An interesting article on our sister site has me thinking about herd dynamics with my own horses.

A recent study finds that one choice is better than the other for overall equine health.

They're asked to produce and nurture a new crop of runners every year. But what is the quality of life of the average Thoroughbred broodmare? Here are five tips to making your mares' lives better.

Nothing is more fun than watching a new foal's first few struggles to stand, nurse, and walk. But what happens when the delivery doesn't go according to plan?

Thoroughbred breeding season starts in a couple of weeks. Here's an interesting research study that links a foal's gender to the conditon of its dam at the time of conception.

"What is good for the horse is good for racing," AAEP vet Scott Palmer discusses why "we have to put the horse first."

Dam of Rags to Riches, Jazil, and Casino Drive fails to produce a foal in 2008 or 2009. Does that affect her value in the Thoroughbred sales ring?

The sales repository offers potential bidders some health information about Thoroughbreds being sold at auction. It's part of the sales-prep process to have a foal scoped and x-rayed -- and good results make for happy sellers.

Are broodmares exploited? Is the Thoroughbred industry callously breeding our mares to death? When should a mare be retired -- and what happens to her then?

Nutrition for your broodmares makes a huge difference in their foals' development. How confident are you in your feed regimen?

It's been a rough year for a lot of horse owners, with hay prices reaching record levels -- and that's if you can find any available. In addition to bemoaning the situation, I'm trying to figure out a way to avoid the same problem next year.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike winter. I grew up in the Northeast and Lexington is mild in comparison. And the horses like the cold much better than the sweaty mess of July or August in the Bluegrass. But this time of year brings other annoyances and frustrations, as well. My horses tell me when I've gone a little shy on the hay or beet pulp. They do so by chewing... everything. It's bad enough when they gnaw on the fence boards, but it's dire when they whittle the posts down to toothpicks or when they go after the lap boards on the barn. Of course, hay isn't cheap -- this year, it's not even easy to find -- and there's only so much beet pulp a horse is going to want to eat.