9 feet long to its tail, whereas a horse would only grow up to 7 feet high and 8 feet long.

So in this round, moose win and are better than horses.

Moose Vs. Horse Speed

Moose and horse both are solid and natural runners. Horses are great at running because they have been used in riding and racing for ages.

But How fast can a moose run?

A moose runs very fast, competing with the horses. An average horse would run up to 40 mph, and moose can also run at the rate of 40 miles per hour.

If there was a competition between a horse and moose, a horse might win, but it could also win if the moose gets aggressive.

Moose Vs. Horse Fight Abilities

Fighting the animals is a crazy thing, but when comparing the abilities of moose and horses, it has to be decided on a merit basis.

Horses are sharp runners and great kickers, but moose are gigantic, stronger than horses, and wild creatures. So, if a moose and horse fight in the wild, a moose will knock out the horse. But a horse can win if it is very well trained and is in the best health.

Trained horses have techniques that help them win a fight from any animal easily.

Moose Vs. Horse Appearance

Moose are characterized by a long head, substantial upper lip, and large nose. At the same time, a horse is a mammal with straight curvature and is single hoofed.

What animals look like moose?

There are undoubtedly many animals that look like moose like deer, goats, sheep, camels, and horses. But overall, a moose has a more prominent appearance than a horse. Also, it will be easily distinguished by the big nose and more giant upper lips.

Moose Vs. Horse Habitat

Habitat refers to the place where the animal is fond of living. Moose and horses were wild animals, but in recent centuries horses have been domesticated widely.

Moose is always living near the freshwater bodies, including ponds, wells, streams, and lakes. You will see moose in the northern US, Canada, and scarcely in Alaska, but horses are born to habituate anywhere on the earth.

Thus, moose can be slow in adapting to new habitats, while horses won’t have any problem acclimatizing themselves to different environments.

Moose Vs. Horse Food

Moose and horses have the same food tastes, as both are herbivores and feed on plants, but there’s a difference in their eating manner.

What do moose eat?

Moose are known as twig eaters, as they only eat from high leaves, bark, and twigs of trees because they can’t bend down due to their weight. But horses can quickly east, fescue, hay, and all sort of grasses. Moose eat freshwater plants often and may also be seen licking salts.

Moose Vs. Horse Mating Behavior

Moose and horses attract their partners differently. In moose, males attract the females, while in a horse, it is opposite of mares seduce horses.

Horses are sexually active at one year, and mares attract the horses by lifting their tails, then exposing the valve. Then male horses enter the penis readily to ejaculate in under 1 minute. The horses mate in the Sep-Oct season, and the breeding season is from May to August.

The mating behavior of moose is quite different and unique.

If we talk about moose mating, their males (bull) dig the holes and urinate to attract the female moose (a cow), and then both have sex.

Moose Vs. Horse Use

Moose are wild animals, while horses are domesticated pets. Both have different uses in their perspective fields.

https://youtu.be/H6gfTjZ64Z8

Horses are used in domestic purposes as well as in:

  • Agriculture Breeding
  • Commerce
  • Companionship
  • Herding
  • Meat
  • Racing
  • Riding 
  • Welfare

Moose are not used for any purpose, as they have been habituated in the wild and find it very difficult to live with humans.

How do moose help the environment? 

Moose serve as important food chain regulators in the wild, as they graze on different plants, which regrow back to normal when enough eaten and help by becoming the prey of bears and wolves.

Moose Vs. Horse Temperament

Let’s talk about the moose temperament first.

Moose don’t hurt people by themselves and aren’t aggressive at all. But if someone harasses or throws stones or snowballs towards moose, they become angry and attack people when hungry.

If we talk about the horse temperament, horses are very gentle and don’t harm anyone even when someone is bothering them.

But if an animal or human is constantly teasing a horse, it might become aggressive and attack the other person.

Moose Vs. Horse Breeds

Moose and horses both have different breeds. Let’s study both of these one by one.

How many different types of moose are there? In the northern region of America, four types of moose are found which are:

  • Alaska Moose (found mainly in North America and Alaska)
  • Eastern Moose (found in the northeastern US and Canada)
  • Shiras Moose (Found in scattered places in North America)
  • Western Moose (located overall north USA)

Now, let’s talk about the horses and their breeds.

How many horse breeds are there in total? Statistically, humans have bred almost 200 species, and the number has reached 400 in 2021.

Moose Vs. Horse Population

Moose are found originally in the northern part of the US and Alaska. But their number has been divided differently.

There are 0.3 million (300,000) moose in America, and over 200,000 moose are found in Alaska.

The number of moose is declining each year, and you might be thinking now that will moose go extinct? It’s time to save nature if we want to save moose.

But what about horses?

Horses are domesticated mammals and found all over the world. Their total population is assumed to be 55 million, with 400 breeds to be known in 2021.

Moose Vs. Horse Digestive System

Horses and moose have different digestive systems, and both function independently.

Let’s discuss the moose’s and horse’s digestive systems.

A moose is non-ruminant and has a digestive system divided into four compartments, whereas the digestive system is much like humans and has only one room!

Moose Vs. Horse Riding

Can a moose be ridden like a horse? Well, technically, wild animals are not meant to be ridden.

A moose is a wild animal, and is you can’t ride it simply because it doesn’t like the presence of humans near it, whereas a horse is straightforward to ride as it was domesticated 4000 years ago.

Also, several training institutes help you get lessons on how to ride a horse. At the same time, no one has dared to ride a moose in real life.

Moose Vs. Horse Intelligence

Moose and horses are both intelligent, but if we talk about who’s smarter, I have to be ‎biased to say that horses are more intelligent than moose.‎

What makes horses smarter than moose? 

Horses are bred and trained domestically and learn new ‎tactics from their trainers, including problem-solving. Moose is also a great problem solver in ‎the wild but not more intelligent than equines.‎

Thus in intelligence round, a horse would always outsmart a horse and make its way to the top ‎‎10 most intelligent mammals in the world.‎

Moose Vs. Horse Cavalry

Horses have been used in wars since the evolution of humankind. But there’s no direct evidence that moose were used in the wars.

There’s a disputed article on moose cavalry that the Sweden king Charles XI used the special cavalry groups of moose trying to replace horses in the 17th century, but it is still disputed and fabricated.

Whereas horses are loyal animals, and they have been serving in the famous wars in:

  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Civil War
  • The French Revolution

Moose and Horses Similarities

How are horses and moose related? Moose and horses are similar because they have a common ancestor in their historical time and then have descended to form a different group of animals.

Is a moose similar to a horse?‎

Moose (Alces alces) are specifically related to the deer family with horns at the anterior, but horses are the closest animals that look like the moose.

How Tall Is A Moose? 

How tall is a moose? It could only be estimated by seeing a moose that how tall is it.

When taken the measurements, the wildlife scientists have revealed that a moose reaches up to 8 feet (240 cm) in height and may extend to 9 feet (270cm) in length.

A moose is a taller animal than a horse and tends to have a greater width than all animals like zebras, deer, etc.

How Fast Can A Moose Run

A moose runs pretty fast as you assume it could be running.

A moose can compete with a horse in the running and average 35 miles per hour. If the moose is energetic and has eaten enough food, it can even run at the rate of 40 miles per hour.

But can a moose outrun a horse?

A moose will run nearly the speed of a horse, but horses may run up to 45 to 50 miles per hour, so moose can’t outrun a horse.

Thus, moose are not as fast runners as horses are because they eat nutritious food than wild moose.

How Big Is A Moose Compared To A Horse?

If we compare the horse and a moose, it is evident that horses are more miniature and moose are bigger.

A moose is often measured up to 8 feet high, whereas horses are only 6 feet tall if they fully grow. So a moose will be one or two feet higher than a horse.

Also, a moose weighs less than a horse, as males weigh about 1500 pounds, and females only weigh 1000 pounds. Thus a moose is more significant than a horse.

How Tall Is A Moose Compared To A Human?

Humans and moose are two different organisms. Moose are big animals both in height and width.

 A moose can extend up to 9 feet, whereas a human only has a width of one foot. A moose will be 7 to 8 feet high, whereas an average human is only 5 to 6 feet high.

So, moose are taller than humans and much more potent than humans. Plus, if a human is bothering a moose, it could get annoying and attack and attempt to kill the human.

That is why it is often suggested to maintain a safe distance from the moose and not bother or throw snowballs at the moose.

Can A Moose And A Horse Mate?

Moose and wild horses may be breeding in the wilds, but we haven’t heard about the mule till now.

In the forests, the moose have been seen mating with the female horse (the mares), but there was no reported case of a hybrid or mule horse-moose baby.

But a rumored story of Bambi, which may be a genuine or fake mule, is seen, but it’s not entirely sure that anyone witnessed that incident.

A strong opinion on Can moose and horse breed is that moose and horses have entirely different genetic makeup (moose carry 76 and horses carry 65 chromosomes), which makes breeding very difficult.

So, in my opinion, as biology and science have suggested, such a different hybrid baby is very unlikely to be born. So the story about Bambi may be flattered and fabricated.

What’s Bigger Than A Horse?‎

Many animals have been the same height as horses, but very few known animals are more remarkable than horses.

The list of animals bigger than horses are:

  • Giraffe
  • Moose
  • Elephant
  • Rhino

Al these animals are more significant than 6 feet and eventually larger than horses.

Do Horses And Moose Get Along?

Horses are the types of animals that live alone and don’t form groups or herds.

But moose are not the same as horses and tend to live in their herds to be safe and secure whenever an unprecedented incident happens.

So moose and horse can’t be friends, but they will not bother each other and will live independently if they live together.

5 Fascinating Facts About Horses

Here are some cool facts about the horses:

5 Fascinating Facts About Moose

Some facts you were not aware of moose:

  • Moose can be hunt by wolves
  • Moose lose their antlers annually but regrow them.
  • Moose has four compartments in their stomach
  • Moose has a great speed and are professional swimmers
  • Moose dig up in the soil, pee there to attract female moose to have sex.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Moose Vs. Horse Final Verdict

Moose Vs. The horse is a highly great comparison. Horses and moose are both mammals that eat plants and have great strength and weight as well.

But, in Moose Vs. Horse, we’ve seen that horse outweighs the horses, but moose are enormous and have a greater height than horses have.

Thus, that was all about the horses vs. moose. If you got any questions about it, please comment down below and let us know.