Holiday Overindulgence!

Hey Gang,

Even though I JUST recovered from my Thanksgiving feast, I am already gearing up for more holiday dinners and sweet treats! I've been taking advantage of this festive holiday season to eat all the little goodies I could swindle from my caretakers! They are always careful not to over-feed me, because that could lead to some serious health problems. When humans overeat they may need to spend a couple of days at the gym, but when horses overeat, it could be deadly!

Why You Shouldn't Look A Gift Horse in the Mouth...

Hey Future Equine Experts!

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" Ever wonder what it means? Today, it means to be thankful for a gift (even if you secretly want something better) and don't take something given to you for free for granted; but the roots of the phrase go back to when horses were used for everyday work, and when people depended on them for survival.

Did you know you can tell a horse's age by examining its teeth? I ask because to understand the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," you should know how to estimate a horse's age.

Age - is it really just a number??

Last week, the Equine Science Center was well represented at the first Dorothy Havemeyer Foundation Equine Geriatric Workshop. That means that a bunch of scientists and veterinarians got together to talk about old horses - one of my favorite topics!

HAY Gang!

Ooops - I meant hey!

You'll never guess what happened last week when I went apple picking - there were no apples! No matter where we looked, all the apples had already been harvested. All we could find were tomatoes (Yuck!). I was really bummed out until later in the week when a couple of pretty cool things happened...

"No foot, no horse!"

Hi Friends!

The extremely dry summer we had finally took its toll on me a few weeks ago; therefore, I haven't been able to type with my hoof for a while. Let me tell you what happened...

Fun on the Farm!

Hello again!

I'm excited and proud to announce a new addition to Equine Science 4 Kids - "Fun on the Farm" - an interactive game based on the environmental impact of horse farms! Fun on the Farm is closely based on the Horses and the Environment section of Equine Science 4 Kids, and on the Ryders Lane Environmental Best Management Practices Demonstration Horse Farm virtual tour on the Equine Science Center website. Test your knowledge about how green horse farms can be, and see if you have what it takes to be a farm manager at the Ryders Lane Farm!

Stay tuned for more updates and news!

Frankie Returns!

Hey Kids!

Do you remember my pal Frankie? She starred in "Horses on Treadmills?!" here on Equine Science 4 Kids! Well, she is back along with some of my other friends from the Equine Science Center. Take the new Equine Exercise Physiology Laboratory virtual tour on the Equine Science Center website. The virtual tour of the "Treadmill Laboratory" will show you what the scientists and students at the Equine Science Center do.

Did any of you see me at the 4-H State Championship Horse Show on August 27th? Being back in the show ring made me feel like a colt again! I was feeling so good, I had a hard time staying still during the opening ceremonies. I ate so much cake and ice cream that I completely blew my diet! There are some new pictures of yours truly enjoying the festivities; check them out!

Remember, if you have any questions about equine science, you can email me at LordNelson@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Until next time friends!

Star Power at the State 4-H Horse Show

Hello again!

It's going to be another great week for horses and horse-people in New Jersey! This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is the New Jersey State 4-H Championship Horse Show. Young equestrians from all over the Garden State who have advanced from their county shows will be competing in different events, such as Western and English riding, Driving, and Dressage. Other attractions at the horse show will include the 4-H Youth Art Show, 4-H Drill Team Exhibition, and the Horse Costume Class!

Rumor has it that there will be a special guest at the horse show on Friday, August 27th. Do you have any guesses about who will be there? Could it be Justin Bieber? The cast of Jersey Shore? Governor Christie?

I can't keep a secret - I'm making a guest appearance Friday night! Stop by to see yours truly and get the scoop on the Equine Science Center straight from the horse's mouth. You can probably find me by the ice cream; being a VIP definitely has its advantages!

Come out to the NJ State 4-H Championship Horse Show from August 27-29 at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown to support your fellow young horse enthusiasts and to see me!


Your pal,

You're Virtually There!

Hey friends!

Have you had a chance to check out the Ryders Lane Virtual Tour on the Equine Science Center website (http://www.esc.rutgers.edu/rlp/rl_virtual_tour.htm)? There you can find all kinds of cool information about what farmers, particularly horse farmers, can do to keep the environment clean. The guidelines farmers follow when trying to preserve the environment are called "Best Management Practices." The professors at the Equine Science Center sometimes refer to them as just BMPs.

When I was clicking (or maybe it was clopping) through the virtual tour, I saw a lot of other acronyms. It seems like grown-ups are awful fond of saying things like:

• CNMP (Certified Nutrient Management Plan)
• ICM (Integrated Crop Management)
• LNFP (Lord Nelson Feeding Plan)

Okay, I made that last one up! But there are a lot of interesting things mentioned in the virtual tour. Have you ever heard of rain gardens or bioswales? What about humus (not hummus, which is what vegetarians eat) and pH balance ? Something that is near and dear to my heart was the rotational grazing system at Ryders Lane. Rotational grazing is the reason I have plenty of grass to eat during the summer, even during the hot and dry summer we have had this year.

If you enjoy the Ryders Lane virtual tour, you can always visit the actual farm and take the self-guided tour. You can see the BMPs up close at the farm. When you visit, please tell my equine friends I said hello!

Until next time,

King Nelson?!

Hello Friends,

My ears were burning last week, and it wasn't because of the heat! People were talking about me!

Some of my friends from the Equine Science Center attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Animal Science in Denver. They wanted to spread the word about Equine Science 4 Kids, but most of the professors and students at the meeting already knew about our website and yours truly! Some were a little confused though; they thought my name was Prince Nelson, or King Nelson. I'm normally pretty happy to be called Nelson, but I REALLY like the sound of "King Nelson."

While in Denver, my friends had many opportunities to listen to lectures and presentations about very interesting research, not only in horses, but in every animal species. Topics covered during the conference included nutrition, animal husbandry (or animal care), signaling between and within cells, the immune system, animal growth, the environment, and animal reproduction, to name just a few of the many, many talks.

Conferences are also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, and to forge new relationships. I hear Denver is an amazing city to visit with a great view of the Rocky Mountains. By the end of the year, my friends at the Equine Science Center will have attended conferences and meetings in Baltimore, Denver, Washington, D.C., Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and South Africa! Who knew that the life of a scientist could be so eventful!

While you are deciding what you want to be when you grow up, think about becoming a scientist. If you like to ask questions and find answers, you already have two of the most important qualities of a good scientist. Everyone, including horses, will depend more and more on scientists to work on the challenges facing us in the future. Plus, think about all the opportunities scientists have to travel and meet new people!

That's all for now; I wonder who I need to talk to in order to be promoted to "King" Nelson...

The EYEs Have It!

Hello Friends!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July. I had a great view of some fireworks from underneath the old apple tree in my pasture, with plenty of treats from the BBQ next door!

Unfortunately, not everything this weekend went perfectly. Last week I got a scratch on my eye, which was quite irritating. My caretakers put a fly mask on my head and put tape over the spot where my right eye is located to keep the sun out. They also had antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine to put in my eye. Now, I really hate having the fly mask on since it keeps me from seeing everything that is going on out at the farm, and I especially hate having medicine rubbed in my eye, but after 37 years I've learned that sometimes you just have to take your medicine and listen to others that know what is best for you.

My caretakers did what every responsible horse-person does and called their veterinarian to take a look at my eye. It turns out that I have more than just a scratch - I have glaucoma (glä-kō-mä). It may sound like really bad news, but lucky for me, they found it early. Up until now my vision has been great and I haven't had any discomfort. You may have heard of your grandparents or people their age having glaucoma, but you might not be too familiar with what it is. Since I'm a pretty web-savvy horse, I hit-up the internet to see what I could find out. In horses, glaucoma basically means that there is a buildup of fluid and pressure in the eye, which will impair vision and be uncomfortable. There is no cure, and I will eventually lose sight in my eye, but that is part of getting old. Right now I am on medicine that will decrease the fluid in my eye and relieve some of the pressure, but it will also decrease the fluid in the rest of my body. This type of medicine is called a diuretic (dī-ur-ĕt-ik). To make sure I don't lose too much fluid, my caretakers are careful to give me plenty of electrolytes and water, and are making sure I don't get overheated!

On the bright side, I got a new feeder this weekend! It is an old tire with a bowl fit in it, so I can bang it around all I want to let my caretakers know I'm hungry. You might not get too excited about new plates and bowls, but to me it was like getting a new baseball glove, bicycle, and Hula Hoop all at once! Check out the new pics in my slideshow of my new tire, me getting some sunscreen, and other happenings at my farm!

Stay tuned for more posts this month, we have some big projects in the works for Equine Science 4 Kids!

Your pal,

Fun in the Sun!

Hello again!

Looking at me calendar, I realized that today, June 21st, is the official start of summer. You may be saying - "What's the big deal?" - but as an old police horse, I can tell you that working in the summer heat can take a lot out of you. Many people spend their summers working with their horses in the show ring, at the racetrack, or riding the trails. Heat stress is a big concern to both equine athletes and their owners.

We have some natural ways of cooling off during exercise that you may be familiar with. First off, we sweat (a lot)! When sweat evaporates off horses' skin, it releases energy and helps to lower surface temperature; it's the same way you keep cool while playing on a warm, sunny day. During exercise, our hearts are also pumping a lot of blood. Much of that blood is redirected to the capillaries and blood vessels just under our skin. That's why when you see a horse finishing up some hard work it looks like there is a spidery web of veins underneath the hair. Because the surface of a horse's body is cooler than its body core, the blood flowing just under the skin cools off faster. Horses also will breathe faster because some heat can be dissipated when they exhale, and we inhale nice, cool air to keep our muscles working.

You may think that all this stuff I'm saying is just hot air because it sounds like how you keep cool during the summer, but it really has been scientifically proven! It's another way that horses and humans are connected.

If you worry that your horse is overheating, the first thing you can do is move it out of the sun and into the shade. You can also hose off your horse's legs and body with cold water. This will cool off the blood flowing just below the skin, which will then help cool off the body core. To prevent dehydration, allow your horse to have several small drinks of water, but be careful - too much cold water too fast can give us a belly ache! Electrolytes (elek-tro-lites) are also a good idea; you can find more information about those by visiting the Healthcare and Nutrition page on Equine Science 4 Kids!

All this typing has caused me to break out in a sweat! I think I'll find a nice, shady spot to cool off!

I'm Headline News!

Hi Friends!

I picked up the newspaper today and it was like looking in the mirror! Two of my favorite New Jersey newspapers featured yours truly in an article about Equine Science 4 Kids! If you did not have a chance to grab a copy of the paper, you can click here to read the article.

I am glad they chose to feature me during the Month of the Horse! All this talk about June being the Month of the Horse got me to thinking, "Why does New Jersey have a month dedicated to horses?" Of course, I know why horses are so great, but what made the folks in Trenton decide to celebrate horses every June?

It turns out that a couple of kids made it happen! That's right, it all started when a fifth and eighth grader convinced the state legislature to declare the horse the official state animal in 1977. Boy they made a good call with that one!

Did you know that the horse is even featured on the state seal, representing power and strength? Since horses have such a strong history in the Garden State, and because horses improve the economy and quality of life for the people of New Jersey, we have been celebrating the Month of the Horse since 1998!

Here are some interesting facts about the horse industry in New Jersey from my friends at the Equine Science Center:

• The horse industry contributes over $1 billion annually to the economy in New Jersey! That could buy a lot of apples and carrots!
• 13,000 people work in the New Jersey horse industry! That includes trainers, veterinarians, and the owner of your local feed or tack store, among many others.
• 176,000 acres are used to house horses in New Jersey! In other words, one fifth of all the agricultural land in the Garden State is related to horses. I sure am grateful for all the farmers out there raising hay and grain for us to eat (46,000 acres worth), we can't survive on hot dogs alone! I also love seeing my horse friends running and playing in nice, open, and green pastures all throughout the state!
• 42,500 horses live in the Garden State! Hunterdon, Monmouth, and Burlington counties have the greatest number of horse farms and stables.

Between my excitement over that awesome article and crunching all those numbers about horses in New Jersey, this old boy is getting a little sleepy! I think I'll sign off and take a nap in the sun!

Stay tuned for more updates!