A short note to inform you that my account on Facebook has been shutdown. I'm now on Instagram as vicros_ph. For anyone interested in following my posts, photos and activities. Hope to see you there too. 📷VRos

A white Peacock typically symbolizes luck and prosperity. So cool to see this one looking over us. Wishing you all the best of luck and good fortune. 📷VRos

Duh!

Sunset cruise just before an amazing moonrise. Happy to be back in the Philippines. 🇵🇭 Off of Loren Island, Nasugbu (Batangas).

Antonio Ecohotado...Brilliante! youtu.be/eM7_tj4chF4?si=iorJ…

Fascinating Przewalski's Horses in the highlands of Guadalajara (Spain). Looking forward to visiting the site as soon as I can.

Horses have no place to roam nor a place to call home. Free-living horse populations are being decimated all over the world. Even the marginal lands were they once freely roamed the wilds are now being reclaimed, often by spurious interests. We can and should do better!

We couldn't agree more - if you see ponies on or near the road, please be patient and please slow down. #moorcare #exmoorpony #exmoorponies

For all those interested in horses or equine history, there is a super interesting Cheiron Conference coming up in September 2024. trivent-publishing.eu/100-ch…

Interesting read!

A study of seasonal variations in body condition scores of feral horses in Tornquist Park (Argentina).

Playtime in horses Although defining and categorizing play can be challenging, researchers tend to acknowledge that play contributes to the development of motor skills, cognitive abilities, and social interaction skills, as well as likely being an enjoyable activity. Play behavior can generally be divided into two categories: social play, which involves interaction with others, and solitary play, which involves objects or physical activity. It is more commonly observed in younger animals and less frequently observed in adults. Foals can exhibit playful behavior within days of being born, and this behavior may often overlap with exploratory behavior. Shortly after birth, the mother's body becomes the primary focus of the foal's attention, and they may nip at her legs, pull on her tail and mane, and engage in other playful activities. Very young foals, less than a day old, have been observed galloping to and from ('zoomies') their mother as another form of playful behavior. While initially staying close to their mothers, foals begin to increase their distance from her as they develop. By 3-4 weeks old, foals may play up to 30-50 meters away from their mother. As foals mature, they tend to engage less in solitary play and more in playful interactions with other foals. During their initial encounter foals may stare at each other for extended periods until one approaches the other. They may then sniff and touch muzzles, nibble or groom each other, and sometimes even chase each other. However, if one or both foals feel threatened, they typically retreat until one decides to initiate play again. Play often starts with a nose-to-nose greeting, followed by behaviors such as nudging, nipping, biting, head tossing, and pawing at the potential playmate. Play fighting is usually observed among young males like colts or bachelors, and as they mature, they tend to engage less in playful behavior. However, play fighting can be easily confused with real fighting as these share many similarities like neck-wrestling, rearing, kneeling, or even waltzing. In this sense it can be understood as an assessment of fighting ability between males, which likely promotes less true fighting, as outcomes are already established. Sexual elements like mounting or nipping at hocks are also sometimes observed. During play fights, horses tend to have a more playful and non-threatening approach, and they usually try to avoid causing serious harm to their playmates. The roles of attacker and defender can change (Role reversal) between them during the fight. Social play has rules, or morals, and if one gets too rough, play ends by the other horse refusing to continue playing and likely leaving the bout. 📷VRos - Garranos at Serra do Cando (Galicia, Spain)

Ethology and horses Ethology is the biological study of behavior. Particularly, the study of animal behavior in relation to its natural environment. Optimally, in the case of horses, this would be the habitat where wild horses evolved. It is this habitat where horses are expected to reveal their true 'ethos' (character) and the 'logos' (logic) behind their behavior. Taking an ethological approach to horse behavior is to embark on a comparative global journey, exploring the myriad habitats where horses live a wild way of life, attempting to unravel the behavioral characteristics that define their survival. The image is of a band of Pottoka Ponies grazing in their home range in the hills of Piornal in Extremadura (Spain). 📷VRos

A beautiful weeks-old Pottoka foal scans the surroundings from one of the safest spots on earth: beside mom! While Gastain, his mom, continues to graze uninterruptedly. 📷VRos #horses #ethology #pony #behavior #animals

Great images of Dartmoor Ponies! Stallions are wonderful this way, and the foals know it!

A poem on how to tell a horse's age by inspecting its teeth.

A kin friendship of foals! A young Pottoka Pony foal and filly graze together. Both foals are from the same natal band and are from the same stallion (father). Pottoka Project - Oix (Cataluña) Spain 📷VRos

A quintet of Kiang! Equus kiang or the Tibetan Wild Ass.

Bands of horses in close proximity to one another during a synchronized bout of rest. Three of the fifteen bands that comprise this herd of about 150 feral Venezuelan creole horses. Los Llanos - Venezuela 📷VRos

Horses 'picking' chestnut catskins!