There is a growing awareness among horse owners about the importance of horses being turned out together. Horses are herd animals. They need social contact. So what is the reality for today’s domesticated horses? What are people’s horse husbandry practices around turnout? Horse Talk – horse husbandry: the science of breeding, rearing, and caring for horses. Although…
Have you ever watched a mare and her foal together? Newborn foals tend to stay close to their mother’s side. Over time, as the foal gets older, they venture further apart. Researchers in Japan were curious about how this distance changes over time. To study mare and foal behaviour, they attached GPS devices to the halters on…
You may have already heard about the wild ponies of Assateague Island. What you may not know is that the ponies on the island are split into two main herds separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. The herd on the Virginia side is managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The National Park Service…
Have you ever had the job of feeding hay to a barn full of horses? A common method of feeding hay to horses is to simply toss flakes of hay on the ground. The horses lower their heads and don’t stop eating until it’s all gone—or trampled into the ground. If you’ve ever mucked out a stall or…
What would you do if you learned about a neglected filly that needed help? In this horse rescue story, students at Southport Elementary School in North Carolina, came together to help a one-year-old filly named Piper. The students first heard about Piper through one of the school’s physical education teachers, Donna Michaux. Donna had attended a conference where…
Have you ever bridled a horse? You have to be careful when sliding the bit into the horse’s mouth; you don’t want the hard metal of the bit bumping against the horse’s teeth. What does it feel like for the horse to wear a bit and have it pulling at the corners of their mouth…
When you take the saddle off your horse after a good ride, what do you see? Your horse’s back, where the saddle and saddle pad were placed, is damp with sweat. This got one girl in Montana thinking about saddle pads and keeping her horse cooler. Twelve-year-old Cortnee Annello designed a science experiment to help her learn…
When you tack up a horse for a riding lesson, or go for a trail ride, does each horse have their own saddle? Like shoes are for us, if a saddle doesn’t fit, it can cause a horse discomfort. Poorly fitted saddles cause back muscle asymmetry, an unnatural gait, and back pain for the horse. They can also cause back…
Three horse-crazy friends in grade 5 decided to participate in their school’s science fair at Medford Elementary School in Minnesota. Jenna, Bella and Lily tossed around several cool ideas before deciding on, what for them, it was the perfect topic. “It was something we all enjoyed, something like, horses! We knew right away that it…
The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll is taken each year to select the top pacers and trotters of the year in the United States. Horse Talk – pacers and trotters: Pacers move both legs on the same side forward in unison. Trotters move right front and left rear legs forward almost simultaneously, then follow suit with left…