Is Equine Attachment Real?
Just how closely do horses attach to their humans?
Hay Selection Research: Horse Versus Human
A Swiss study looked at how well human selection stacks up against a horse’s hay preference for palatability.
University Students Collect Data From Over 700 Horse Skulls From Sable Island
PhD students at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax are helping to create a database for future research about the species. The almost mythical Sable Island horses have bewildered generations of scientists eager to learn more about their existence on the remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Preventing Wildfire with the Wild Horse Fire Brigade
California resident and naturalist William Simpson explains how the grazing behaviour of a herd of wild horses helped mitigate the 2018 Klamathon Fire, keeping his land and much of his local community safe.
Does Your Horse Have Self-Control?
Horses might pass up one treat to wait for a “better” one. Researchers in Germany said this kind of self-control might help horses cope with new environments and training situations.
Long-Term Human-Horse Relationships Ease Equine Anxiety In Novel Situations
Horses that have a long-term relationship with an owner or caretaker respond to novel situations with less anxiety. A horse that has had several owners, or one that has multiple riders or who has only been with an owner for a short time, may respond with more wariness.
Horse Power from the Powerhouse of the Cell [infographic]
What makes a great horse great? As described in a recent Animal Frontiers article, the mitochondria, or powerhouse of the cell, is at least partially responsible for athletic performance.
Horses’ Expressions Can Indicate Mounting Block Stress
Reading a horse’s facial expression might help you determine whether being led to the mounting block causes them stress. According to results from a new study, a group of recreational riding school horses tended to show signs of stress in their faces when approaching the mounting block.
How Bonded Are You To Your Horse?
Researchers have created a scoring system that evaluates the level of bonding humans have developed with their horses.
Do Horses Want What We Want?
Would you call your relationship with your horse a partnership? Being partners means you’ve “negotiated the terms of the relationship,” including your shared goals, according to a leading welfare expert. Winning medals probably doesn’t constitute a shared goal with the horse. But goals that involve living a good life—for both horse and human—qualify as a…