Horses and nature · 3 min
Planning a Horseback Ride: Effort, Load and Terrain
Distance alone does not determine how demanding a ride will be. Terrain, pace and duration add to the horse’s and rider’s fitness and balance, the load, and the equipment.
Outdoor interests and nature
Horses and nature
Behaviour, breeds, movement and trails to understand horses in their surroundings.
Read on and explore
Horses and nature · 2 min
Walk, trot and canter: three ways of coordinating the steps
The walk always keeps at least one hoof on the ground; the trot alternates diagonal pairs with a suspension phase, and the canter arranges support in an asymmetrical sequence.
Horses and nature · 2 min
How horses see and the role of movement
The lateral position of horses’ eyes gives them a wide field of view, but leaves small blind spots that can be compensated for by moving the head. Their vision combines monocular and binocular fields, and the retina enables them to detect movement.
Horses and nature · 2 min
How Horses Communicate Within the Group
In horse groups, social communication is not limited to threats or fights: proximity and mutual grooming help form and maintain bonds, while tolerance and ambivalent interactions make their relationships more complex than a simple reading would suggest.
Horses and nature · 3 min
Horse breeds: selection, diversity, and differences among five Italian breeds
A genomic study of five local Italian breeds explores how selection and breeding history relate to their genetic differences, and what limits apply to those findings.