Is your horse happy in the stable?
The great majority of horse owners in the UK devote huge amounts of time, money and affection to the care of their horses. But most horses in the UK spend a large part of their lives in stables or loose boxes, and that is a widely recognised cause of psychological problems for a sizeable proportion of them.[Read full post]
Seeing the stars at Burghley
It's great to see that the organisers at Burghley have introduced a section on their website giving visitors some inside stable info on the horses competing at the top level this year.[Read full post]
Try a Thoroughbred
If you were looking for a new horse and someone suggested you should try a Thoroughbred, what would your reaction be?Yes please? Or no way?
If you've never had anything to do with them, you might be a bit wary. Thoroughbreds have a reputation for being sharp, quirky and temperamental. Not the easiest.
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Good on yer Paul
OK, it stings a bit to see an Aussie win Badminton for the third time in the past five years. But surely eventing must be the only sport in the world where British competitors would wholeheartedly congratulate an Aussie for coming over here and winning our big one.[Read full post]
Lucky Maddie
There are an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million horses and ponies in Britain at the moment. The huge majority are owned or cared for by people who would rather stick pins into their own eyes than neglect or mistreat their animals in any way. Unfortunately there are also nearly 13,000 unwanted horses, ponies and donkeys in sanctuaries or rescue/rehab centres throughout the UK.[Read full post]
Behind the scenes at Badminton
There's a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes in the stables too, with grooms hard at work doing the mundane job of caring for their horses. They may be the top event horses in the world, but they still need mucking out and grooming and feeding. This is stuff you'll definitely recognise. The work the crowds don't see.[Read full post]
How does it feel to be a horse?
However, following on from the last questions (below) we had another question from the same ten year old, which was also connected to the issue of horse and pony welfare.'What does it actually feel like for a horse to carry a rider? Are we heavy? Does it hurt?'
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How You Can Help
Nearly all the charities that rescue and rehabilitate unwanted, abandoned or mistreated horses are being asked to take in more and more horses and ponies. Many are already at their limit, with no facilities or money to support yet more animals.[Read full post]
Equine Contacts
We have put together a list of the main Charities, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centres and other equine welfare organisations. This includes links to their websites wherever possible, so you can find out what they do and contact them direct if you can help in any way.All of them need as much help as you can give them in the form of cash or donations of goods or services, volunteer work, sponsorship or the possibility of a good home for a horse or pony.
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World's Fastest Horse
A question from a ten year old rider who dreams of being the next Frankie Dettori sparked off some quick research this morning in search of an answer.The question was, how fast can the fastest horse gallop, and the answer appears to be that the fastest ever recorded speed for a sprinting horse is 88 kph or 55 mph.
A number of other related questions followed that one, to which the answers are as follows:
