What is wobbler syndrome?

A "wobbler" is a horse with a deformed cervical (neck) vertebrae that presses on the spinal cord. It's seen in young horses as they grow and is most common in Thoroughbreds, because of their long spine and rapid growth pattern. It is twice as common in males as females.

They're called "wobblers" because they are clumsy and uncoordinated. The actual root cause is difficulty knowing where their feet are (some normal horses may appear this way, coordination does vary).

Wobbler syndrome can also be caused by arthritis of the spine in older horses.

Some foals with wobbler syndrome recover if they are put on a diet to slow their growth, although many growing horses have their clumsy phases anyway, so it can be hard to tell.

Wobbler syndrome often needs to be treated surgically, by fusing the affected joint with a metal insert. This has about a 75% success rate, but even with surgery some wobblers are never anything but pets. - and some vets recommend that horses with the syndrome never be ridden.

Fortunately, not all clumsy horses have wobbler syndrome. Many just can't be bothered to pick their feet up.

Can a horse have multiple personality disorder?

If so...how would we know? Some horses appear to have split personalities - but these are often easily explained. For example, a horse that gets anxious at a show may be upset by the difference in routine or picking up on their rider's stage fright.

I admit I have known horses that definitely had different "modes" - I know one right now who loves jumping most of the time and then has days when she Just Doesn't Want To Do It, and we're still trying to work out what's going on in her cute little grey head. When she's in one of her moods she won't even willingly step over a pole on the ground.

But in every case of equine "split personality" there has turned out to be a reason - a difference in the rider, a new horse being introduced, even in some cases the weather (I have known many horses that get very "up" and want to run if it's windy).

There's no indication that horses have true multiple personality disorder. Just dramatic changes in mood that can usually be put down to something.

Why do Akhal-Tekes have shiny coats?

Going to talk about a specific breed - because what's going on with them is really cool.

This is an Akhal-Teke stallion named Ikon (image source Ulruppelt via Wikimeida Commons) and as you can see he is really shiny.

But how does he look like he was spun out of metal like that? Palominos are normally shiny, but this guy takes shiny one step further. The reason is that this breed has weird hair.

The opaque core of the hair is narrower or even absent, allowing the light to shine through the hair - except it refracts it a little to give that shimmery golden look. Black Akhal-Tekes can look blue or even purple.

It is very rarely seen in other breeds, and appears to be caused by a recessive gene. It occasionally shows up in Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Arabians and Quarter Horses - and probably indicates some distant steppe ancestry. (And of course in the occasional horse of mixed/uncertain breeding).

Can blind people ride?

This was triggered by finding a video on Youtube of somebody who was blind in one eye and could barely see out of the other jumping.

Blind people absolutely can and do ride horses. They even compete. Blind people routinely compete against sighted people in dressage - some have "living letters" but some do it by literally counting their horse's strides (even more of a challenge when you realize that if they change horses they have to learn to count all over again).

Blind show jumpers either have a sighted rider to follow or their trainer shouting instructions. Bells are sometimes used.

There are blind cowboys who ride broncs, both saddle and bareback. At least one barrel racer can literally see no further than two inches from her face.

So, by all means have your blind characters ride - and ride well. They just need a horse that can be trusted to be their eyes.

Why is driving more dangerous than riding?

I've mentioned this before - but driving, and even riding in a carriage, is actually more dangerous than riding a horse.

Why?

If a saddle horse panics, you may well fall off, or the horse may run you into something (I'm apparently not alone in having been clotheslined by a horse on an obstacle...ow). The horse may keep running and run into something or, worse, somebody.

But when a harness horse panics, they run off with a huge great vehicle attached to them. Youtube is full of videos of nasty carriage collisions, carriages being pulled into crowds, etc. If the carriage is what spooked the horse, they will keep running because oh my it's following me I need to get away. And if one tips, it's a lot worse than a horse falling on you (which I've also experienced).

Do horses get food allergies?

Horses do sometimes react to feed - it can be hard to tell if it's an allergy or some other kind of sensitivity (just like in humans). We have no clue how many actually have food allergies, as skin tests don't work well on horses. The only thing you can do is an elimination diet - and what if the food is something in the pasture? Oh, and antihistamines don't work well in horses either.

So, yes they can, and it's a nightmare when they do.

Can you put a horse saddle on a mule?

No. Mule and donkey saddles have to be designed a little bit differently because of the shape of their shoulders and withers.

Your characters should not take a saddle off a horse and put it on a mule or vice versa. (Note that the rider won't notice a difference - I've ridden a mule and the saddle felt the same to the rider).