Breeding colorful horses, especially with various white markings, seems to breed good business without raising significant health concerns, according to Swiss researchers. Representing the primary breed of the Swiss national stud, 974 Franche-Montagne horses were evaluated for the effects of their colors and white markings on their health and marketability. Breeders and buyers wer

All’s well that ends well, and so it is for Cherrios, a pony who tumbled 50 feet deep into a well on May 18 and is cheerfully running around again today with his pasturemates. “He’s a very playful pony, and he probably accidentally got bumped over the edge when playing with the other pony in the field,” said a riding instructor and tour guide at the Ferme Equestr

Iceland’s national horse festival, the Landsmót, will continue as scheduled despite an outbreak of a yet-undiagnosed infectious respiratory disease, according to a statement from the Landsmót’s executive committee and a veterinary official.

The country’s preliminary breeding shows, currently in progress, will also continue as planned. However, additional

Drizzle, a cherished polo pony belonging to the Royal Family of Wales, died during a polo match May 8 following a cardiac event, according to several sources.

The 10-year-old dark brown and white spotted mare “could not be saved,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Family at the Clarence House in London. Prince Harry of Wales had been riding her for approximately three mi

If you see spots before your eyes when you look at your Appaloosa, chances are your horse’s night vision is as strong as any other horse. But if your Appaloosa is lacking spots on his blanket area, he might not be seeing much at all in the dark.

Survival rates are low in the current European atypical myopathy outbreak, according to an alert group led by Belgian researchers.

To date, at least 49 horses have died from the disease, as opposed to only four confirmed survivals in a total of 83 reported cases, said Gaby van Galen, DVM, MSc, Dipl. ECEIM, a primary researcher for the Atypical Myopathy Alert Group (AMAG) at the Un

Diseases and prevention, genetics and breeding, behavior, performance, and the horse industry made up the categories of this year’s Swiss Equine Research Network Meeting held April 30 in Avenches, Switzerland.

The country’s top researchers met in the ancient Helvetian capital to present and discuss their findings with other researchers as well as owners, breeders, and equi

Give your horse two choices: tall grass or low grass. Which one will he choose?

That answer depends a lot on the quality and nutritional composition of the grass, according to a new study by French researchers.

Although horses select the tallest grass when the quality of turfs is equally good, their main objective appears to be efficient intake of major nutrients, espec

An ongoing spring outbreak of atypical myopathy has caused a reported 47 cases in Europe to date, according to an alert group led by Belgian researchers.

Reports of new cases continue to stream into the data being collected by the Atypical Myopathy Alert Group (AMAG) at the University of Liége, according to Gaby van Galen, DVM, MSc, Dipl. ECEIM, one of the group’s two p

When a yearling is separated for a few days from other horses for practical reasons, it’s a great opportunity to get in some good quality training with that youngster, according to a new study by French equine behavior researchers.

Yearling colts and fillies housed in individual stalls over a period of 11 days were easier to train to walk and back up on command than their coun

In the hunt for healthier horsehair, researchers in Poland claim to have found basic dietary ingredients that will improve the strength and elasticity of individual strands of manes and tails.

That horses endure significant stress while waiting to be slaughtered has often been assumed. But a new study measuring stress hormone levels now confirms that theory, according to Italian researchers.

The disqualification of Sapphire at the FEI World Cup Final in Geneva based on findings of hypersensitivity is not intended to punish but to protect, according to officials of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).

The 14-year-old Belgian warmblood mare, equine partner to two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward (USA), is perfectly sound, has no pain, and re

Ash and gases emitted since Wednesday’s eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland could pose breathing risks to anyone exposed, including horses, according to a European veterinarian whose work centers around equine respiratory disease.

We all know foals look like they’re “all legs,” and new research is honing in on the physical and evolutionary advantages of that lanky morphology. It’s all about keeping up with the herd, say the researchers, especially for migrations.

“The long legs of juvenile horses make them able to manage the lower speeds frequently necessary for migrating,” sai