Horses have been part of the human experience for millenial and still influence our interpretation of the past and our perceptions for the future
Today maybe April Fools Day but this post is about a condition that is no laughing matter. I first encountered quidding when my horses became senior citizens. I began to noticing wads of twisted hay strewn about the pasture. What in the world? Were these wads the handiwork of some crazy bird or perhaps the mysterious [...]
It was the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, a 2,500,000-year period of climate turbulence. In Siberia repeated glacial periods were offset by warmer periods supporting endless grasslands. With each climate shift life on earth changed – animals evolved, new species developed while others died off. He was born during one of Siberia’s more recent cooling periods [...]
Microtechnology and robotics have become common tools in human medicine. They are used as internal payload devices to deliver medicine, to affect molecular changes that help patients recover from physical trauma, to perform less intrusive surgery and to help diagnose internal issues. Recently some of these technologies have become available to small animal veterinarians which offers [...]
The name itself conjures horrific images that are not far off the mark. “Swamp Cancer” has made a deadly impression upon the 150 wild ponies of Chincoteague Island. Seven infected ponies were recently humanely euthanized; Shadow, Lightning, Calceti’n, Elusive Star, Essie, RainDancer and Lyra. Photo Credit: DVM Kenneth Marcella “Swamp Cancer” is not cancer [...]
The old horse skull sat on a shelf at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for decades. Originally discovered during the Great Depression by archeologist, Mark Harrington, its condition was so well preserved it was dismissed as a “modern sample”. The skull was one of a treasure trove of bones from the Gypsum Cave [...]
No longer the hyperbolic motto of science fiction, technology has achieved the means to make horses faster, stronger, better. Cloning experts at Kheiron Biotech in Buenos Aires, Argentina are focused on manipulating the DNA gene sequence that controls the growth of muscles. The technique, Crispr – Clustered Regularly Inter-Spaced Palindromic Repeats, uses a microscopic protein to [...]
'MARE’S TAILS and MACKEREL SCALES make tall ships carry low sails' Ancient travelers new this phrase well, it was a warning heeded by sailors throughout the ages. But the mackerel scales referred to are not fishy ones, and nor do the mare's tails anything to do with horses. Both, in fact, are nicknames for clouds. Mare's [...]
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. Her birth stimulated the science community to learn more about stem-cell research which has lead to many scientific and medical breakthroughs. Two decades later the birth of a cloned mammal no longer makes headline news but the technology behind [...]
How do you track an army, an enormous army comprised of 30,000 men, 15,000 horses and 37 elephants that crossed a snowy mountain range 2200 years ago? The answer just may lie at your feet. HANNIBAL’S EXCURSION Hannibal Barca lived in the Mediterranean when the Roman empire reigned supreme (BC). Considered one of the greatest commanders [...]
When we have a keen interest in something, we tend to become hyper-aware of its presence. Certainly for any WARHorse, that special “thing” is a horse. Driving down the road, we’ll spot a horse a mile away. We’ll watch any TV program, even commercials, that include horses. We’ll read every news post with “horse” in the [...]
