General Horse Articles

Horse shows are competitions for horses and ponies. They may be purely aesthetic or they may include Olympic events such as jumping and dressage. A novice to the horse showing world should not jump in too quickly. It is best to compete in an event which is one level below what you are comfortable doing […]

When I was a child, more years ago than I like to admit to, there were no such things as computers, ipods, mobile phones or any of the devices we now rely on daily. Television (and I can remember a time when we didn’t *have* television) was on from 6pm to 11pm, and back then, […]

Ranching is the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. Less commonly, ranchers sometimes raise elk, American bison ostrich and emu. Ranchers are mostly found in the Western United States and Canada. The primary mode of transportation on ranches is the horse. Cowboys and other ranch workers often […]

Animal therapy – horses, dogs, cats, even elephants and dolphins – is used today to help people, young, old and in between , work through their problems both physical and emotional. Therapy with horses can help children and adults with a variety of physical, psychological and emotional problems. Equine therapy began as treatment for people […]

A horse’s height is measured by the number of hands from the ground up to the withers. The horse’s withers are the top of the shoulder at the highest point, between the neck and the back. The agreed upon measurement of the hand is equal to 4 inches. Historians believe this measurement may date back […]

On June 12, 2010, the annual Man versus Horse Marathon took place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales. Three hundred runners took on 44 horses, and as usual, the winner was a horse. Sly Dai, ridden by Llinos Jones, came in at 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 4 seconds. The fastest human runner finished in 2 […]

Horses have been used in warfare since ancient times. There is archaeological evidence of horses being used for this purpose as far back as 4000 or 3000 B.C. in Eurasia. A famous mural from 2500 B.C., the “war panel” of the Standard of Ur, in Sumer, shows horses pulling a wagon. The ancient Assyrians had […]

In the heyday of the Western, the horses cowboys rode were as famous as their riders. Hopalong Cassidy played by William Boyd rode a white Arabian stallion named Topper. Hopalong’s original horse was King Nappy, but when injured, Topper took over. Clayton Moore played the part of “The Lone Ranger” in early TV. Many of […]

A Thoroughbred is a breed of horse and should be capitalized when used. A purebred is any breed of horse whose dam and sire are the same breed. The Thoroughbred horse was developed in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was bred for speed, strength and stamina to compete in horse racing. While used today […]

Incitatus was Roman Emperor Caligula’s favorite horse. The name is Latin for impetuous. Because Caligula took cruelty to extremes and his behavior was so bizarre, it is thought he may have been suffering from a mental disease. But the one thing Caligula did love was his horse Incitatus. Stories about his treatment of Incitatus abound. […]