My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
UC Berkeley and Durham University optometry scientists have discovered the reasons for the horizontal pupil shape of some animals’ eyes — after analyzing 214 species of land animals, they have concluded that species with vertical pupils are more likely to be ambush predators that are active both day and night. Animals with horizontally elongated pupils […]
Read MoreSapphire the horse has shown a remarkable talent on the electric keyboard, enjoying both the sounds and the feeling of the keys. He’s got quite a riff going! But he’s not the only horse that likes music. Researchers at Hartpury College in England tested the effects of different types of music on eight stabled horses. […]
Read MoreFreedom’s mysterious hind end lameness took an accelerated curve to the left when I arrived to find him literally standing on three legs. He will put weight on that hoof/leg when asked to walk, but it’s pretty obvious that it’s painful. It’s pretty horrific to find your horse standing like that. He wasn’t favoring it […]
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While PETA horrified the world with video from the shedrow at Steve Asmussen’s racing barn, the abuse that Big Lick Walking Horses (the high stepping subset of Tennessee Walkers) suffer has mostly gone under the radar, even though, by most accounts, it’s far more pervasive and far more severe. Many of the top show […]
Read MoreFreedom’s pasture-mate, Willow, was recently diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrom (EMS) or Insulin Resistance (IR). What does that mean? According to the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut, Glucose (sugar) normally functions to fuel many metabolic processes in the body and is the primary energy currency of the body. Insulin is normally […]
Read MoreThis is such a wonderful “take” on supplements. I had to laugh out loud. My particular favorites are below, but Freedom could definitely use “Calm the Hell Down”. Be Careful What You Ask For Ideal for the overly-compliant horse who is more interested in pleasing you than saving either of your skins. BCWYAF invokes a […]
Read MoreYesterday the horses got fall shots, including the dreaded Strangles intranasal vaccine. This year we have no stalls, so convincing horses that they wanted to stand still while the syringe is stuck up their noses was, well, challenging. Curly, usually the mildest member of our herd, is the most difficult when it comes to the […]
Read MoreStage two of the big move took place today. Zelda and Curly joined Freedom and Willow at their new home. Zelda went over first (Curly has some stability issues standing in the trailer so I decided to take them separately). There was much rejoicing when she saw her old friends, including a good old run […]
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