Besides not being able to talk, horses are flight animals and have an instinctual ability to hide pain. So, how do horses communicate pain?Obvious signs such as biting, bucking suddenly, not wanting to be saddled, reluctance to go forward...
When a horse hates being groomed, it can make life difficult.One such horse presented a classic case of “chestnut mare, beware” to anyone approaching her with a curry or brush. She was a kid’s lesson horse, but it was...
In the 11th episode of The Horse Illustrated Episode of Horses in the Morning, sponsored by Title Sponsor Straight Arrow Products, hosts Glenn the Geek, Holly Caccamise and Sarah Evers Conrad chat with sports psychologist Laura King, clinician Jason...
With halter in hand, you open the gate to your horse’s paddock. You are in a hurry since the farrier will arrive any minute. Your horse is thinking about running. When you take another step toward him, your hard-to-catch...
When a vet goes on a call about a difficult horse, the volatile mare takes charge, at least until gravity steps in.I was in the middle of writing medical records, and I recognized the number that popped up on...
This excerpt from What Horses Really Want by Lynn Acton is adapted and reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).Horses want to be our partners, not obedient servants. Partners think. This means they do not always do exactly...
Does your horse eagerly whinny when you call to him, or is he silently holding a grudge from last week’s reprimand? A recent study from France shows that horses respond to voice and the complex array of emotions sparked...
When presented with a new challenge, does your horse give up, or is he a regular MacGyver? In the first experiment to look at horse problem-solving*, researchers installed a new horse puzzle feeder into the pens of 16 horses. There...
I never thought in a million years I would open an equine sanctuary in my mid-50s and that I would have a sudden realization that led to a change in horse training tactics. I have been an equine professional...
Despite their reactive reputation, horses are not always easy to read—particularly when they are well-trained. Ol’ Fred may seem calm and cool on the outside, but inside he may be shaking in his horseshoes. A recent study out of...
