Multilevel structure of horse society revealed in drone-based study
Evidence of units, unit association, and stable positioning among units strongly indicates a multilevel structure in horse society, researchers report.
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Research
The latest science-based equine research for horse owners.
Experts agree on renaming of equine-assisted services
The authors recommend Equine-assisted Services (EAS) as the optimal and unifying term to refer to multiple services in which professionals incorporate horses and other equines to benefit people.
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Intense accelerations experienced by jockeys measured in Italian pilot study
Monitoring jockeys during races poses particular challenges because weight, comfort and safety are critical issues.
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Running the curves: Thoroughbred limb dynamics explored
Curve running in horses is complex and not yet fully understood.
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CT best for finding horse hoof injury sources, researchers find
CT was the most effective imaging modality for identifying foreign objects in horse hooves, compared with MRI and digital radiography.
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Dewormer use in horses cut by 65% through evidence-based parasite control – study
Over six years, 263 deworming doses were given to the 93 horses and ponies in the study, compared to 757 treatments that would have been given under a calendar-based regime.
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Brain waves of horses in study reveal presence of chronic back pain
Researchers in France rightly hypothesized that the EEGs of horses in a resting state could reflect the state of their back.
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Defensive formations are seen in horse herds, but what do they represent?
Study is said to be the first to confirm that synchronized reactions and decreased distancing between individuals occur in horses as a social anti-predatory behaviour.
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Researchers drill down into jockey injuries in Maryland
Over a quarter of injury incidents required further medical care in a hospital or other medical facility, while surgery was needed in 2.5% of injuries, researchers reported.
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The perfect horse race? It’s all in the math (and training, of course)
“Because Thoroughbred horses are not capable of running the whole race at top speed, determining what pace to set and when to unleash the burst of speed is essential.”
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Mysterious mazes in skin patterns: How animals got their complex colorations
A researcher has uncovered a simple mechanism underlying the intricate skin patterns of animals through comprehensive analyses of the diversity of fish colorations.
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A whorl of difference: Scientists compare horses and donkeys
Researchers took many measurements comparing the skulls of Standardbred horses to those of donkeys and found that their olfactory bulbs differed in both size and placement.
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It’s time to stop horsing around with baking soda, findings suggest
“The results from the present study directly oppose the common beliefs that milkshakes enhance running performance in racehorses.”
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Could measuring the brain waves of horses have a place in welfare assessments?
“We need adequate techniques for an objective measurement of animal welfare and associated physiological states.”
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Complex interplay between a horse’s DNA and its environment to be studied
“A major component of the project is to understand how the early life environment of the foal influences its genetic potential for success.”
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Scientists apply machine learning to improve our understanding of horse gaits
The human eye may be the “gold standard” for gait classification, but technology may be getting the edge.
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Ten reasons to stop whipping racehorses, including new research revealing the likely pain it causes
At the core of the debate is the question of whether horses experience pain when being whipped.
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Skin in the game: How sensitive is a horse to whip use?
“The superficial pain-sensitive epidermal layer of horse skin is as richly innervated and is of equivalent thickness as human skin.”
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Do domesticated horses still respond to the cries of predators? Researchers investigate
“Despite the fact that predator vocalizations are usually unfamiliar to present-day domestic horses, the horses responded with signs of anxiety.”
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$1.5m funding for thoroughbred DNA research
Researchers will investigate genetic and epigenetic contributions to exercise, disease and behaviour traits in thoroughbreds, using genomics and computational technologies to evaluate how the early life environment influences DNA.
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