365 Days in Horse Country –  The Horses of San Marcos      In the year 1204, four magnificent bronze horses were found in Constantinople and brought to Venice. Much controversy surrounds these sculptures, which some historians believe may have been created in the fourth century by the Greek sculptor Lysippos.  The horses are life sized and represent a quadrangle of the type that wou ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  Cushing’s Syndrome Equine Cushing’s Syndrome used to be called Cushing’s Disease.  Cushing’s Syndrome is even more accurately labeled pituitary pars intermediary dysfunction (PPID).  This condition occurs when a portion of the pituitary gland becomes unable to function properly.  The ACTH hormone and blood cortisol levels are chronically too high.  Horses ...

I just finished uploading this House for sale, 84 Diana Way, Barrie, ONA beautiful example of just what Barrie has to offer; this gem is located in one of the most popular and desirable neighbourhoods in the city. Situated in a child friendly neighbourhood, it is surrounded by some of the best schools in the city and parks that are within easy walking distance. Upon entering the home, pride o ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  The Connemara The rugged, damp, and rocky landscape of Ireland is the original home of the Connemara pony, an Irish Breed. The ancestors of the Connemara pony came to Ireland with Celtic Warriors from elsewhere in Europe more than 2,500 years ago.  These small hoses, which pulled war chariots and carts, escaped and became feral, living in the mountains of ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  The Invention of the Stirrup   If there is one piece of equipment modern riders take for granted, it’s the stirrup.  These days, every saddle uses stirrups, no matter what the style.  Before 300 AD however, the stirrup didn’t exist.  Riders essentially rode either bareback or with a treeless saddle, and nothing to support the foot. In India in 500 BC, a ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  Mares of Diomedes    Most horses in mythology are benevolent creatures, mystifying humankind with their beauty and magical powers.  In the case of the Mares of Diomedes however, horses take the form of monsters. In Greek mythology, the Mares of Diomedes were wild and spectacular, but they were also man-eaters.  The four fire-breathing horses belong to D ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  Stretching  Most athletes stretch before the work out, so why should your horses be any different?  Stretching helps prevent injury and mitigates soreness after a workout – your horse would benefit from a good stretch before he is asked to exercise.  However, since you can’t expect your horse to do his own stretches, you’ll have to give him a hand. Here ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  From Humble Beginnings  It’s difficult to believe that the modern day horse was once only the size of a fox.  That, at least, is the general consensus among the scientific community who have studied the evolution of the horse. The horse has undergone incredible physical change over the past sixty million years.  The very first horse was a creature calle ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  Man O’ War Probably the most famous racehorse of all time, the legend of Man O’ War, nicknamed Big Red, still lives on today, almost 100 years after his birth. The chestnut coaly, foaled in 1917 to a mare named Mahubah out of stallion named Fair Play, won twenty out of twenty-one races by the time he was three years old.  He went on to sire sixty-four stak ...

365 Days in Horse Country –  Rain Rot Also called rain scald or more formally, equine dermatophilosis (after Dermatophilus Congolensis, the cause of the problem), this condition is a bacterial infection on the surface of the skin.  It is a common problem for horses during wet winter or spring months, but it can occur in horses turned out during any extended period of rain or wetness. ...