Horse vs. Pig — What's the Difference?

A large domesticated animal used for riding, racing, and work.

A domesticated animal primarily raised for its meat, such as pork.

Known for their strength and speed, especially in competitive sports.

Pigs are highly intelligent and can be trained.

Horses require significant care, including grooming and training.

Smaller breeds are popular as house pets.

Often used in therapy and rehabilitation programs.

Requires proper care to maintain health and cleanliness.

Symbolizes freedom and power in many cultures.

In some cultures, pigs symbolize wealth and prosperity.

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.

A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae. Pigs include domestic pigs and their ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species.

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.

An omnivorous domesticated hoofed mammal with sparse bristly hair and a flat snout for rooting in the soil, kept for its meat.

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

A greedy, dirty, or unpleasant person

A unit of horsepower

A police officer

Heroin.

An oblong mass of iron or lead from a smelting furnace.

An obstruction in a vein.

A device which fits snugly inside an oil or gas pipeline and is sent through it to clean or test the inside, or to act as a barrier.

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

Gorge oneself with food

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.

Crowd together with other people in disorderly or dirty conditions

An adult male horse; a stallion.

(of a sow) give birth to piglets; farrow.

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

Operate a pig within an oil or gas pipeline

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

Any of various mammals of the family Suidae, having short legs, hooves with two weight-bearing toes, bristly hair, and a cartilaginous snout used for digging, including the domesticated hog (Sus scrofa subsp. domestica syn. S. domesticus) and wild species such as the bushpig.

(Sports) A vaulting horse.

A domesticated hog, especially when weighing less than 54 kilograms (120 pounds).

(Slang) Heroin.

The edible parts of one of these mammals.

Often horses Horsepower

(Informal) A person regarded as being piglike, greedy, or disgusting.

Mounted soldiers; cavalry

Derogatory Slang A police officer.

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

A crude block of metal, chiefly iron or lead, poured from a smelting furnace.

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

A mold in which such metal is cast.

To provide with a horse.

Pig iron.

To haul or hoist energetically

To give birth to pigs; farrow.

To be in heat. Used of a mare.

Any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.

Of or relating to a horse

(specifically) A young swine, a piglet contrasted with a hog, an adult swine.

Mounted on horses

(uncountable) The edible meat of such an animal; pork.

Drawn or operated by a horse.

(uncountable) A light pinkish-red colour, like that of a pig (also called pig pink).

Larger or cruder than others in the same category

Someone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.

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

A dirty or slovenly person.

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

(derogatory) A very obese person.

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

A police officer.

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

(informal) A difficult problem.

A component of certain games.

A block of cast metal.

(slang) A large and sturdy person.

The mold in which a block of metal is cast.

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

A lead container used for radioactive waste.

Equipment with legs.

(engineering) A device for cleaning or inspecting the inside of an oil or gas pipeline, or for separating different substances within the pipeline. Named for the pig-like squealing noise made by their progress.

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.

The general-purpose M60 machine gun, considered to be heavy and bulky.

A frame with legs, used to support something.

(uncountable) A simple dice game in which players roll the dice as many times as they like, either accumulating a greater score or losing previous points gained.

(nautical) Type of equipment.

A sixpence.

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

(Scottish) earthenware, or an earthenware shard

A breastband for a leadsman.

An earthenware hot-water jar to warm a bed; a stone bed warmer

An iron bar for a sheet traveller to slide upon.

(of swine) to give birth.

A jackstay.

(intransitive) To greedily consume (especially food).

(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.

(intransitive) To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.

(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).

(intransitive) To live together in a crowded filthy manner.

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

To clean (a pipeline) using a pig the device.

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

A piggin.

A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination.

The young of swine, male or female; also, any swine; a hog.

Horseplay; tomfoolery.

Any wild species of the genus Sus and related genera.

(slang) Heroin drug.

An oblong mass of cast iron, lead, or other metal. See Mine pig, under Mine.

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

One who is hoggish; a greedy person.

(transitive) To play mischievous pranks on.

To bring forth (pigs); to bring forth in the manner of pigs; to farrow.

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

To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.

(obsolete) To get on horseback.

Domestic swine

To sit astride of; to bestride.

A coarse obnoxious person

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

A person regarded as greedy and pig-like

To take or carry on the back.

Uncomplimentary terms for a policeman

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

Mold consisting of a bed of sand in which pig iron is cast

(by extension) To flog.

A crude block of metal (lead or iron) poured from a smelting furnace

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

Live like a pig, in squalor

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

Eat greedily;

To urge at work tyrannically.

Give birth;

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

Horses often symbolize freedom and power, whereas pigs can represent wealth, fertility, and in some contexts, overindulgence.

Horses are primarily used for riding, sports, and work, while pigs are mainly raised for meat and sometimes kept as pets.

Horses require ample space, daily exercise, and specialized diets, whereas pigs are less space-intensive and have adaptable dietary needs.

Yes, both can be pets, but horses require more space and care, making pigs a more practical choice for many households.

Both animals are intelligent; horses excel in understanding complex commands and tasks, whereas pigs are known for problem-solving abilities.

Horses communicate through vocalizations like neighing and body language such as ear positioning and tail swishing, while pigs use a variety of sounds, including grunts and squeals, as well as body language.

Horses need large, open spaces and a clean, dry shelter, whereas pigs require a mud wallow for temperature control and a clean pen to prevent diseases.

Horses are used for tasks like plowing and transportation, particularly in less mechanized areas, while pigs are primarily raised for their meat and byproducts.

Horses require regular grooming to maintain their coat, hooves, and overall health, while pigs generally require less grooming but need their living areas kept clean to prevent health issues.

Yes, horses can be trained for a variety of tasks including riding, pulling, and therapeutic activities, while pigs can be trained for truffle hunting and as performing animals due to their high intelligence.

Horses have a gestation period of about 11 months and typically give birth to one foal at a time, while pigs have a shorter gestation period of about 114 days and can birth litters of 6-12 piglets.

Horses can adapt to a variety of climates but may require specific care in extreme conditions, whereas pigs, particularly those with less body fat like pot-bellied pigs, are sensitive to extreme temperatures and need appropriate shelter.

Horses typically live between 25 to 30 years, whereas domestic pigs live around 10 to 15 years.

Common horse breeds include the Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Clydesdale, while popular pig breeds are the Yorkshire, Hampshire, and Duroc.

Horses are herbivores requiring a diet rich in hay, grass, and grains, while pigs are omnivores and can eat a broader range of foods, including vegetables, fruits, and grains.