It’s now nearly 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire, which, according to popular legend, broke out after Catherine O’Leary’s infamous milking cow kicked over a lantern in the barn on the night of October 8, 1871. The resulting barn fire, aided by the wind, destroyed three square miles of the City of Chicago, killing approximately 300 people, destroying 18,000 buildings, and leaving 100,000 people – a third of the city’s population – homeless before it was finally brought under control the next day.

Summer brings with it a surge in insect activity, and flies can quickly become a serious source of discomfort for horses. These pests are more than just irritating—they can transmit disease and provoke allergic responses.

On April 2, 2025, United States President Donald Trump announced a sweeping expansion of global tariffs, including reciprocal tariffs aimed at countries that currently impose trade restrictions on U.S. goods. The announcement stirred immediate concern in Canada, especially within the horse industry, where speculation had been growing for months about the possible implications of such trade measures.

In the late 19th century, a remarkable Orlov Trotter named Clever Hans captivated the equine world with his alleged ability to perform complex intellectual tasks. Owned and trained by Wilhelm von Osten—a German mathematics teacher and part-time horse trainer—Hans was said to demonstrate extraordinary cognitive skills uncommon in horses. According to von Osten, the horse could add, subtract, multiply, divide, solve fractions, tell time, read words and numbers, spell, and even comprehend spoken and written German. When prompted with questions, Hans responded by tapping his hoof to indicate his answers.

Positioned between Greenland and Norway, Iceland is nestled where the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans meet. With approximately 364,000 people, the majority live in the capital, Reykjavik, located in the southwest of this small island nation. Iceland's landscape is renowned for its dramatic features, including volcanic mountains, glaciers, vast plains, waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, and striking black sand beaches. It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife. However, perhaps the most iconic aspect of Iceland's natural heritage is its unique breed of horses.

Many horse people yearn to leave the city behind, believing that the country provides opportunities for a more natural lifestyle, a slower pace, and a chance to fulfill lifelong dreams such as keeping their horses at home, growing a big garden, and enjoying a healthier way of life.

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - When Dorothy Brooke, the wife of a British army major general, arrived in Egypt in 1930, she became aware of the fate of thousands of former war horses that had faithfully served the British army during World War I. Born in the United Kingdom, these horses were shipped overseas to serve in the war and had not returned home. Those that survived were now living a life of crippling hardship as working horses on the streets of Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt. She decided to do whatever was necessary to ease their suffering.

In recent weeks there has been talk of a coming economic slowdown. If and when it comes, how long it will last, and how much of a downturn there will be remains to be seen, but often during such times businesses cut back on their marketing and advertising, fearing declining revenues.

When Pasture is Too Much of a Good Thing - The horse has evolved as a grazing animal, hence, pasture plays a pivotal role in equine nutrition. Reported intakes of fresh pasture by horses can range from 1.5 to 5.2 percent of body weight per day. With such a large intake of pasture possible, can horses overconsume? What components of pasture grass can cause problems if taken in at excessive levels?