All guides

Every guide on rein-check, grouped by topic.

Anatomy 6

Anatomy overview →

Heart and lungs: the horse's power train

A heart that beats from around 30 to 240 times a minute, and in a resting Thoroughbred pumps seven times as much blood as ours: how the horse's heart and lungs make it such a remarkable athlete, and how to keep them healthy.5 min read

How horses sense the world

Eyes that see almost all the way round, ears that pick up sounds we can't hear, and whiskers that feel what the eyes miss: a prey animal's senses, and what they mean for handling horses.6 min read

Inside the hoof

A horse stands on the tip of a single toe, wrapped in a keratin wall that takes most of a year to grow from top to bottom. Here's what each part of the hoof does, and how it evolved.6 min read

Skeleton and movement: a body built to travel

How the horse's frame carries power from the hindquarters to the head, what you can feel of the skeleton under your hands, and how millions of years of evolution turned a small many-toed animal into an endurance athlete.7 min read

Teeth: how horses' teeth work

A horse's teeth keep emerging from the jaw for most of its life, wearing down a few millimetres a year as it grinds tough forage. Here's how they work, and why they need regular checks.6 min read

The digestive system: from lips to hindgut

Follow a mouthful of grass on its journey through a horse, from the whiskers that find it to the 35-litre fermentation vat that turns fibre into energy.7 min read

Behaviour & temperament 4

Behaviour & temperament overview →

How horses learn: training and temperament

Horses learn all the time, not just in training sessions. How learning works, why fear stops it, which training methods help, and how to build a calm, confident horse.7 min read

How horses live: herd life and natural behaviour

Horses are sociable prey animals built to graze and roam with friends for most of the day. Understanding how they evolved to live explains much of what they do, and what they need from us.7 min read

Reading your horse: body language and communication

Ears, eyes, muzzle, tail and stance tell you how a horse feels, often long before it does anything dramatic. Here's how to read a relaxed, alert, annoyed or uncomfortable horse, and the subtle signs that can mean pain.7 min read

Stress and stereotypic behaviour

What stress does to a horse, the common causes, why some horses weave, crib-bite or box-walk, and why the answer is to change the horse's life rather than block the behaviour.8 min read

Lifecycle 4

Lifecycle overview →

Breeding and foaling

A mare carries her foal for about 11 months, and the birth itself can be over in minutes. What to think about before breeding, how to care for a pregnant mare, the signs that foaling is near, and what should happen in a foal's first hours.8 min read

Caring for an older horse

Horses live longer than ever, many into their 30s. How to spot the signs of ageing, and how to adapt feeding, teeth, feet, exercise and retirement so an older horse stays comfortable and content.8 min read

End of life: planning and saying goodbye

Few horses die peacefully of old age, so most owners will one day face a decision about euthanasia. How to judge quality of life, why planning ahead helps, what happens on the day and afterwards, and where to find support.8 min read

Foals and young horses

Everything a young horse experiences shapes the adult it becomes. Handling from day one, low-stress weaning, the paperwork a foal needs, and growing up with friends, forage and freedom.7 min read

History of the horse 2

History of the horse overview →

Horses in British history

For centuries horses ploughed Britain's fields, pulled its cabs and carried its armies. How they shaped the country, and how caring for them gave rise to the farrier's craft, the veterinary profession and the world's oldest horse charity.7 min read

Where horses came from: evolution and domestication

Horses began as small, many-toed animals in North America, lost their side toes on the way to becoming long-distance trotters, and became the domestic horse that spread out from the grasslands of western Eurasia about 4,000 years ago.6 min read

Daily care 5

Caring for finer-coated horses: Thoroughbreds, Arabs and warmbloods

Less hardy breeds feel cold, wet weather more and can lose weight in winter. Here is how shelter, forage, rugs and weight checks fit into their daily routine.6 min read

Caring for heavy horses

Shires, Clydesdales, Suffolks and other big draught breeds need the same daily care as any horse, plus extra attention to feathered legs, skin and space.6 min read

Caring for native ponies and cobs

Native breeds are hardy and thrive on little, which is exactly why they need careful daily management of weight, grazing and rugs.7 min read

Colic: the signs and what to do

Colic is abdominal pain, and it can turn serious quickly. How to spot it, from the obvious to the easily missed, what to do while you wait for the vet, and how to lower the risk.6 min read

Daily care: the routine every horse needs

What to check, provide and watch for every day, whatever the breed, and how care differs for native ponies, heavy horses and finer-coated horses.8 min read

Feeding & nutrition 4

Feeding & nutrition overview →

Feeding for work, type and age

A hardy native, a Thoroughbred off the track, an eventer, a broodmare and a 25-year-old all need different diets. How to adjust feeding for workload, breed type and stage of life, and for health problems such as laminitis, ulcers and choke.10 min read

Forage first: building a balanced diet

Every horse's diet starts with forage. What a horse needs, how to choose between grass, hay, haylage and straw, how much to feed, and the rules of feeding that keep the gut healthy.9 min read

Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

Cereals, mixes, cubes, balancers, oil, sugar beet and a shelf full of supplements: what each one does, how to read a feed bag, what the law lets supplements claim, and how competition horses avoid prohibited substances.9 min read

Weight, fat scoring and weight loss

Being overweight is now one of the most common health problems in UK horses. How to weigh your horse, fat score it by hand, and help an overweight horse lose weight safely, without leaving it hungry.8 min read

Grooming & coat care 3

Grooming & coat care overview →

Clipping and rugging

A horse's coat is built to keep it warm and dry. When a clip helps and how to teach a horse to accept the clippers, whether your horse really needs a rug, which rug to choose, and how to fit it and put it on safely.8 min read

How to groom your horse

Grooming keeps your horse clean and comfortable, lets you spot problems early and can be something you both enjoy. The kit, a full groom step by step, manes, tails and whiskers, washing, and how to tell whether your horse is enjoying it.8 min read

Skin and coat problems

Grooming is the best way to spot skin trouble early. How to recognise, manage and prevent mud fever, rain scald, sweet itch, feather mites, sunburn and rug rubs, and which problems can spread to other horses.9 min read

Hoof care 3

Hoof care overview →

Common hoof problems

From thrush and bruised soles to abscesses, cracks and nail wounds: how to recognise the hoof problems horses get most often, what causes them, and whether to call your farrier or your vet.9 min read

Hoof care: a practical daily routine

"No foot, no horse." How to pick out feet safely, what a healthy hoof looks like, how to check for heat and a strong digital pulse, and how to look after hooves through wet and dry seasons.7 min read

Working with your farrier

Why only a registered farrier may shoe your horse, how often to book visits, how to prepare, and how to choose between shoes, going barefoot, hoof boots and composite shoes.7 min read

Stabling & shelter 4

Stabling & shelter overview →

Bedding and mucking out

What good bedding does, how straw, shavings, wood fibre, flax and hemp, paper, cardboard and rubber matting compare, which way of mucking out to choose, and how to keep dust and ammonia down for your horse's breathing.7 min read

Field shelters and living out

Which horses can live out all year, what natural shelter can and can't do, how big a field shelter should be and where to put it, planning permission, and keeping mud under control.6 min read

Life in the stable

How to keep a stabled horse healthy and content: daily turnout, company, forage and enrichment, changing routines gradually, and introducing a horse to a stable for the first time.6 min read

Stable design and safety

What makes a good stable: the minimum sizes, doors, roof height and ventilation, floors, windows, lighting and fittings, water and forage, and how to keep a yard safe from fire.8 min read

Travelling with horses 3

Travelling with horses overview →

Loading and unloading your horse

A horse that walks calmly on and off the vehicle makes every journey safer. How to practise, what you and your horse should wear, how to load and tie up safely, and how to unload without a rush.5 min read

Rules for travelling horses: licences, vehicles and paperwork

What you can drive or tow on your licence, weight and speed limits, MOTs, tachographs, and the extra rules that apply once money is involved, even prize money. A guide to the rules in Great Britain.8 min read

Travelling your horse safely

Travelling is hard work for a horse. How to check your horse is fit to go, make sure the vehicle is safe and not overloaded, plan the journey, drive with a horse on board, and help your horse recover afterwards.7 min read

Seasonal care 4

Seasonal care overview →

Autumn care

Getting ready for winter: sycamore seeds and acorns, frosty grass, bringing horses in gradually, worm and tapeworm tests, preparing fields for the wet, fireworks, and riding as the days get shorter.6 min read

Spring care

Spring brings fresh grass, longer turnout and a moulting coat, but also the year's biggest laminitis worries, sycamore seedlings, grass sickness and worms on the move. What to watch for and what to do.6 min read

Summer care

Keeping horses cool, watered and comfortable in hot weather: how much they drink, shade and stabling, flies, sunburn, dried-out and fast-growing grass, exercising in the heat, and how to spot and treat heat exhaustion.6 min read

Winter care

Keeping a horse well through the cold, wet months: forage and water, weight checks, whether to rug, mud and skin problems, feet in mud and snow, turnout and stabling, and exercising safely on frozen ground and in poor light.7 min read