Feral Horses Gallop to the Rescue of Butterflies in Distress
A new study suggests that returning feral horses to grasslands in Czech Republic could increase populations of some threatened butterfly species.
Research Suggests Ponies Could Play Critical Role in Dartmoor’s Future Health
A research project suggests that Dartmoor ponies not only make a positive contribution to conservation management on Dartmoor, but are also a suitable option for conservation grazing throughout the country.
Should Cloned Horses Be Allowed to Compete?
This winter, top competitors in the equestrian world will return to their seasonal home in Wellington, Fla., for three months of hunter/ jumper and dressage competition. The equine athletes will include some with price tags in the seven figures; top international mounts jetted in from Mexico, the UK and Belgium; and, flying discreetly under the…
Hoof Boots Can Protect Barefoot Trail Horses’ Feet
Gabriella Lynn, a student at Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, conducted a study to determine Cavallo Trek boots’ effects on hoof pressure distribution. In her study, Lynn measured pressure distribution as horses walked over Fujifilm Low Prescale Film barefoot and when wearing boots, on asphalt and over crushed stone. The color film images revealed…
Welfare State of Horses Revealed by Their Topline
Emilie Sénèque and her colleagues from the University of Rennes hypothesized that horses with compromised welfare would reveal them through chronic body postures. For their study, they carried out posture analysis using morphometric geometrics to measure, quantify and compare postures between horses.
Using Weight Tapes on Horses
A weight tape is a wonderful tool, but it probably won’t yield a dead-on accurate weight for your horse for several reasons.
CSU’s Right Horse Program Provides Real-World Rewards For Rescue Horses And Students Alike
Colorado State University’s The Right Horse program seeks to remove some of the burden from rescues while educating college students in the process by seeking new ways to pair horses in transition with a good home.
Study Finds Horses Learn by Seeing
Researchers set up a task that involved pressing a button to open a box containing pieces of carrot and apple, and the horses were shown various techniques for pressing the button to open the box by their owners. Some owners used their head to press the button, some their hand, some their foot, and some…
Science of Saddle-Fitting
There is a growing body of evidence that poorly fitted saddles can have a negative effect on the welfare and performance of ridden horses.
How to Get a Horse’s Coat to Dapple
A dappled coat has long been a sign of optimum equine health and good nutrition, but the reality behind dappling is more complicated. An equine nutritionist offers advice on bringing out the bloom in a horse’s coat.