Happy Valentine's Day!

Ha-ay Ff-olks,

Brrrrrr…it’s ff-ree-zzing out there.  This cold weather has chilled me to the core and I can’t stt-opp sh-shiver-ring. Luckily for me, my caretaker is bringing me inside and covering me with plenty of blankets.  Maybe there will be a fireplace inside, too!  It’ll warm me up AND provide a lovely romantic setting for my Valentine’s Day dinner with HugMe Christi. It seems she can tolerate the cold much better than myself and I have no idea why. 

Giving Thanks to Your Older Equine Pals!

I can’t believe how quickly the seasons are changing, and Thanksgiving is only a few days away! For many of you, thoughts of a big, juicy turkey, warm gravy, and sweet pumpkin pie are the things that come to mind in anticipation of the holiday.  I know it sure does for me! But then again, when am I NOT thinking about food?!  Unfortunately, my owner says I cannot partake in the feast. He says he can’t find a chair large enough for me to sit at the table…I was slightly offended. But I won’t judge him when he has to loosen his belt after having his five-course meal…maybe…

Congratulations to my pal, Dr. Ryan Avenatti!

Hay Folks,

Ryan aboard the great Lord Nelson!

After five long, hard years working at the lab bench and out in the Treadmill Barn with my gal pals at Rutgers, Ryan Avenatti has finally earned his Ph.D.!  Now, he will be Dr. Avenatti! 

I was going to give him doughnuts as a graduation gift, but…unfortunately, I ate them… So, I’m writing a blog all about him and his research to make up for my insatiable sweet tooth.  This Monday, he presented his research entitled, “Effects of age and acute exercise on mediators of inflammation and energy homeostasis in horses”.  All those fancy words, pretty much mean, how a horse’s exercise physiology changes with age.

Meet My Friends!

Hay Friends!

I know I mention my friends at the Rutgers Equine Science Center pretty frequently.  I mean, they are the ones who have made me into an internet celebrity after all!  But now YOU can have a chance to meet my friends and find out what the Rutgers Equine Science Center is all about IN PERSON!  Ever want to see a horse run on a treadmill?  Or maybe you'd like to explore the real Ryders Lane Farm that's featured in the ever-so-popular "Fun on the Farm" game on the Equine Science 4 Kids website? Well now's your chance!

Water Works!

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.

Come to Jersey Fresh!

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!

Love is in the air!

Hay everyone!

How about this crazy weather we've been having? I've been busy climbing the mountains of snow that have formed in my paddock...the other day my owner couldn't find me because I was behind a snow pile that towered over my head! Check out some of my snow filled pictures in my photo gallery below! I just can't wait for spring to come!

Anyway, Valentine's Day is coming up and love is in the air! I'm looking forward to a romantic day with my gal pal and fellow snow mountain climber HugMe Christi. I'm so in love, that when I see her, my ears perk up, my eyes light up, and my heart starts to beat just a little bit faster! Horses are lovers...we have big hearts! The average weight of an equine heart is between 7 and 9 pounds, but some are even bigger than that...the famous racehorse Secretariat's heart was an estimated 22 pounds! So how does the massive equine heart work? Read more to find out!

What is Lordosis??

Hi friends,

Did you ever see a horse that looks like its belly is pulling its spine toward the ground, causing its back to slope downward just behind its withers? If you aren't sure what I mean, just look at some of the pictures of myself that I've posted here! The condition is commonly known as "sway back" but its scientific name applies more to yours truly..."LORDosis!"

Although the dip in my back may seem to be a cause for concern, it really doesn't bother me or prevent me from living a normal and active life. My owner does make fun of me however; he says eventually, he will have to start strapping the saddle to my belly and riding me upside-down for the saddle to fit properly!

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!

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...

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...

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!

Horses on Treadmills?!

Have you ever seen a horse running on a treadmill? I'm just checking in to let you know that there is a new video starring my friend Frankie performing a Graded Exercise Test (GXT) on the Equine Science 4 Kids site. The video shows the work done by both horses and humans at the Equine Science Center. Click here to watch.

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend, I know I did! There are some new pictures of me featured here on my blog. Be sure to check them out to see one of the odd things I like to eat! Don't forget, you can always email me at LordNelson@njaes.rutgers.edu.

That's all for now, but stay tuned as we continue to celebrate the Month of the Horse!

Fun at Ag Field Day!

Hello again!

My friends at the Rutgers Equine Science Center told me that they had over 5,000 visitors at the treadmill laboratory last weekend during Ag Field Day. They also told me the Equine Science 4 Kids bright red recycled tote bags was very popular, and that they handed out almost 1,000 bags in less than two hours! I think having my adorable face on the bag probably had something to do with the bags disappearing so quickly...

I heard the line to watch Snowdrift and Maggie run on the high-speed horse treadmill was practically wrapped around the building! People were lining-up 30 minutes before the demonstrations in order to watch Snowdrift and Maggie run.

Don't worry if you missed the equine treadmill demonstrations at Ag Field Day. I am helping my friends at the Equine Science Center put the finishing touches on a video of Frankie running on the treadmill.

Stay tuned - we'll have that video up on Equine Science 4 Kids soon!

Welcome

Hi Friends,

You’re probably wondering how a horse is able to type a blog. Well, typing is easy – setting up the computer in my stall was the hard part!

As you may already know, I worked at Rutgers University for 22 years before retiring in 2000. From participating in football games, to witnessing the creation of the Equine Science Center (my favorite place on campus, for obvious reasons!) – I have just about seen it all!

When my friends at the Equine Science Center asked me help them with the Equine Science 4 Kids site, I had only one request – I wanted a blog. I have so many funny and interesting stories to share, and a blog is the perfect way for me to communicate with you.

Although I have a busy daily schedule (grazing in a pasture for 16 hours is hard work – but someone’s got to do it!), I plan to update Holy Hoofprints about 2-3 times every month.

Before I go, do you have plans on Saturday, April 24? If not, go visit my friends at the Equine Science Center during Ag Field Day. I heard they will have a couple of really cool demonstrations in the exercise physiology lab.

Stay tuned; my next blog post will be coming soon!