Sugar in Grass?? Sweet!

September 28, 2011

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year?  Although the weather has been a bit dreary, I took full advantage of one the few nice days we’ve had and went apple picking with my good friend Magic.  The apple orchard is one of my favorite places to be; red delicious snacks above me and lush green grass below!  Speaking of grass, have you noticed how quickly it’s been growing lately? All the precipitation and cooler weather provide the perfect conditions for rapid pasture growth.  But as much as I love grass, I know that you can have too much of a good thing.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

September 7, 2011

Boy that rainstorm we had was quite a doozy!  Forget about it raining “cats and dogs”, more like “horses and ponies”!  I hope everyone stayed safe, and for those of you who lost power: now you know what living like a horse is like…it’s not so bad!  Who needs electricity anyway?  The flooding from the storm was something I can sympathize with however; my field was wet and muddy for days.  And because my pasture was littered with puddles, I developed a little skin problem called “scratches”.

Entering the Homestretch of Summer!

August 19, 2011

Hello Friends,

Sorry I haven’t had time to post about my activities lately. Boy has my summer been hectic! I had a great time with my friends from the Harness Horse Youth Foundation; showing them around the research facilities here at Rutgers, putting on an equine treadmill demonstration, and even giving out some goodies for them to remember me by! It was a great time had by all. For pictures from the event, visit our Facebook page and don’t forget to “Like” us while you’re there!

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

July 25, 2011

…get out of the sun!

While most of my human friends can enjoy the air conditioning on a hot and humid day, I seek the shade of a tree or run-in shed to keep cool. This heat is tough on any horse, and since I’m (a little) older than most, I have to be especially careful to be sure I’m consuming enough calories to keep my body functioning and maintain a healthy body weight. Some horses may lose as much as 7 to 10 percent of body weight in sweat per hour in extreme temperatures. That’s about 9-10 gallons of horse sweat…gross! Dr. Malinowski keeps my diet high in calories by increasing my grain, adding corn oil to my feed, and feeding me a wide variety of…doughnuts!

Water Works!

July 8, 2011

Hey Kids!

Looking for something fun to do next week? Come to the Equine Science Center’s Open House from 12 pm to 1 pm on Tuesday, July 12th at the Equine Exercise Physiology Laboratory on College Farm Road on the George H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick! If you ever were curious about what we do at the Equine Science Center, this is a great event for you to find out! Join Dr. Karyn Malinowski as she explains why horses make such great research models for exercise physiology and the various types of research we do at the Center. Guests will also be able to see one of the research mares gallop full speed on our 21-foot equine treadmill…what a treat! This event is free of charge, but it is asked that you pre-register by calling the Equine Science Center at (732) 932-9419.

Fun in the Sun!

June 23, 2011

Hello Friends,

You know how important it is to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the sun, but what you probably don’t know is that horses can get sunburned and need protection as well. You might be thinking: “Doesn’t a horse’s haircoat shield their skin from the sun?” While this is mostly true for horses that are dark in color, lighter colored horses (particularly appaloosas and paints) are especially susceptible to sunburn due to the lighter pigmentation of the skin. Horses do not experience the full body burn that humans can get when overexposed, but specific areas of a horse’s body are also more prone to sun damage, particularly regions with little hair such as the eyes and muzzle.

June – Celebrations and Itchiness!

June 13, 2011

 

June is my favorite month of the year! Not only because it marks the official start of summer, or because the school year is finally over, but it is also the Month of the Horse! New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Doug Fisher and the Equine Science Center’s own Dr. Malinowski, kicked off the month of the horse on June 10th at the Standardbred Retirement Foundation Farm (the same folks who brought my research horse pals to Rutgers!) by announcing the various events planned to celebrate New Jersey’s state animal! It’s like a party that lasts all month long!

Horse go to Camp in the Summer, too!

May 25, 2011

Summer is just around the corner and I’m sure you’ve probably started planning some adventures over break. But just because school’s out it doesn’t mean that you should put your brain on a shelf! Summer camps are a great way to have fun while learning new things at the same time…especially when they involve horses!

Have you ever been to the Meadowlands Racetrack or Freehold Raceway and wondered what goes on behind the scenes of harness racing? Although it’s not necessarily my forte, some of my best buddies, including Hugme Christi, are harness racehorses and I know that there’s a lot of hard work and dedication behind every race held.

Come to Jersey Fresh!

May 13, 2011

Hello again friends,

I’ve mentioned before that the horse is the state animal of New Jersey. We even have more horses per square mile than Kentucky! Speaking of which, did you see the Kentucky Derby last Saturday? What a great race!

This weekend there is a great competition being held at the Horse Park of New Jersey that showcases the equestrian sport of eventing and is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s “Jersey Fresh” initiative. The event, which runs from today through Sunday (5/15), attracts some of the nation’s best riders and is fantastic fun for the entire family!

Family Fun at Ag Field Day!

April 28, 2011

 

We all know that spring brings warmer weather, greener grass, and sunny days…but the best gift of spring is the foals! Here at the Rutgers Equine Science Center, we have one of our very own! Foals are so cute with their fluffy tails and wobbly legs, and are much more developed than newborn humans. The horse is a precocial species, meaning that newborn foals are neurologically mature after birth. This is because horses are prey animals in the wild and are most vulnerable immediately after birth, so they must be able to identify danger and flee if necessary. In fact, a foal will usually stand within an hour of being born (after a few failed attempts of course!). Can you imagine a human baby being able to stand an hour after being born?!

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