Rescue & Welfare

Major Threats to Equine Welfare Identified in Research Study

Updated:

April 10, 2018

Equine Welfare threats, horse welfare threats, Nicole Weidner, Equine Guelph, Dr. Katrina Merkies, University of Guelph research study, Equine Guelph Code Decoder, Cordelie DuBois

What would you list as a threat to the welfare of horses in Canada? What actions could we take to fix this? Questions like these may not always be the first thing on the mind of most horse lovers, but they are extremely important to the continued success and growth of Canada’s horse industry. Recent research led by Cordelie DuBois and Dr. Katrina Merkies at the University of Guelph has shed light on the answers to these questions and more, giving us a better picture of the perceptions of welfare in the Canadian horse industry.

Music Helps Horses Better Respond to Performance Demands

Updated:

April 4, 2018

Music Helps Horses, equine music therapy, horse music therapy, polish equine research, soft music helps horses, janet marlow pet acoustics, dr. juliet m. getty phd, music therapy for horses

Researchers from Poland¹ set out to determine the effect of music played in the barn, on the emotional state of race horses. Many horse owners have found that music has an apparent calming effect on fear, aggression, and overall stress. Race horses, in particular, have demands of increased cardiac activity and speed that may be improved through music exposure.

For the Love of Alberta’s Wild Horses

Updated:

December 23, 2017

Alberta’s Wild Horses, The Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) June Fox, FotosbyFox

The Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) was formed in 2002 after public outcry over the destruction of several wild horses that lived in the mountains and foothills of the eastern slopes of Alberta. Their mission is to ensure the provision of all aspects of conservation and humane treatment of wild horses in Alberta, and they are committed to the preservation of these magnificent animals in their natural environment.

BC Horse Community on Alert!

Updated:

September 18, 2017

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As livestock and property owners worriedly watch the skies praying for rain, the wildfire season in British Columbia shows no sign of abating and could continue until the first snows fly. According to the BC Wildfire Service, the 2017 wildfire season is officially the worst on record in the province.

Equine Charities Unite to Put Welfare Policy into Practice Worldwide

Updated:

April 12, 2017

brooke usa, donkey sanctuary, spana, world horse welfare, brooke international, donkeys third world countries equine horses third world contries, horse welfare, equine welfare

Equine welfare charities Brooke, The Donkey Sanctuary, SPANA and World Horse Welfare announce their first formal coalition - The world’s leading international equine welfare charities: Brooke, The Donkey Sanctuary, SPANA and World Horse Welfare, announced their first formal coalition on March 17, 2017. Formed specifically to put policy into practice, the coalition aims to advise, motivate, and support the implementation of the first-ever global welfare standards for working horses, donkeys and mules. These landmark standards were approved by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in May 2016 following advocacy and technical support from Brooke and World Horse Welfare.

The "Gen-ethics" of Breeding

Updated:

March 5, 2017

ethical decisions about equine genetic diseases, Lindsay Day, equine research, mutation equine genetic code, Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis, HYPP, Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia, HERDA

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.

Do Horse Shoes Affect the Foot Skeleton?

Updated:

February 2, 2017

Horse Shoes Foot Skeleton racehorse hoof care performance horses hoof injury horse equine skeleten hoof care

Every day, thousands of horses are shod as part of normal maintenance of foot care. But have you ever wondered whether the placement of a horseshoe affects foot skeleton stress in racehorses and performance horses? At Australia’s University of Queensland School of Biomedical Sciences, research team leader Dr. Olga Panagiotopoulou says that musculoskeletal injury is one of the main animal welfare concerns in the racehorse industry.