One horse sensory organ that’s often overlooked is vibrissae, better known as whiskers. These long hairs on the muzzle and around the eyes are useful sense elements for horses, but many riders trim them for a tidier appearance. While horses can survive without their vibrissae, the trimming of them is starting to be seen as…
Emily Cole is an equestrian illustrator based in the UK, specialising in cartoon-style caricatures of horses and ponies. In this interview, Emily talks about what led her down the equestrian illustrator path and why mistakes are part of the process.
Many organizations are working diligently to draw kids into the equestrian fold, both on the back of a horse and in the professional realm. Here’s what some of them are doing to ensure the future of equestrian activities.
Horses can develop forms of depression. In this article, equine vet Gil Riley explains some common signs of depression in horses that owners should keep an eye out for, some of which will be similar to symptoms of depression in humans.
To better understand the piaffe and its effects on a horse’s biomechanics, researchers teamed up to investigate the ground reaction forces of elite dressage horses performing the movement over pressure plates. Although forces varied from horse to horse—likely indicating different training techniques—and stride to stride, overall, the researchers found horses in piaffe adjust the ground…
If you could see scientific data, gathered by the use of high technology, that proves how your horse feels about how good the inside of you is for the inside of him, would you be brave enough to look at the facts?
Drones and computer modeling have been used to paint a surprisingly complex picture of societal dynamics among horses. When examining how horses synchronize their herd behaviors, computational modeling is a must. Much more is happening among the many mares, stallions, and foals than can be summarized by a few simple equations.
Whether it’s opening the gate, breaking into the feed-room, or finding ways to steal their friends’ food, horses certainly appear to find their own, often very creative, ways to solve their day-to-day problems. But do they come up with these ideas out of necessity, or do they become more creative when their needs are already…
In this article Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Loni Loftus uncovers the mechanics of the digestive system and looks at how the health of the equine gut can have a direct effect on behaviour, including mental and physical health.
According to Italian researchers, horse manure could be a clean and efficient biofuel—provided scientists can determine how to dry it out first.