Equus

Have you met your soulmate? I have. Twice. I can't take credit for the first time. When I was 6, my dad heard about a 3-year-old Morgan/Arabian cross that everyone thought was something special. North Star’s Pride and I grew up together, developing a

The bearded cowboy looks completely at home in these environs. At the Crossed Arrows Ranch, a small working ranch in the high desert country south of Santa Fe, rolling hills of chaparral and dirt roads extend to a horizon punctuated by the towering S

A new study suggests that when using flavor additives to induce a horse to drink more water, it’s wise to provide a plain water “chaser” at the same time. In hospital settings the risk of colic makes dehydration a particular concern, so the voluntary

The statement/answer in the Hands On Pop Quiz for your Autumn 2021 edition (“Comparative Anatomy,” EQUUS 506) is partially right and partially wrong. The horse does not have a gall bladder, as is stated. However, the appendix and cecum are 2 differen

Previously, this series has analyzed the contributions of non-Thoroughbreds in the pedigree of foundational American Standardbred sire Rysdyk’s Hambletonian (through the rest of this article, we’ll call him “RH”). The most important of these ancestor

World maps showing selected ambling and non-ambling breeds. Red indicates the percentage of individuals tested who carry the DMRT3-STOP gene (data after Staiger et al., 2017). This chart shows the percentage chance, based on genetic survey, of findin

The sort of horse called a “Barb” in 18th century England was usually a blend of either Barb and Turkmene or Barb and Hobby. This mid-18th century portrait by Stubbs shows both the conformation and the frequent white markings very realistically. Of t

Part of the royal palace at Persepolis in Iran, this bas-relief dating to 515 BC shows pacing horses brought as tribute to the Persian King Xerxes I (the Biblical “Ahasuerus”). There are many other images of pacing horses from the ancient Middle East

This painting, done by James Seymour, in about 1740 shows the size of the horse (greater than 14 hands) relative to his groom. The DMRT3-STOP gene came to the Thoroughbred population not only from Hobbies but from this type of Turkmene horse, which i

This well-circulated photograph of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian was taken in 1860 when the stallion was 31 years old and had developed a somewhat sagging back. His huge pelvis, somewhat coarse head, substantial limbs and long neck are also evident. In next

Horses featured in this section were all born before 1850; most contributed to RH’s ancestry or are closely related to horses who did. Portraits and descriptions are presented in chronological order of foaling, along with whether the horse was an amb

As conscientious as we are about scheduling farrier visits and annual vaccinations, we aren’t always quite as proactive about our horse’s dental health. In our defense, the ingenious design of equine teeth means they usually don’t need many intervent

cementum comparatively soft substance that coats the enamel and anchors a tooth to bone; gives equine teeth their yellow color. crown portion of a tooth that contains enamel; typically the part that projects above the gum. dentin bonelike substance t

In a year that’s seen wild temperature swings and extreme weather worldwide, horse owners might be wondering what surprises the next few months could bring. “Winter’s worst” may mean just about anything these days, from a freak warm spell to record s

I don’t know any rider who likes to be afraid when she rides. If your goal is to be a happy rider, you need to figure out how to avoid situations that make you nervous. It seems pretty obvious, right? I mean, who wants to ride scared? But in real lif

At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Lis Hartel became the first woman to earn a medal in dressage. But it was only after the competition, when the medals were about to be awarded, that the true magnitude of her achievement became clear. For after guidi

Hoping to learn more about the best way to train and handle horses in hippotherapy programs, researchers at the Temple Grandin Research Center have begun documenting how therapy horses there behave during sessions. Currently, there are no certificati

NUTRITION Q: I normally ride my horse three or four times a week, but due to work and family commitments, I’m not going to be able to continue that schedule this winter. So, my horse will have no work at all for the next two or three months. Do I nee

Bruce A. Connally, DVM, MS, is founder and operator of Wyoming Equine, an equine sports medicine practice that serves Colorado and central Wyoming. He earned his Master of Science in large-animal clinical sciences from Michigan State University and h

Most grown horse people have a favorite book that they read as children, one that fueled their love for horses. In my generation, many are partial to My Friend Flicka or National Velvet. Others swear by Misty of Chincoteague or C. W. Anderson’s Billy

When the phone rang that late Friday afternoon in September, I answered without a thought. I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard what my doctor had to say. After all, I’d already had an ultrasound, an MRI, and a needle-biopsy. But my innate op