Shiloh Horse Rescue

04/03/2026

Hindlimb lameness is often more subtle and harder to diagnose than forelimb lameness. Understanding your horse's strengths and faults can help you tailor your exercise program and have better conversations with your veterinarian and farrier.

Learn more about hind limb lameness and longevity in senior horses in this article: https://myseniorhorse.com/fun-stuff/senior-equine-hind-limb-lameness-and-longevity/

04/03/2026

Social isolation is abuse to a herd animal.

Horses are biologically wired for social living.
They form bonds, regulate stress through group interaction, and rely on the herd for safety.

Removing that long term is not neutral management. It has measurable welfare consequences.

Obviously there are situations where temporary isolation is necessary. That does not make it species appropriate. It means we are managing a necessary compromise.

I do not care if isolation is “normal where you live.” I am tired of hearing this excuse. We have decades of behavioural research and unlimited access to information. If you can post your opinion on social media, you can access the research showing why this is harmful.

At this point, not knowing is no longer an excuse for ignoring a species basic needs. Tradition is not an excuse for ignoring a species basic needs. Value is not an excuse for ignoring a species basic needs.

Social contact is not optional enrichment.

If we choose to keep herd animals, we are responsible for providing a herd.

03/03/2026

Animal cruelty

03/03/2026

Can feeding hay cut later in the season lead to impaction colic in horses?

03/03/2026

03/03/2026

This is half of the elbow joint from a jumping pony. We are looking at the humeral side of the joint.

In the top photograph you can see what a normal joint surface should look like — smooth, white and glistening. That glossy layer is articular cartilage. It protects the bone and allows the joint surfaces to move over one another with minimal friction.

The lower photograph is from the pony.

He had previously jumped happily in competition, but then began to refuse. After many investigations — and a lot of money spent on body workers, farriers and even communicators — he did not improve.

After euthanasia, I was given the opportunity to examine his joints.

This is what I found.

The surface that should have been smooth and glistening had been worn away. Instead of healthy white cartilage, there was exposed, reddened and ragged bone. The protective layer had failed.

This is not a training issue. This is not naughtiness.

This is pathology.

03/03/2026

03/03/2026

03/03/2026

As anti-rodeo advocates race to rehome the animal, its owner says realism and idealism don’t often go hand-in-hand.

03/03/2026

Thanks to all who have signed, shared and contributed funding to my petition about the secrecy that allows rodeo operators to hide their cruelty. The NSW Minister responsible for the laws protecting rodeos, the Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC, is conducting a review of both the overriding legislation and the...

03/03/2026

The Nuchal Ligament - one of the most important structures in the horse's body

It's a strong, elastic, rope-like ligament that is made from fibrous material with a relatively poor blood supply. It runs from the poll to the top of the spinous processes at the withers.

The nuchal ligament has several major functions, including:
🔹 Helping to support the weight of the head and neck, holding it in position
🔹 Acting as an energy saving device for reducing the amount of muscular effort needed to support the head and neck
🔹 Allowing the head and neck to be raised & lowered
🔹 Restraining and stabilising the movement of the spinous processes at the highest point of the withers
🔹 Maintaining the correct alignment of the cervical vetebrae

The nuchal ligament has 2 parts
1. The funicular part - 2 parallel cords that run along the nuchal crest from the occipital bone to the top of the spinous processes at the withers.
2. The lamellar part - made up of finger-like projections that run from the funicular cord to the tops of the cervical neck vertebrae below it.

The nuchal ligament continues as the supraspinous ligament, linking the tops of each vertebral spinous process from the withers to the end of the sacrum.

✅ Like and follow us for more....