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…
Posture Provides Clues To Equine Health
Historically, lameness exams involve watching a horse move, often at the walk and trot, in a straight line or in a circle. New research suggests that a horse gives clues to her soundness even while standing still.
Understanding Equine Vision
When you’re riding a course or out hacking — your horse’s unique way of seeing the world around him becomes hugely important. It’s a driving factor in what he’ll find scary, and also how (or whether!) he’ll tackle a jump. That means that learning to understand his view, and keep it in mind while you’re…
Exercise Therapy for Horses
Stall rest is sometimes necessary for an injury to heal, especially in cases of severe tissue damage (such as tendon or ligament injuries and fractures), but other times keeping horses moving is a better approach. The key is choosing the right exercise for the type and location of the injury. We cannot just tell horses,…
How Good Are We at Interpreting Arousal Levels of Horses from Whinnies?
Humans, it turns out, appear well attuned to the whinnies and neighs of horses, showing an ability to understand whether an animal is content or upset.
Ability of Horses to Show Self-Control Shown in Study
Horses are able to exert self control to wait for a better food reward. Self-control is defined as the ability to forgo immediate satisfaction in favour of better pay-offs in the future. Researchers assessed the self-control abilities of horses in a simplified delay-of-gratification test in a farm setting.
Tool Use by Horses Confirmed
German zoologist and behaviour researcher Konstanze Krueger and her colleagues, reporting in the journal Animals, said they identified 13 cases of tool use in their study involving twelve horses and a mule.