Horses sometimes lick and chew during training and this has often been interpreted as a sign that the horse is learning or showing “submission” to the trainer. However, a new study suggests that this non-nutritive licking and chewing behaviour is a natural behaviour that is shown after a stressful situation.

A large number of flying insects emerge with the heat each summer, and they can turn what should be long luxurious days in the ring, field or trails into painful, frustrating or itchy endeavours! While irritation may seem like a minimal concern, excessive flies can cause stress in horses, which can lead to reduced performance and malnutrition. Not only can insects be bothersome, but bug bites can cause a variety of allergic type skin reactions in many horses.

The landscape of the horse world is continually changing. And changing along with it are the options available when it comes to shopping for our equine needs. In this digital era, we have access to many thousands of products and services through our computers, phones, and tablets. The internet has opened doors to tack shops worldwide. Although you might already consider yourself to be an expert online shopper, we have gathered some advice and tips to help you make every online shopping purchase a positive one.

Intense exercise can be fatal to racehorses, according to a new University of Guelph study. Prof. Peter Physick-Sheard and a team of researchers examined 1,713 cases of racehorse deaths from 2003 to 2015, and found racing was connected to some of the deaths.

Horse trailer choices are almost as broad as truck options. While your specific trailering needs (e.g. how many horses you'll be hauling at any one time, size of the horses, typical hauling duration, etc.) will obviously impact your choice of horse trailer, the horses' safety and comfort should always be your primary concern when considering the following trailer options.

Watching horses wade into a lush spring pasture is a satisfying sight after a long Canadian winter. Some simple management tips will ensure your horses can enjoy that lovely grass well into the next few months, weather permitting. Allowing your horses to overgraze one piece of land will create problems for both the animal and the pasture. Too much grass too soon can cause founder, and once the grass is gone, horses will often resort to eating weeds, some of which are toxic. As for the land itself, once the roots are exposed and trampled, the grass will not return and you will be left with a dry, weedy wasteland.

If you are repeatedly training your horse to do the same task every day, a recent study suggests that you could well be spending your time more productively. The research, by equine scientists from Germany and Australia, found that allowing horses breaks of two days between training sessions rather than training daily results in similar learning progress over a period of 28 days. The researchers suggest that such a training schedule might be considered to make more efficient use of trainers’ – and horses’ – time.

The colours deployed on hurdles and fences on British racecourses may be set to change following research led by the University of Exeter into the way that horses perceive colour. The research, commissioned in 2017 by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Racing Foundation, was undertaken by Dr. Sarah Paul and Professor Martin Stevens of the University of Exeter with the aim of improving obstacle visibility for horses, thus reducing the risk of falls and injuries for horses and jockeys.

When we go to the gym we all know that a good warm-up session is essential when it comes to protecting against such injuries as pulled muscles or strained tendons and ligaments. There is no difference when it comes to your horse’s workout. Many horses spend 23 hours of each day standing around in relatively small paddocks.