# Is this not the ugliest horse ever seen?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 13, 2017, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713 "2017-10-13T08:22:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713/41 "2017-10-14T18:32:36Z")

</div>

Omg them goats, I hope I don’t encounter them in my dreams!.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713/42 "2017-10-14T20:21:31Z")

</div>

> [@RivkahChaya](#):
>
> Auuuuuggggghhhh!!!

Why did I look?? Why?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713/43 "2017-10-15T00:47:46Z")

</div>

There’s a method to madness that is the Damascus goat. Their very long ears and Roman noses help them to cool off. Air circulating around the ears and with the enlarged sinuses can help cool the blood around the head. They are an ancient breed that has looked like that for a long time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713/44 "2017-10-15T00:56:52Z")

</div>

Yeah, I can see the desert adaptations in the Damascus goat–they’re ugly, but they’re ugly for a purpose and to make them more successful in their environment. Still not sure I’d want one around, especially with those crazy broken off looking horns they sport.

Fainting goats, now, those are a bizarre sort of success story. They’re a natural mutation that occurred on its own and they’re only successful because they’re hilarious. We breed them for their amusement factor, but they also have an advantage because the whole body lockups they get (not, technically, seizures) result in them coming in about 40% heavier than an equivalent breed of meat goats. So there you go, sometimes we do good things for the silly critters of the world.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-not-the-ugliest-horse-ever-seen/798713.md?page=2)