Rescue & Welfare

Complex Rules Protect Canada’s Horses

Updated:

January 13, 2024

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Horse welfare is complex, partly due to the myriad uses, values, and husbandry arrangements for horses. They’re backyard pets, ridden and driven in competition, raced, raised for meat, and used for therapy, recreation, and rodeo. Horses are regularly transported, kept in rural and urban areas, stalls, pens, fields, and pastures, plus managed according to their use. Many horses live on individual properties and their welfare relies on individual owners, making poor welfare difficult to identify.

The 'Old Ones' - A Christmas Story for the Horse Lover

Updated:

December 21, 2023

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A brother and sister had made their usual hurried, obligatory pre-Christmas visit to the little farm, where dwelt their elderly parents with a small herd of horses. The farm was where they had grown up. It had been named Lone Pine Farm because of the huge pine, which topped the hill behind the farmhouse.

Belief in Horses' Capacity for Emotion Linked to Better Health and Welfare

Updated:

October 26, 2023

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According to recent research, equids whose owners believe in their capacity to experience emotions or share an emotional bond with them tend to be in significantly better health.

Canada’s Wild Horses - An Uncertain Future

Updated:

February 24, 2023

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“Their existence stirs our imagination. We feel their energy and their pure, unbridled spirit. To spend time with wild horses is to reach deep into your own soul and find your own freedom, whatever that may be.” — Sandy Sharkey

3 Common Equine Skin Cancers

Updated:

December 9, 2022

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Nothing to horse around with - Be on the lookout for the three most common skin cancers afflicting horses and contact your veterinarian promptly if you find suspicious lumps or bumps. Skin cancer is the most prevalent type of equine cancer, accounting for up to 80 percent of all cancers reported.

Drug Increases Risk of Sudden Death in Racehorses

Updated:

December 1, 2022

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A drug that has been widely used in Thoroughbred racehorses in North America could increase the risk of sudden death, according to a new study. The research also identified other risk factors associated with sudden death, relating to the circumstances of the race and individual histories of the horses.

Cloned Przewalski’s Horse Learning the Language of Wild Horses

Updated:

November 22, 2022

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A rare Przewalski’s horse named Kurt, produced by cloning in 2020, is thriving at his home at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and learning the language of being a wild horse from Holly, a young female of his own species.

Jake the Logging Horse Hero

Updated:

October 10, 2022

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When new tenants moved into the trailer on a small acreage downhill from my farm, I could see (and hear) the livestock truck pull up with the sound of horses - big horses - inside. The next day I went to introduce myself, taking wine and fresh farm eggs, hoping to get a good look at what had been inside that stock truck.

The "Gen-ethics" of Equine Breeding

Updated:

September 5, 2022

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Recent advances in genetic research have paved the way for more effective identification and screening of genetic diseases in the horse. With these developments come new ethical considerations with respect to breeding practices, testing, and disclosure.

The Donkey Skin Trade

Updated:

August 27, 2022

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A devastating demand for donkey hides is decimating the donkey population in Africa, and threatening the livelihoods of millions of the world’s poorest and most marginalized people. Kisima is a widow living in Nimalat, Kenya, and raises her nine children alone. She earns money through selling charcoal at the market and, to do so, she is completely dependent on her two donkeys.