John Wilkinson, Author at Horse Network

“Insanity and Brilliance”: Timber Racing Featured on 60 Minutes

The sport of timber racing was profiled in last night's episode of 60 Minutes, bringing one of America's oldest, and perhaps unsung horse sports into the mainstream. Timber racing is...

Classic Empire Regains Form and Restores Order On Road to the Kentucky Derby

On paper it reads like a coronation: a big-money yearling turned 2-year-old champion, and now the expected Kentucky Derby favorite fresh off Arkansas Derby triumph. In a sport that often...

Carl Hester: Nip Tuck Valegro

As the dressage world continues to grapple with the retirement of its biggest star, Valegro, leave it to Carl Hester to remind us that we humans are not the only...

Maria Manfredi Is Finding the Magic in Omaha

Entering the arena for your maiden voyage on the big stage of your first ever FEI World Cup Finals would be enough to cognitively capsize the average equestrian. The lights...

Welcome to the World of Competitive Hobbyhorse

This week in "I Can't Believe This Is Really A Thing" we travel to Finland, where a new equestrian sport is gaining some serious steam. Unlike other equestrian endeavors, this discipline...

And This Is Why Ex-Racehorses Are Not for Beginners

As relatively affordable and extremely versatile athletes, off-track-thoroughbreds are a great option for just about anyone in need of horse power. Taking in a retired racehorse is a real win/win. The...

The White Horses of Camargue

Life in France's Camargue region is not for the fragile. Surviving in these vast, salted wetlands where the mighty Rhône meets the sea is a test of endurance and adaptation....

The Palm Beach Masters Has the Best Backyard

It's not that there's anything wrong with a good, honest synthetic footing—Reliable. Easy. Durable. Weather resistant—all desirable attributes. It's just that it's, well, synthetic. Fact is, there's simply no substitute...

Chrome and Arrogate: The $12 Million Rematch

Turning for home with a 1-1/2 length lead and a head full of steam in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, it seemed like a mere formality that California Chrome would...

Can a Joint Supplement Really Improve the Aging, Lame Horse?

For all the added wisdom our older horses possess, Father Time remains undefeated in limiting the physical ability and general soundness of our aging equines. On average, horses begin to see the...

Phillip Dutton Named 2016 US Equestrian of the Year

One glance at Phillip Dutton's exhaustive resume of saddled-up achievements says it all: the man can horse. The 53-year-old has been doing it for decades at the highest level of...

Top 5 Takeaways From the USEF Strategic Plan

The USEF wants you back. It understands why you left or never bothered joining in the first place, and it's prepared to earn your trust and support. In his first...

Old Barn Buddies

Every morning, Donnie MacAdams wakes up before dawn and heads downstairs to check on his roommates and deliver breakfast. It has been his routine for the past eight years when...

Versace Goes Horse With New Fashion Line

High fashion and horses have long been cushy bedmates, and for good reason. Equestrian sports attract the well-heeled, and the well-heeled are attracted to...well, heels. Iconic luxury brands like Ralph...

The Lameness Detective

"Visualizing lameness is an art," Dr. Larry Caudill tells me on a bitter winter morning at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, KY. Nearby, a cavalcade of hooves pepper the pavement...

Barn Fire Claims 23 Thoroughbreds at Kentucky Training Center

Every horseman's worst nightmare became a gut-wrenching reality for Eric and Kay Reed early Sunday morning when they received a call that one of the barns at their Mercury Equine Center...

Behind the Scenes With American Pharoah

In the loaded world of sports, rarely does a horse breakthrough to mainstream acclaim. To draw the general public's waning attention away from the daily deluge of hot takes and sensationalized sound...

Once Upon a Time, When Horses Jumped Rolls Royces

In 1913, there was no other place to be than at the Washington Horse Show in DC. How do I know this? Let’s go to the tape… Here, we have...

Study Finds Resveratrol Is Effective Treatment for Hock Lameness

The line between work and play is rather blurry for Dr. Ashlee Watts. As an equine orthopedic surgeon, researcher and instructor at Texas A&M University, Dr. Watts is all horse,...

Behind the Scenes at Lane’s End Farm

Driving into Lane's End Farm is a bit of challenge. Between the impossibly green pastures stretching into the horizon, jaw-dropping barns and world class horses turned out in every direction,...

Author Archives: John Wilkinson