How Does Course Design Impact Sport Horse Breeding?
Elite show jumping courses and horses look dramatically different than they did a few decades ago. Some of the world’s most respected professionals talk about the correlation.
Bad Behavior, or Is Something Else Going On With Your Horse?
If your horse is acting naughty when handled or ridden, he might be trying to avoid pain somewhere in his body.
Which Horse Behaviours Indicate Friendship Best?
Horses are social animals. They like each other. They like being together. But it is a bit more complex than that. A more accurate version is that horses like some horses more than others, and they dislike some horses more than others as well. How do they show that preference? Mainly walking up to each…
Scientists Dressed Horses as Zebras to Learn What Stripes Are For
Why do zebras have stripes? For a long time, researchers assumed they were to confuse predators while zebras stood in herds. But increasingly, scientists are reaching a different conclusion: Stripes protect zebras from biting insects. To reach this conclusion, scientists tested their theory on a group of horses and zebras wearing different kinds of coats.…
To Survive on Their Own, Corolla Wild Horses Adapt
To get through the colder months, the wild horses of Corolla modify their diets, their coats grow thicker and they know where to go to protect themselves from the cold. They’ve learned from centuries of living on their own.
Dewormer Use in Horses Cut by 65% Through Evidence-based Parasite Control
Researchers looked at the results of deworming practices on five riding horse farms in France and Switzerland. All ended up switching to an evidence-based treatment system for small strongyles based on the results of fecal egg counts.
Multilevel Structure of Horse Society Revealed in Drone-based Study
Evidence from a study using drones strongly indicates a multilevel structure in horse society. The study was undertaken in Serra D’Arga, Portugal, where about 200 feral horses live without human care. Researchers involved in the month-long study took aerial photographs of the horses at 30-minute intervals from 9am to 6pm in two specific zones.
Wound-Care Guide
Your horse comes in from the pasture with a gash on his knee. No problem. Your first-aid kit is filled with wound-care options, including plain old iodine and a product that promises to prevent proud flesh. But which one should you use?
Horses Provide In-hand Clues to Potentially Dangerous Ridden Behaviours
Will your horse buck, rear or bolt when you climb in the saddle? A fresh study reveals that in-hand behaviours may provide important clues about what may happen once you climb on board.
Blink Rate a Simple Way of Measuring Acute Stress in Horses
The spontaneous blink rate is a valid and fast alternative measure of stress in horses, researchers have found. However, they say the initial “startle” response must be considered when using this parameter as a measure of stress.