A Przewalski’s Horse filly has been born at Toronto Zoo, the first such birth in 15 years. Solstice was born on June 22. She is by Phoenix, and is the first foal out of Alexandra, who is 14.

Przewalski’s Horses were once declared extinct in the wild, although re-introduction efforts have taken place. At present, the zoo’s herd consists of seven animals, with a total of 150 of these horses in captivity in North America.

“We’re very excited by the birth of this foal, which is a great contribution to the conservation of this critically endangered species,” said Zoo Curator of Mammals, Maria Franke.
continue reading "Rare Przewalski’s Horse born in Canada - Sire on loan from Calgary Zoo"

Captain Robert Scott and his team would not have died on their return journey from the South Pole in 1912 if they had used the horse snowshoes available to them, reveals an exclusive article in The British Horse Society’s flagship magazine British Horse.

Captain Scott left the snowshoes, which research indicates would have made his expedition’s progress far faster, at base camp on the advice of his horse expert Captain Lawrence Oates.

Captain Oates – who famously declared “I am just going outside and could be some time” when bravely sacrificing his life in the hope his companions might live – considered snowshoes an “unmitigated nuisance” according to the article, penned by American equestrian journalist Tom Moates and based on the findings of the Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation (LRGAF).
continue reading "Blunder over horse snowshoes killed Antarctic explorers"

by Gail Praharenka and Bernice Niemeyer

In history there are some narratives that need to be told of a quest for freedom and of heroism which indelibly remain etched in our minds. These are true stories capturing the imagination with a blend of politics, crises and causes to fight.

Such is the crisis of the Nez Perce people and their flight on their Appaloosa horses to escape the onslaught of the US Army in the summer of 1877. The last battle fought was at Bear’s Paw in Montana where Chief Joseph surrendered 40 miles from the Canadian border with the famous words, “I will fight no more forever!”
continue reading "Nez Perce Ride to Freedom"

by Tammy Meadows

The Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association has begun hosting a series of educational clinics for the 2007 season. One of the first clinics, held February 24 in Red Deer, was with Ron Anderson, who gave a very informative and entertaining look at the function and history of the hackamore and bridle bits.

Although Ron only had one day with the 20 cow horse enthusiasts who attended, he was able to touch on a rich 400-year history of the Vaquero hackamore and bridle bits. (Vaquero is Spanish for “cowboy” and is pronounced paquero.)
continue reading "Hackamores and Bridle Bits Clinic"

By: Bruce A. Roy

The year’s end is a time to reflect on the past; a time to look to the future. Over the past century, the Belgian and Percheron breeds across Canada have been on a rollercoaster.

When the national breed organizations were formed, the draft horse enjoyed an explosive trade. Following World War I, the trade slowed substantially until the Great Depression of the 1930s. These were halcyon years for draft horse breeders, as the number of draft horses employed increased.

However, World War II brought this trade to an end. Thousands of heavy horses were sold for slaughter in the years that followed this conflict, as mechanization destroyed a market for the draft horse. Few draft horses were bred during the 1950s and 1960s, for there was no demand for them. Only a breed’s superior seedstock survived these frightful years.
continue reading "The Draft Horse…Relections"

Newly discovered tombs in Syria contain signs of the ritual sacrifice of humans and animals, including the skeletons of decapitated donkeys, said archaeologist Glenn Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University.

“Animal sacrifices were certainly a big part of this culture in that offerings of sheep and other animals are given to the gods to eat and also given to deceased royal ancestors,” said Schwartz.
continue reading "Tombs offer evidence of equine sacrifice"

A CT scan survey of the Egyptian King Tutankhamun has confirmed he was not murdered, and instead may have died following a fall from a horse or chariot, linking his untimely demise with a curious story preserved in the Jewish Talmud.

Tutankhamun was not murdered – that’s the official line from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities following a recent CT scan survey of his remains.

In contrast, there is now mounting evidence that the boy king died following a fall, a theory championed by Egyptological writers Andrew Collins and Chris Ogilvie-Herald.
continue reading "Did King Tut Die from a Horse Fall?"