Horse

Several factors contribute to a horse’s top speed: Breed: Some breeds, like the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse, are bred specifically for speed. Generally speaking, “lighter” built breeds are faster than “heavier” breeds, such as cold-blooded draft horses, which are stronger but slower. Height and weight: Tying in to breed, lighter horses with longer legs tend to be faster. Those with a big stride and efficient gallop cover more ground with each step, meaning they reach the finish line faster. Stride: “Some of the main factors determining a horse’s speed are stride length and stride rate, two factors that are often tied to a horse’s body size,” explains Courtnee Morton, DVM, CVA, CVC, a veterinarian at Chewy and the owner of Southern Comfort Equine, based in Hico, Texas. Training and conditioning: Racehorses undergo rigorous training regimens to maximize their speed and endurance. Horses who go through strength and speed conditioning will have stronger muscles and better-conditioned lungs and cardiovascular systems, allowing them to get up to and maintain a faster pace. Health and nutrition: High-quality horse feed and proper hydration can play a part in how fast horses run. ,Whether galloping across open plains or sprinting around a racetrack against the clock, horses are among the fastest land mammals. As prey animals who rely on speed to escape predators in the wild, they have long been admired for their speed. But exactly how fast can a horse run? The top speed of a horse depends on several factors, including breed, training, and environmental conditions. Let’s take a look at the average speeds of different types of horses, their top speeds, and the breeds known for their incredible velocity.

Before deciding on a boarding barn, it’s worth asking yourself if boarding is the best option, or if your horse can live at home. If you have the land, infrastructure, time, knowledge and skills necessary to house and care for your horse(s) right on your property, this can be a great option for you and your equine friend. They also need companionship from other horses, or at least another farm animal. That’s a lot of requirements! Many equestrians, therefore, choose to keep their horses at a professional boarding facility. There are many benefits to boarding your horse: Less work and fewer responsibilities. In most situations, your boarded horse is being taken care of regardless of whether you can make it out to the barn. This gives you more flexibility in your own life. Peace of mind that a team of professionals is meeting your horse’s daily needs Access to riding facilities (in most cases) A community of fellow horse lovers However, there are also drawbacks to boarding your horse, which make keeping them at home seem attractive: Limited control over your horse’s care Less time with your horse Cost. Boarding is a professional service that usually comes with a higher price tag than doing everything yourself at home.,Jump to section Should You Board Your Horse? Types of Horse Boarding How Much Does Horse Boarding Cost? Factors to Consider When Choosing a Stable FAQs About Horse Boarding

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Did you know that your horse is susceptible to getting the flu just like humans? Horses have their own strain of influenza they can transmit to other horses, called equine influenza virus (EIV).  

What To Do After Castrating a Horse It is important to follow your veterinarian’s post-operative instructions after castration. This typically involves light hand walking or exercising for a few days, with a gradual increase. Movement is important to allow drainage at the surgical site. Leaving a horse standing in a stall for days after castration often leads to severe swelling of the area, which becomes painful, and potentially infectious. This may require potential debridement or removal of infected tissue by your veterinarian, more antibiotics, and cold hosing the area daily along with exercise to help reduce the swelling and potential scirrhous cord formation. This is when some of the tissue becomes hardened and infected, and there may be chronic drainage from the area. Full recovery typically takes about two weeks if no complications arise; it’s important to keep newly gelded horses away from mares for the first several weeks as there are still high levels of testosterone circulating in the body, and they can still impregnate a mare potentially after 30 days after castration.,Behavioral Changes After Castration In time, your horse will have less “studly” urges, unless your horse was very mature and had been used for breeding prior to the castration. Over time this will lead to less reactiveness to mares, a generally calmer demeanor, and less aggression. Older stallions are less likely to change their attitude, as many of their behaviors are learned. Featured Image: iStock.com/Somogyvari,What is Horse Castration? Castration is the term used for the removal of testicles in horses, similar to the word “neutering” in dogs and cats. This procedure can be done with the horse either standing, or recumbent (laying down), either on their back or on one side. Intact male horses are referred to as stallions; once they have been castrated, they become geldings.

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“Does my horse need an English horse bridle or a Western horse bridle? And what size are they? Cob? Draft?” These are the questions you’re likely asking yourself when shopping for a bridle for a horse—and we’re here to help.

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Dr. Houpt says it’s important to make sure you’re actually observing cribbing before deciding how to address it.   “Cribbing is when the horse grasps something with its teeth, arches its neck, and aspirates air,” Dr. Houpt says. “Wood chewing is not cribbing. Wood chewing is when your wooden fences gradually disappear.”  Cribbing in horses is a stereotypy or stereotyped behavior. However, this isn’t the same thing as a stereotype in the context of human social groups. In behavioral science, a “stereotypy” is a behavior that is repeated over and over, with no apparent adaptive benefit to the person or animal repeating it. Common stereotypies in horses are pacing, weaving, and, of course, cribbing.  Cribbing affects 2–10% of domestic horses and is rarely seen in wild horses, suggesting it’s linked to how we manage them. ,Q: I’m a novice rider considering adopting a retired racehorse who is a “cribber.” He bites down on the edge of a fence or his stall door, then leans back while making a grunting noise, like he’s gulping air. Some of my friends say they would never own a cribber. Is horse cribbing normal behavior or a serious problem?   A: Cribbing, also called “windsucking” or “crib-biting” in horses, is common, but it’s not normal and can be harmful to the horse. The good news is that lifestyle changes and behavior management may help your horse feel better and crib less.  To learn more about cribbing in horses, we spoke to practicing equine veterinarian Richard L. Stevens, DVM, of Conejo Valley Equine in Thousand Oaks, California; Grey Parks, MS, equine nutritionist at ProTrition in La Vergne, Tennessee; and researcher and animal behavior textbook author Katherine Houpt, VMD, PhD, professor emeritus in behavior medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who led several studies of cribbing in horses.