Equine Head to Tail by Billie Morris

31/05/2026

This needs supporting👇

Ban "Big Lick" Riding Practices Nationwide

30/05/2026

Edit on the original post.

This may have happened a few years ago, but the point I am making is that these mares were still being sent to stud, despite the stud owner being in difficulty. And as for the owners of the mares taking their mares away, they clearly didn’t, I am assuming that these particular mares were actually owned by the stud.

A small thoroughbred stud in Newmarket has closed down. It had hit financial difficulties. The stud had 23 horses. These included a 3 month old foal, pregnant mares and elderly mares.

The bailiffs had been called in. All the horses were due to go to slaughter. Every single one.

What I am struggling with, is that the owners must have had some idea last year that things were not going well, yet they still sent their mares to be covered by stallions.

Surely it must have crossed their minds that there was a strong chance that these mares were not going to have a very good future in a years time. That they were possibly condemning unborn foals to death. Mares need veterinary treatment before going to visit a stallion. They need feed etc. They were just running up more debt.

Was it blind faith that the owners carried on regardless, business as usual or arrogance? I’m sure that seeing your dream and business going down the drain is soul destroying.

These are living breathing creatures just being churned out. Where are they going to go? The youngstock will no doubt be destined for the sales, horses are going for ridiculous money. But they are the cream of the crop, the ones who are being sold for huge amounts of money. You have to be realistic when you are breeding, are your mares/stallions good enough to breed from?

My take on this stud is that they were probably hoping to sell their youngstock for a lot of money. It would possibly clear their debts.

Unfortunately that didn’t happen and yet again an animal charity has stepped in to save every single horse from certain death.

When will people actually put the horses welfare first, think through what they are doing, think about the impact of their decisions? It’s all about the money or lack of it.

It’s the horse who suffers every time.

29/05/2026

Interesting read. How horses are kept, are nearly always blamed for them having gastric ulcers. Maybe that isn’t always the case.

Have We Accidentally Bred Horses More Susceptible to Ulcers?

When people think about equine gastric ulcers, the conversation usually focuses on management:
diet, turnout, feeding frequency, stress, travel, confinement, and training intensity.

And rightly so. These factors absolutely matter.

But research showing gastric lesions even in pre-weaning foals raises an interesting question:

Could some horses be inherently more susceptible to ulcers than others?

One study found that prior to weaning, 21% of foals already had gastric ulcers. Following weaning, lesion prevalence increased dramatically to 98%.

Weaning itself is clearly a major physiological stressor. But the pre-weaning numbers are particularly interesting because these foals were still nursing, living socially, and had not yet experienced separation from the mare.

So why were ulcers already present?

The answer is likely complex.

Ulcer development probably involves an interaction between:

* management
* stress physiology
* temperament
* nervous system sensitivity
* feeding behavior
* microbiome health
* inflammation
* genetics
* and individual resilience

Some horses naturally appear more stress-reactive, vigilant, sensitive, or sympathetic-driven than others. These same horses may also show tendencies toward:

* chronic muscle tension
* anxiety
* difficulty maintaining weight
* stereotypic behaviors
* body tension
* or recurrent digestive issues

Selective breeding has already shaped many traits in modern horses:
speed, athleticism, responsiveness, sensitivity, flexibility, reactivity, and even connective tissue characteristics.

So it may be worth asking whether some physiological traits associated with performance and sensitivity could also indirectly influence ulcer susceptibility.

That does not mean ulcers are “genetic” in a simple sense.
And it certainly does not mean management is unimportant.

Ulcers are probably best understood as a multifactorial condition where biology and environment constantly interact.

Wild horses likely experience ulcers too. Life in the wild includes predators, drought, injury, competition, and environmental stress.

But horses also evolved under conditions of:

* near-constant forage intake
* continuous movement
* stable social structures
* and freedom to regulate behavior naturally

Modern horses may experience fewer survival threats overall, but often face a very different kind of stress:
confinement, intermittent feeding, transport, social disruption, training pressure, and chronic low-grade sympathetic activation.

Perhaps the better question is not:
“Do humans cause ulcers?”

But rather:
“How do genetics, nervous system regulation, evolution, and modern management interact to influence which horses become ulcer-prone?”

In case you think foals are too young to develop digestive issues:

“Prior to weaning, 21% of foals had gastric ulcers, with 9% glandular and 7% squamous lesions. Following weaning, 98% of foals had gastric lesions with 97% squamous and 59% glandular. Severity of lesions was more pronounced after weaning.”
— Nancy S. Loving, DVM

Even young horses who have “never had a stressful day in their life” can develop ulcers.

Talk with your veterinarian about ways to help support your foals gut health during the weaning process.

https://equimanagement.com/articles/blood-sucrose-as-a-diagnostic-tool-for-foal-gastric-ulcer-syndrome

https://koperequine.com/groundbreaking-study-links-gut-bacteria-in-foals-to-long-term-health-performance/

https://koperequine.com/a-guide-to-understanding-biotics-prebiotics-probiotics-and-postbiotics/

.

28/05/2026

The words on number 4 are on the ball.

28/05/2026

Something worthwhile to read on horse welfare.

20/05/2026

20/05/2026

The abuse just goes on and on

WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO SEE VS. THE REALITY
The Big Lick industry wants you to see a high stepping horse and a shiny ribbon. They want you to believe that "tradition" justifies everything.
The Reality is much darker. Behind those ribbons are chemicals that burn flesh and heavy chains that strike raw skin. it is called soring. It is torture. In a couple days on May 28, we are gathering together to pull back that curtain.
Last year, the industry tried to hide these facts by physically attacking Jason and Justin Those cowards proved that they are terrified of the truth. We are returning this year with all of you to speak out and use our words and our presence to stop the active abuse.
The horses are waiting for us. Only YOU can stop this abuse.
SIGN UP FOR THE PROTEST: https://www.facebook.com/share/18c81Uyvhj/

Please donate to help us as we are the voice for the voiceless!

19/05/2026

There are times that I am naive. I put my hands up to that, I like to think that people will do their best when it comes to animals and people. They will not pursue their own selfish interests, but I am often left disappointed.

This week Racing Post published an article about the owners of racehorses who were the wealthiest. Some of them are billionaires.

Billionaires.

Let that sink in.

Whilst I don’t begrudge people being wealthy, they have probably worked their backsides off to achieve this. I do begrudge the fact that there are huge numbers of thoroughbreds being discarded after they have finished their racing careers or in some cases before they have even started their careers. With all this money floating around in the racing world, surely there is no excuse for these horses to be looked after for the rest of their days and not end up on their way to a slaughterhouse?

I stated this fact on their comments. One man couldn’t get his head around what I was saying. His attitude was actually quite callous.

Then the penny dropped. These people who buy and or breed these horses are blinkered in their approach to horse racing. They don’t see these creatures as living animals.

They are the problem with racing today. It’s all about how much money you can chuck around. It’s the prestige.

There are some owners who provide a lifelong home for their ex-racers. But they are the few. We need more owners like them, willing to take responsibility for theses horses.

And as for the pathetic whip bans that are doled out. This clearly shows just how lacking in horsemanship racing is today.

19/05/2026

19/05/2026