How African-Americans disappeared from the Kentucky Derby
Black jockeys won more than half of the first 25 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. Then they started losing their jobs.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Horses
Displaying 1 - 20 of 23 articles
How the horse can help us answer one of evolution’s biggest questions
Do organisms adapt after they arrive in new environments or are the adaptations what lets them to move to new locations?
When the pressure is on, some riders breach the whip rules in horse racing
Despite strict rules on the use of the whip in Australian horse racing, some riders still breach them.
Australia’s harness racing leads the world in banning the whip on horses
Harness Racing Australia has announced it will ban the use of the whip. The decision is a world first for any horse sporting body, so what about the rest of the horse racing industry?
Why zebra refused to be saddled with domesticity
They look like stripey horses – so why don't we ride them?
The ethical and cultural case for culling Australia’s mountain horses
Horses need to be removed from Australia's mountains. The debate now is around ethics and their role in Australian culture.
Why Olympic equestrians could be riding for a fall
The Olympic equestrian favourite is a dangerous business.
Why the long face: just how risky is horse riding?
How dangerous really is horse riding and sports like eventing? While there are risks, they can be managed, especially if we learn to understand horses better.
Why nosebands should be loosened on dressage horses at the Olympics
With the 2016 Olympics in Rio on the horizon, the practice of clamping together the jaws of horses has still gone unchecked.
Grand National: A brief gallop through the history of horse racing
Even before the Grand National’s official starting date of 1839, British horse racing saw plenty of drama.
A day at the races: fillies, frocks and the oft-forgotten folklore of horseshoes
Two motifs predominate in racing fashion: the horseshoe and the horse bit. But what does it mean when "fillies on the field" dress in clothes adorned with stirrups, bits and other equine symbols?
How to feed a racehorse and keep him healthy
As we celebrate the Melbourne Cup today, it's worth taking a look at the way we nourish our champions of the turf.
The Horse: reframing the history of human progress
The Horse, currently on display at the National Gallery of Victoria, celebrates the pivotal role the horse has played in the evolution of civilisation.
Sudden deaths are rare in racing despite the Melbourne Cup tragedy
The tragic deaths of the favourite Admire Rakti and seventh placegetter Araldo soon after the Melbourne Cup has focused attention on some of the risks involved in racing horses. The Japanese horse Admire…
Would you whip a unicorn? The Melbourne Cup and imagination
This is not an article about unicorns or virgins, but about the power of imagination, both wonderful and terrible. As an academic and equine artist I work between creative imagination and scientific epistemology…
Do historical trends in Melbourne Cup champions point to a winner?
If you’re looking for a definitive answer on who will win the Melbourne Cup – the world’s most prestigious two-mile handicap – I’m afraid I’m going to leave you sorely disappointed. What I can offer is…
Horses for courses: the science behind Melbourne Cup winners
It’s the race that stops a nation … and is worth a cool A$6.2 million. So what goes into the raceday preparation for the equine stars of the show? Thoroughbred racehorses have unique anatomy and physiology…
How trainers keep horses in winning form – and injury-free
In elite racehorses, biology is pushed to the limit – about four tonnes is placed on the joint surfaces in a galloping horse’s lower limb with every stride, and these repeated loads have the potential…
How to hit the genetic jackpot and breed a Melbourne Cup winner
The win of Japanese stayer Admire Rakti in the Caulfield Cup, followed by Irish bred colt Adelaide‘s win in the Cox Plate last Saturday, has brought into question the stamina (staying) credentials of Australian…
Whips hurt horses – if my leg’s anything to go by
It’s not just the horses that wear blinkers during the Melbourne Cup, the so-called “race that stops a nation”, which takes place next Tuesday. Perhaps it’s the excitement, the champagne or the extraordinary…
Top contributors
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Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of Sydney
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Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University
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Head of the Equine Centre, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery, University of Melbourne
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Associate professor, CQUniversity Australia
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Reader in Equitation Science, Nottingham Trent University
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Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Natural Resource Economics and Policy, University of Arizona
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ARC Future Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
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Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Technology Sydney
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Lecturer in Veterinary Physiology, University of Sydney
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Adjunct Associate Professor in Equine Exercise Science, Charles Sturt University
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Proefessor of Urban and Environmental Geography: Head of School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
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PhD Student, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
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Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Oxford
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Professor of Cinema Studies, Director, Human Rights & Animal Ethics Network, University of Melbourne
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