Horse Brain Insight from Dog Brain Doc

This week, we visited with Dr. Erin Hecht, assistant professor in Harvard University’s Department of Human Evoluntionary Biology. Hecht’s research on dog brains and how breed can manifest in canine neuroanatomy got our attention here. We talked with her via email of the possible insights […]

Brain Doc Hits the Road

Dr. Steve Peters is becoming increasingly busy as he ramps up his horse brain science presentation across the country and the world. This October, you can see him at the Best Horse Practices Summit in Lexington, Kentucky. Register here. Here are additional dates and locations: […]

The Autonomic Nervous System: You and your horse

Despite mammoth differences between horses and humans, we share some similarities in the very basic development and composition of our nervous systems. We both have autonomic nervous systems (ANS), the largely involuntary regulators of our organs, muscles, glands, etc.. The parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems […]

Your Horse’s Internal Mapping System, Part II

Read Part I In Evidence-Based Horsemanship, Martin Black describes a daunting scenario: One night, I was riding in the dark and two feet of snow. It was overcast, so there was no moon or starlight. Not even the silhouette of the horse’s head could […]

Your Horse’s Internal Mapping System

Part One of a two-part feature: I’m one to celebrate unfortunate events with a positive attitude. So, let me recount a not-too-proud moment with my mule, Jolene: We headed out on what quickly became a treacherous trek, full of bushwhacking and precipitous ups and downs. […]

Why the Long Face?

Horses – like zebras, deer, and other large prey animals foraging mostly on grass – have a head that’s perfect for what they’ve been doing for millennia: grazing in mostly open spaces and steering clear of predators. Despite the perceived calmness and neurological homeostasis in […]