I’ve been watching horses for years, first wistfully as a horse-crazy girl from the spectator seating at the Royal Winter Fair, and later making my living watching horses as a horse trainer, riding coach, and judge. As a trainer, I’ve studied horses circling around me on the end of a lunge line, recognizing signs of tension, relaxation, or hints of gait irregularities.

Horses are highly social animals that form close bonds with other members of their group. Because of this, it is reasonable to expect that the loss of a companion may affect their behaviour and emotional well-being. However, until recently, there has been surprisingly little scientific research into how horses respond to the death of another horse. A study led by Claire Ricci-Bonot and Daniel Mills at the University of Lincoln, with MSc student Emily Wilson, alongside Stefania Uccheddu of the San Marco Veterinary Clinic and Laboratory, Padua, Italy, aimed to address this gap.

Navigating the Mare Owner's Dilemma - So, you’re contemplating breeding your mare. As a seasoned breeder of top-notch warmbloods and the owner of Hyperion Stud, LLC, Vicky Castegren knows all about that decision.

Horse owners are very familiar with hoof trimmings: they are a routine byproduct of farriery visits and are usually swept up and discarded without much thought — if not eaten by the dog first. However, recent scientific research suggests that these small clippings may have much greater value than previously realized. A growing body of work in materials chemistry and biopolymer engineering is exploring how horse hoof trimmings could become a sustainable and useful natural resource.

One of the hallmarks of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), aka Cushing’s Disease, is a weakening of the immune response. This includes waning immunity to intestinal parasites.