In 1997, doctors removed a tumor from Theresa Batchelor’s neck before it nearly severed her spinal cord. Though the surgery went well, doctors told her she’d likely never walk again. Batchelor, however, chose to take that diagnosis as a suggested hypothesis rather than ultimate truth. She plunged herself into physical therapy, and via miraculous willpower…
Sometimes it’s hard to watch our little ones grow up into adults. But so goes the story of life. It’s not just human babies that must grow into adulthood — our animal companions also mature with age. This is difficult in its own way, too, since they grow up so quickly! They go from baby…
A lot of kids dream of the day someone agrees to buy them a horse. For most, though, it’s not exactly a practical purchase, and so that dream just remains a dream. For Kimberly Lewis, though, it actually came true, but not until she was a grown-up, and not before she learned a bit more…
Horses have been called the noblest of creatures, and it’s easy to see why. Depending on which scientific accounts you believe, they’ve been man’s original best friend since anywhere from 4000 to 2000 B.C. They’ve taken us wherever we’ve asked them to include the fields of battle. Yet here we are in the 21st Century,…
In October 2016, 911 dispatcher Amy Neary was called to the scene of a crash on the interstate. About 30 horses were involved in the accident. They were being transported to a slaughterhouse. Of those 30 animals, several were injured and died. But the lucky survivors were carted off to new homes, including one horse…
If you’re a horse person, you understand how incredible they truly are. They’re so much more than an animal on the farm: they’re a true companion. When a horse named Paisley was about ready to pop with a little foal, her human Elizabeth Lacroix, who just so happens to be the amazing photographer of Genesis…
Did you know that horses can grow a mustache? I personally did not, but now that I do, I can’t wait until I get to see one up close! As it turns out, horses can, in fact, grow mustaches right under their nostrils. Some breeds, like the Gypsy Vanner, which have hairy shins and flowing…
Two horses have been rescued from an overturned horsebox involved in a “difficult and challenging” recovery operation following a collision with a car. Emergency services including Devon & Cornwall Police, Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, Highways England, paramedics, and a vet attended the accident at the A39 between Barnstaple and Bideford. A spokesman…
Riders are using three times the rein tension horses would select themselves, a pilot study has shown. The research by Lara Piccolo and Kathrin Kienapfel at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany showed horses inside reins without a rider voluntarily opted for a contact of around 1kg. Under saddle, riders were found to be using a significantly…
A para rider who overcame spinal surgery to take two wins on a horse who had recovered from colic surgery said: “nothing’s going to stop me now”. Nikki Newbould and her 10-year-old gelding Diamond Smuggler (Smug) won two elementary dressage tests at Barleyfields Equestrian Centre on 9 June, nearly two years after Smug underwent emergency…