Enter our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways here!
SubscribeGift a Sub
Enable cache 100

Featured Video: Horses and Dolphins

Once again, we here in the Northern Hemisphere are in the doldrums of winter. Depending on where you live, it is likely some variation on cold, icy, and dark. Your horse misses the green grass. You miss the long daylight hours for afternoon and evening rides. Winter is a bummer. And that’s why it’s time for a virtual vacation.



In this edition, we join Charlotte Littlefield of Hayfields Racing in Australia. In this video, posted via Facebook Live back in October, Littlefield and a group of horses and riders are out for a workout at the beach when some of them wade into the ocean. There, they meet a pod of friendly dolphins.



Some horses would certainly run for the dry sand upon seeing some large sea creatures swim up to them, but these horses are mostly curious. The dolphins seem curious, too, and they spend some time mingling with the horses even though they could very easily swim off into the ocean.

Dolphins are commonly believed to be one of the most intelligent animal species on the planet. You have to wonder what they thought of these big, four-legged creatures splashing into the ocean, and what the horses thought of them.

Enjoy this peaceful interspecies interaction and a virtual day at the beach thanks to Hayfields Racing.


Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

View Comments

Recent Posts

Haven Pines: A Family Sleigh Ride Business

Tucked into the forests of northern Wisconsin is a family-owned and operated homestead known as Haven Pines. Run by Erin…

16 hours ago

Shop Small Business Saturday: Equestrian Edition

It’s holiday shopping season and I’ve spent the last few months searching for unique or useful equestrian gifts. I’m so…

5 days ago

Choosing the Right Hay Type

Timothy, orchard grass, alfalfa, fescue, clover—so many hay types! What’s the right type of hay to choose in your particular…

5 days ago

Thrush Season Is Upon Us.

As horse owners, you know it’s time for that stinky, white crumbly grossness that comes with thrush - and even…

7 days ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Hazel

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

1 week ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Breaking Bullet

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

2 weeks ago