Karin Gracey Equine Success

30/06/2025

Very interesting!

Himalayan salt licks are popular due to their natural mineral content and weather-resistant properties, providing essential minerals like iron, potassium, and magnesium in their natural form.

Unlike softer, pressed licks, they’re tough enough to prevent horses from biting off chunks and can be safely left outside for self-dosing.

But what do horses think about them?
Researchers at Cornell University decided to find out...

In the study, researchers surveyed 342 horse owners about the types of salt blocks they provided.

They also conducted a salt lick “taste test” with a group of healthy adult horses, using cameras to record which salt block each horse preferred, defined as licking a block for at least one minute.

The team found that when given a choice, horses consistently show a clear preference for plain salt over Himalayan salt licks but showed no notable preference between other combinations, such as plain versus mineralised or mineralised versus selenium.

Therefore if your horse isn’t interested in your himalayan salt block, offering an alternative might be the trick.

Many horses prefer also loose salt, as it’s easier for them to consume the amount they need.

Try placing loose salt in a mineral feeder near your horse’s water source can encourage regular intake and help ensure their sodium requirements are met—supporting hydration and overall health.

Study details: Sill S, Zhao L, Houpt K. Salt preferences of horses for types of NaCl offered. Res Vet Sci. 2024 May;171:105224. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105224. Epub 2024 Mar 11. PMID: 38522126.

29/06/2025

Update: I am out of action with a sinus/chest infection😩🤒. For those who have sent me emails or messages, I will respond asap. 🐎

26/06/2025

Once upon a time, during the era of the classic long-format three-day event—with its demanding steeplechase and roads-and-tracks phases—Thoroughbreds, particularly those from staying bloodlines, were the benchmark for eventing excellence.

Their innate stamina and endurance made them the ideal choice for covering long distances at speed and maintaining focus through gruelling cross-country courses.

Despite a recent and persistent perception that Thoroughbreds are less suitable for elite eventing, a research study released this month has debunked this myth.

A comprehensive 2025 study analysing all global CCI5*-L results from 2014 to 2024 found that purebred Thoroughbreds remain outstanding in the cross-country phase, being “significantly more likely” to jump clear inside the time compared to non-Thoroughbreds.

While Thoroughbreds tended to accrue more penalties in dressage and show jumping than warmbloods, they consistently outperformed other breeds in cross-country, particularly in completing rounds without jump or time faults.

Importantly, there was no significant difference in overall penalties or completion rates between Thoroughbreds and other breeds, confirming a level playing field at the sport’s highest level.

Interestingly, even the studbooks of top eventing breeds such as the Holsteiner and Selle Français are comprised of 45.8% and 52.7% Thoroughbred blood, respectively, underscoring the enduring value of Thoroughbred genetics.

Wastage—where Thoroughbreds are retired from racing due to injury, temperament, or lack of speed—remains a major welfare and ethical concern.

However, with solid evidence of their capability at the highest levels, rehoming organisations and adoption programmes can confidently promote ex-racehorses to a broader audience.

This opens more doors for second careers, not just as companions or leisure horses, but as competitive athletes, and encourages trainers to invest in these horses, knowing their potential extends far beyond the track.

Full details of the study: Walz KR, McCormick ME, Fedorka CE. The Thoroughbred Theory: Influence of Breed on Performance at the CCI5*-L Level of Eventing.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/12/1796

23/06/2025

One for the thoroughbred fans: research has found they're just as good as any other breed at top-level eventing. Read more via link below

23/06/2025

Footage of Olympic rider Heath Ryan whipping a horse has reignited calls to ban whipping in Australia. There are more ethical alternatives.

22/06/2025

This is an important point to remember with Off The Track Thoroughbreds.

The racing environment is very demanding on these horses. They often experience physical and emotional trauma. This is unique to each horse, which is influenced by their life experience as a racehorse, including how they were trained, their horse management, race career and length of it, as well as other factors. Understanding how your off the track thoroughbred and their unique experience within the racing industry, gives you a deeper understand of them. This will give you a positive advantage when engaging in your retraining/ rehabilitation programme.

21/06/2025

HORSES SHOW DISTINCT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS WHEN ANTICIPATING POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE EVENTS

New research has shown that horses display different facial expressions and behaviours depending on whether they are anticipating a positive or a negative experience.

The study aimed to explore how horses express their emotions using facial expressions and behaviour, and whether these could be linked to positive or negative emotional anticipation.

Twenty mares were trained to wait in a designated area (a starting box) before being led to one of two possible outcomes: a positive experience (access to pasture with other horses) or a negative one (being taken alone to an unfamiliar environment). This setup allowed the researchers to observe how horses behave when they expect either a desirable or undesirable situation.

Over multiple sessions, the team recorded the horses’ behaviour, facial movements (using EquiFACS – the Equine Facial Action Coding System), heart rate, and cortisol levels. They also used a network analysis tool (NetFACS) to study which facial expressions tended to occur together in each context.

The researchers found clear differences in the horses’ responses depending on the type of anticipation. When expecting a positive event, horses more often showed behaviours such as head shaking, stepping back, sniffing, and pawing. They held their necks higher, performed more half-blinks, and showed increased mouth movements.

In contrast, during negative anticipation, horses showed less behavioural variety. They were more likely to hold their necks at a medium height, keep their ears back and flattened, and exhibit more nostril movements. Their behaviour was generally more withdrawn and they appeared more tense.

Interestingly, while heart rate and cortisol did increase slightly in the negative condition, these physiological changes were not as marked as the behavioural and facial differences — highlighting just how important it is to observe the horse’s expressions and body language alongside traditional measures of stress.

These findings confirm that horses express emotions in nuanced ways and that facial expressions and behaviour offer valuable insight into how they feel. Understanding these subtle cues can help us better recognise emotional states in horses and improve how we manage and interact with them.

Study details: Phelipon, R., Bertrand, L., Jardat, P., Reigner, F., Lewis, K., Micheletta, J., & Lansade, L. (2025). Characterisation of facial expressions and behaviours of horses in response to positive and negative emotional anticipation using network analysis. PLoS ONE, 20(5), e0319315.

20/06/2025

Just another balmy morning at Goulburn racecourse, where the horses come back in from trackwork with frozen whiskers!!…lol🐎🐎🥶🥶
It’s cold!!!

20/06/2025

Wonderful to see Pony Club Australia upholding horse welfare as a priority above all else

Pony Club Australia has released a statement in response to the current FEI and Equestrian Australia investigation into Heath Ryan.

Read our full statement here: https://bit.ly/4n75lUS

19/06/2025

When you want the real quiet horse that’s also a good doer..😂😂

19/06/2025

Recently, I sat with a University professor managing a small research program involving equine behaviour, welfare and management and several of her masters and PhD candidates to discuss the state of the horse industry as a whole.

It was a rich, layered conversation, one that’s still sitting with me days later.

I’ve always believed that education is the key to change.

That if we could just share evidence-based information, raise awareness, and teach better practices, we could shift the paradigm.

That once people know better, they’ll do better.

But during this conversation, a difficult question circulated: Maybe education alone isn’t enough?

Because the reality is, people don’t always change just because they’ve been given better information. Sometimes, they knowingly ignore what they’ve learned.

Not because they don’t care. But because implementing knowledge is hard.

It requires looking in the mirror and admitting:

“Maybe I was wrong”
“Maybe I missed the signs”
“Maybe there’s a better way and I haven’t been doing it”

That’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable.

So instead of making changes, many people stay stuck in cognitive dissonance. Rather than changing behaviour, the mind often tries to resolve this discomfort by justifying or denying the evidence.

“He’s just being difficult”
“It worked for my last horse”
“This is how we’ve always done it”

And so, despite the abundance of credible information, the suffering continues.
Our industry has deep-rooted problems.

Affording the care horses truly need can be overwhelming. The cost of adequate nutrition, bodywork, appropriate tack, responsible training, and appropriate living environments is high. As we raise standards, we also risk making the sport less accessible, particularly for newcomers. So people compromise. They rationalize. They do what they can afford or what feels easiest or most familiar.

So if education isn't enough … What is?
This question keeps me up at night.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen incredible change through education. In our student community, in our graduates, in our clients and followers on social media, there are countless people who have welcomed the information and implemented it with courage.

They’ve done the hard work. They’ve looked in the mirror. They’ve stepped out of their comfort zones. And they’ve made things better for their horses.

But for those who resist, who know better but don’t do better, what will it take?
Maybe it’s not just education we need.

But where do we start?
Do we start by making space for discomfort and showing people they’re not alone in it?

By highlighting the why, not just the how, because transformation is always rooted in purpose, not pressure?

To those who’ve leaned in: we see you. We’re proud of you.
To those who are still resisting: we’re not giving up on you either.

For now, I don’t have the answers.

But I do know this: Change doesn’t start with perfection. It starts with awareness.
And the willingness to keep asking the hard questions.

18/06/2025