🐆 Cheetah vs Horse 🐴
The cheetah is about one and a half times as long as the horse. The cheetah is about 3 times as fast as the horse. The horse weighs about 8 times as much as the cheetah.
| Row | 🐆 Cheetah | 🐴 Horse |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The cheetah is about 3 times as fast as the horse. | 60 to 70 mph96 to 112 km/h1 | 20 to 30 mph32 to 48 km/h2 |
| Weight The horse weighs about 8 times as much as the cheetah. | 75 to 141 lb34 to 64 kg1 | 701 to 1,000 lb318 to 454 kg3 |
| Lives The horse usually lives about 3 times as long as the cheetah. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 30 years30 years4 |
| Eats The cheetah eats meat; the horse eats plants. | antelopes such as gazelles and impalas, and hares | grass and hay |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa, and a few in Iran | farms and ranches, and wild herds in the American West and on islands like Assateague |
Which one? Cheetah or horse
🏁 Who would win the race?
The cheetah gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 3 times as fast as the horse. But a cheetah can only keep up its top speed for a short dash.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/cheetah-vs-horse
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Cheetah, checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, a trail guide for horses (full gallop), checked 31 October 2026.
- Bureau of Land Management, about wild horses and burros, checked 31 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Pipe Spring: horses, checked 31 October 2026.