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Horse Husbandry and Welfare -

Assessment of Welfare - Click here
Daily Routines - Click here
Importance of Forage - Click here
Keeping Horses in Domestication - Click here
Nutrient Requirements of Horses - Click here
Planning Basic Diets - Click here
Principles of Housing - Click here
Requirements of Horses at Grass - Click here
Sources of Nutrients - Click here
Stereotypies - Click here
The Five Freedoms - Click here
Welfare Legislation - Click here
Welfare Organisations - Click here

Assessment of Welfare
Equine Industry Welfare Guidelines Compendium for Horses, Ponies & Donkeys -
This compendium brings together Comprehensive guidance and recommended best practice to ensure welfare standards for the equine species, covering topics such as horse management, feed and water, health, management, housing, abandonment, export, transportation, riding schools and livery yards, EU legislation, government publications, condition scoring, advisory publications, orders and statutory instruments, EU council directives and governing bodies.
Compilation of Literature on the Assessment of Animal Welfare and Animal Distress -
Huge list of literature available on the subject of animal welfare compiled by Utrecht University and the USA National Agricultural Library.
Farm Animal Welfare -
Lecture notes containing an explanation of animal welfare from the University of Vermont.
The Welfare of Animals During Transport -
Documented EC report of the Scientific Committee on the welfare of animals during transport.
Equine Welfare Information Service -
Website of the EqWise Information Service, based at the University of Glasgow.
Equine Welfare -
Fully referenced report on Equine Welfare from the International Veterinary Information Service. Covers topics such as housing, bedding, transport and slaughter, urban horses, drugs and performance.
Daily Routines
TheHorse.com -
Invaluable website providing professionally written articles on veterinary topics and most aspects of horse care. Requires registration but is free to use. An essential resource for all equine students.
Importance of Forage
HorseFeeds UK: Information Article -
Information article detailing how to choose to best type of forage for your horse.
Hickstead Horse Feeds: Feeding Forage -
Article on what to look for when buying forage to feed to the horse.
University of Kentucky: Forages for Horses -
Information article from the University of Kentucky containing topics such as forage quality, pasture types and management, using forages in the diet and toxicity problems with forages.
Kentucky Equine Research: Feeding Forage -
Information article from the University of Kentucky written by the renowned scientist Joe Pagan. Contains topics such as ‘born to graze’, grasses and legumes, assessing hay intake, grass consumption, performing on forage, selecting and feeding a forage, the nature of grass and ‘a four legged fermentation vat’.
Penn State University: Pasture and Hay for Horses -
‘Mini-site’ from Pennsylvania State University dedicated to forages. Contains articles titled ‘Basics of Horse Nutrition’, ‘Pasture for Horses’, ‘Hay for Horses’ and ‘Health Concerns When Feeding Forages to Horses’.
Oklahoma State University: Forage for Horses -
Factsheet from Oklahoma State University on Forages for Horses.
The Equine Digestive System -
The workings of the equine digestive system from UK forage manufacturer, HorseHage.
The HorseHage Guide to Forage -
HorseHage have produced this extensive guide to different types of forage.
Feeding Management for the Equine -
From Oklahoma State University, this factsheet covers subjects such as ‘anatomical peculiarities of the equine digestive tract’, ‘nutrient intake and digestion’, ‘feeding management implications’ and ‘incorporating the feeding management plan with total farm management’.
Pasture and Hay for Horses -
Factsheet from Pennsylvania State university.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutrition -
Information on equine nutrition from the single most comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information including over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations.
Keeping Horses in Domestication
Domestication, Breed Diversification and Early History of the Horse -
The University of Pennsylvania and the Havemeyer Foundation have placed this referenced paper on their website. Topics covered in this paper include the origins of domestication, types of evidence for the origins of horse domestication, the earliest direct evidence for horse domestication, and taming and domesticating horses.
Horses and Humans: An Age Old Bond -
Magazine-style article.
A Chronological History of Humans and Their Relationship with he Horse -
Definitely worth a look! Each era links to a well illustrated explanation of the time and how horses fitted in.
How Important is Environment to Your Horse? -
Magazine-type article on the importance of creating a suitable environment for your horse.
Nutrient Requirements of Horses
National Research Council Nutrition Requirements of Horses, Fifth Revised Edition (1989) -
Produced by the National Research Council (USA), this referenced guide to feeding horses contains all sorts of information and statistics to use for the purpose of comparison. Chapters include: ‘Nutrient Requirements, Deficiencies, and Excesses’, ‘Physical Characteristics and Suitability of Feeds’, ‘General Considerations for Feeding Management’, ‘Nutrient Requirement Tables’ and ‘Feed Composition Tables’.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutrition -
Information on equine nutrition from the single most comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information including over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations.
Nutrient Requirements for Horses -
This article on the Michigan State University Extension website explains the nutrients required by the horse. Topics covered include water needs, energy needs, special energy considerations, protein needs of work horses, vitamin needs and minerals.
Selection and Use of Roughage in Horse Feeding -
Texas A & M University have produced this referenced information sheet. Topics included: roughage selection, daily roughage intake, legume roughages, and grass hays.
Basics of Feeding Horses: Feeding Management from the University of Nebraska -
The rules of feeding explained! We have all learned the rules of feeding in parrot fashion, but how many of us could explain in detail how to follow them? This article provides detailed answers.
Planning Basic Diets
Important Ingredients in the Equine Diet -
Referenced magazine article that outlines the small but vital components of the equine diet.
Formulating Rations for Horses -
Guide to formulating rations for horses from the University of Kentucky.
Nutrient Requirements and Balancing Rations for Horses -
Step by step guide to meeting the nutrient requirements of horses and Balancing rations from Virginia State University.
Analysis of Feeds and Forages for Horses -
The State University of New Jersey have compiled this referenced guide to the analysis of feed and forage for horses.
Ration Formulation for Horses -
Factsheet from the Oklahoma State University on ration formulation for horses.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutrition -
Information on equine nutrition from the single most comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information including over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations.
Nutritional Concerns for Exercising Horses -
Factsheet from the Oklahoma State University on nutritional concerns for exercising horses. Covers topics such as nutrient requirements, nutrient sources and an example ration formulation.
Principles of Housing
The Horse.com -
Invaluable website providing professionally written articles on veterinary topics and most aspects of horse care. Requires registration but is free to use. An essential resource for all equine students.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Ventilation -
Information on equine housing ventilation from the single most comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information including over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations.
Housing the Horse -
Magazine-style article from the Equine Research Centre and re-published on Equiworld on housing the horse. Covers topics such as type and positioning of stables, dimensions, warmth and ventilation, insulation and condensation, light and behavioural needs and ancillary structures and fittings.
An Overview of Stallion Breeding Management -
This information sheet from the Oklahoma State University contains a section on stallion housing. Documented information on this topic is relatively difficult to find and there is not an enormous amount here, but it is a good start!
The Complete Barn Safety Design Guide -
Safety considerations to take into account when designing a stable yard. From Equisearch.com.
Horse Housing -
The Ontario Ministry for Agriculture and Food have created this referenced information sheet on horse housing. Covers topics such as housing options, indoor housing and outdoor housing.
Stable Design Fact Sheet -
Really useful article from The Equine Centre in Australia which outlines the salient points of housing design.
Stable Design -
Magazine-style article from the Equine Research Centre and re-published on Equiworld on stable design and ventilation.
Bedding -
Magazine-style article from the Equine Research Centre and re-published on Equiworld on how to choose the right bedding for your horse.
Requirements of Horses at Grass
Managing the Grazing of Horses -
Factsheet from the Oklahoma State University on managing grazing of horses. Covers topics such as intake limits of horses on forage diets, forage nutrient utilisation, estimating correct stocking rates, grazing behaviour of horses, considerations for small acreage and some recommendations to manage grazing in horses.