International charity World Horse Welfare has launched a new “one-stop shop” for horse advice and information. A range of horse health and management topics are covered in the new Advice Library, including well-being essentials, covering basic welfare fundamentals such as the 3Fs (friends, forage and freedom), and the 5 domains of animal welfare – which…
In the world of animal intelligence, few possess the fascinating intellect of the horse. Their ancient partnership with humans and intricate social dynamics within herds have intrigued scientists and equestrians alike with their seemingly profound understanding and emotional depth. Years of experiments and training have shown us that horses possess an intelligence greater than we…
For many decades, horses have developed habits that frustrate the people managing them. From cribbing to stall weaving to pawing, owners have swapped explanations, old wives’ tales, and supposed remedies for these behaviors, which are often lumped together in a category called “stable vices.” Dr. Katherine Houpt, professor emeritus in behavior medicine at the Cornell…
Horse sport’s international governing body has joined forces with the World Horse Library, which combines the resources of public and private libraries around the world on the subject of the horse. Check out this amazing resource!
Learning to ride horses takes time and is steeped in traditional methods of teaching. Instructors often stick to these traditional approaches because they are seen to be the main way students learn. However, these methods are not effective for all participants, and those with challenges in learning often struggle to understand and build their skills.…
Horses chew wood for a variety of reasons, but it’s most commonly a behavioural response born out of boredom or a coping mechanism to deal with stress. Research shows that wood chewing correlates strongly with the amount of time a horse is stabled and the amount of long-stem forage available. When horses are stabled or…
Of all of the data we collect for assessing a horse’s performance, time remains among the best metrics for measuring how well they ran at a particular racetrack at a specified distance on a given day. The methods for timing races have evolved with the sport, but like other sporting pursuits with a multitude of…
All horse owners dream of beautiful barns, arenas, and paddocks, but equine behavior and welfare leaders are urging them to open up their barns, rethink time spent in box stalls, link their paddocks, and let horses be horses—together.
While some of their body language is quite explosive, much of horse communication is expressed through subtler signals- slight changes in facial expressions, the flick of an ear, the barely perceptible shifting of weight, a tail swish, and so on. Being able to properly interpret their signals allows us to interact with horses in a…
Scientists have calculated a way of measuring the estimated carbon footprint of sport horses. The project was carried out by Wageningen University & Research in partnership with the European Equestrian Federation (EEF). The team worked with stables in Sweden and the Netherlands to understand the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for which horses at different…