Engaging two-year-old horses in the intensive training to prepare for competitive racing is a bit like asking a 13-year-old child to perform at the peak of their athletic potential.
A fast-moving equine flu cratered the US economy in the fall of 1872, showing all too clearly that horses were essential and deserved better treatment.
New research showing clear similarities between pain receptors in human and horses’ skin raises fresh questions about whether the widespread practice is ethical or even effective.
Giving racehorses baking soda in a bid to boost their endurance isn’t just dangerous and illegal - a new research review shows it doesn’t even have the intended effect anyway.
Patting, shoeing, grooming, feeding, and even putting them in a stable - the list of seemingly benign human interactions that can confuse or upset horses is surprisingly long. On the eve of the official Horse’s Birthday, we explain why.
Archaeologists have long argued over when and how people first domesticated horses. A decade ago, new techniques appeared to have provided answers – but further discoveries change the story again.
A rural fire service crew attempts to protect a property in New South Wales in December 2019.
Dean Lewins/AAP Images via AP
Our reaction to the horse-slaughter scandal show a double standard, and suggest we care more about what racehorses mean to us than what’s best for the animal.
Protesters took to Melbourne’s Caulfield Cup over the weekend over the treatment of ex-racehorses.
AAP Image/James Ross
Racing industries put enormous effort into procuring the best young horses, but pay little attention to the fate of former (or simply unsuccessful) racers.
Mature horses can still pull in the crowds: Winx was a seven-year-old when she won in the Cox Plate in 2018.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Race horses should be bred for both speed and durability so owners have an incentive to keep them racing fit and away from the abattoirs.
Animal activists stage a protest during Caulfield Cup day at Caulfield Race Course in Melbourne, following shocking hidden-camera footage revealing the slaughtering of former racehorses.
AAP Image/James Ross
Today’s the official birthday of all race horses in Australia which means the breeding season is just a month away. It’s about to get very busy for stallions and mares on the stud farms.
Why do rodeo events like the Calgary Stampede continue to host deadly events?
Jack Dagley/Shutterstock
Having different coloured eyes is quite unusual, but it happens in many species throughout the animal kingdom.
It’s true they do have an amazing ability to be able to sleep standing up. But they do also sleep lying down. If you’re a horse, you need to be able to do both.
Flickr/Loco Steve
Many immigrants come to the United States chasing the ‘American dream.’ So do immigrant racehorses, who literally carry the hopes of their trainers and riders on their backs.
Professor, Management and Organizational Studies, Huron University College and Coordinator of Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership, Western University