This simple fact was brought home to me one day as I entered the barn to find a small group of people gathered around Shadow, a beautiful black Tennesse Walking Horse. These were all experienced horsemen and woman, but as we watched the practitioner attach small electrodes to Shadow's fetlocks and croup and hook her up to the overnight bag-sized machine, we were all seeing something we hadn't seen before. I think a little of Shadow's history is in order first.

Fortunately, they're all over the place here! There are many ways to find horses on VHR – here's just a few: Try looking on the bulletin board linked in the left menu. Players often advertise horses for sale here. The Marketplace lists all horses currently for sale – and you can look for specific breeds, colours, training types and even genders by going to the Search Horses link.

Absolutely! The 'Horse Manager' has been created to allow you to own shares in a string of racehorses and therefore get plenty of thrills and value for money.

Your horse should be at least six years old and well broken. Be sure your stock are accustomed to crossing bridges, logs, streams, and rocky areas as these are common during backcountry travel. Remember, the PCT is not a speed trail and that most gaited horses like flat roads.

In the Light Horse they were broken up into 3 man sections. (4 men per section if the Regiment was at full strength, which was rarely). When a fight started they would ride to a point nearest the battle, 2 (or 3) would dismount and join the battle and 1 "horse holder" would take care of all 3 (or 4) horses. He would keep them just away from the battle site, close enough to pick up his mates if things went wrong and far enough away to keep the horses safe.

Every horse is different. For a mature, healthy horse in its prime you can expect to try to run every 2-3 weeks.

Your trainer generally enters your horse. However, an owner can also enter his or her own horse. Information is contained in the condition book or stakes information on when to enter a horse for a specific race.

You must have the claiming money in your purse account. You enter the claim in the racing office prior to the start of the race. After the race has been run, a track official meets the claimed horse on the track and transfers the horse to the new training barn representative.

canines- male horses and some mares get canines, 1 each on the left and right upper and lower arcades wolf teeth (technically, the first premolar)- some horses get them, some don't, 1 each on the left and right upper and lower arcades, upper wolf teeth are by far more common than lower wolf teeth

Young (<5 years) and older (> 20 years) should have exams every six months because they are more prone to have problems. An average adult horse with no dental abnormalities should have annual exams. Wolf teeth and canine teeth are different. The canine teeth are the teeth that are just behind the incisors. They correspond to human canines- the most pointy of our teeth. If your horse had a bit in his mouth, the canine teeth (if present) would be in front of the bit.

Your horse should be oiled 1 week in advance of shipping. Start with 1 teaspoon of oil in the feed and work up to between 2 or 3 tablespoons.

We use specially adapted mounting blocks (3 and 4 steps high) in order to get on the horse. Children under 50 pounds can be lifted onto the horse, but individuals between 50 - 180 pounds must have the ability, with 2 person assist, to climb steps with a brief period of weight bearing and standing balance.

To add an image to your horse, highlight the location of the image (Click in the address bar, or right-click on the image and select the location). Copy this using (Ctrl-C), then paste it (Ctrl-V) into the "Image URL" box on your horse – be careful not to paste it into the name box! Once pasted, click "Add/Change Image".

Sponsor players can become Farriers and shoe their own horses; with enough skill, they can also create "Farrier Deeds" for sale so that other players can shoe their horses. To use a shoe deed, you would go to the Items section of the marketplace, then choose "Vet and Farrier Deeds" – find a shoe deed for sale and buy it. Then go to your Inventory and find the deed you've bought.

Sponsor players can become Veterinarians and vaccinate their own horses; with enough skill, they can also create "Vaccination Deeds" for sale so that other players can vaccinate their horses. To use a Vaccination deed, you would go to the Items section of the marketplace, then choose "Vet and Farrier Deeds" – find a Vaccination deed for sale and buy it. Then go to your Inventory and find the deed you've bought.

First, your horse has got to be old enough to breed – young colts can be bred after 2.5 years of age, while young fillies need to be 3.05 years old before they can be bred. If you have one of each, you will have to wait until your mare is "in heat" – then you can use the 'breed this horse' button on the mare's page to breed her to your stallion.

Equine bodywork will get dramatic results the first time but usually will need a follow-up. Charlotte believes in testing the entire horse the first visit rather than just the problem area as there are usually hidden issues and compensation to address. Follow-up visits of one or two over a few weeks are usually needed for the body to return to a healthy state.

Coggins in veterinarian terms is called Equine Infectious Anemia or EIA. Since it is a viral disease, there is no vaccine and no known cure. Horses can infect each other by standing close enough for a simple horsefly to bite the infected one and then bite the next one. It is such a serious concern the Commonwealth of Virginia passed a law about it. The ECHSA prefers all horses be safe.