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Arthur Sterling

Arthur Sterling is the Lead Specialist and Editorial Director of Equestrian Heritage & Horsemanship. With over 15 years of practical field experience in classical dressage training, equine biomechanics, and stable environmental design, Arthur collaborates extensively with certified master farriers, veterinary researchers, and classical academies across Europe and North America to advance ethical horsemanship, sound anatomical development, and evidence-based equine wellness.

Understanding the Structural Carbohydrate Requirements of Hindgut Fermenters

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Structural carbohydrates—commonly referred to as dietary fiber or roughage—represent the absolute biological, physiological, and behavioral foundation of equine health and nutrition. As specialized monogastric hindgut fermenters, horses possess a gastrointestinal tract exquisitely adapted to extract life-sustaining energy from the fibrous cell walls of pasture grasses and preserved hays. Utilizing the Van Soest detergent fiber fractionation … Read more

Understanding the Structural Anatomy of the Equine Hoof

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The equine hoof represents one of the most sophisticated, high-performance biological structures in vertebrate anatomy. Functioning as a dynamic shock absorber, traction interface, and auxiliary hydraulic blood pump, this marvel of evolutionary biomechanics supports a 500-to-700-kilogram athletic body traveling at speeds exceeding 60 km/h, dissipating ground reaction forces that exceed 15,000 Newtons upon impact. Beneath … Read more

Understanding the True Meaning of Collection in Classical Horsemanship

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Collection (known in classical German equitation as Versammlung, and in the French academic tradition as le rassemblement) represents the highest artistic, physiological, and gymnastic culmination of classical horsemanship. Far from a cosmetic compression achieved by pulling the horse’s head toward its chest, true collection is an anatomical transformation originating entirely from the hindquarters. Through systematic … Read more

Understanding Natural Lighting and Photoperiod Management in Equine Facilities

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Lighting design and photoperiod management represent powerful, scientifically proven environmental tools governing equine reproductive endocrinology, metabolic vitality, hair coat shedding cycles, and circadian welfare. Horses are biologically classified as long-day seasonal breeders whose reproductive and physiological rhythms are exquisitely tuned to natural day length. The duration and spectral quality of light perceived by the equine … Read more

Understanding the Physical Characteristics of Warmblood Sport Horses

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Warmblood sport horses represent the absolute pinnacle of modern international equestrian athletic achievement. Dominating the Olympic disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and eventing, these horses are not a single, isolated closed biological breed, but rather a dynamic, highly sophisticated population of purpose-bred sport horses developed through open and semi-open studbook selection across continental Europe. Originating … Read more

Understanding the Role of Fat Supplementation as a Cool Energy Source

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Fat supplementation represents one of the most powerful, metabolically transformative advancements in modern equine sport nutrition and clinical veterinary medicine. Traditionally viewed as an unnatural energy source for an herbivore, decades of equine exercise physiology research have proven that horses possess an extraordinary capacity to digest, absorb, and metabolize dietary lipids up to 10% to … Read more

Understanding Laminitis and Its Causes

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Laminitis (clinically known in chronic stages as founder or pododermatitis diffusa aseptica) represents the most excruciating, time-critical medical and biomechanical emergency in equine veterinary practice. Functioning as a catastrophic failure of the dermo-epidermal laminar suspension mechanism that anchors the distal phalanx (coffin bone / P3) within the outer hoof wall, laminitis threatens to cause downward … Read more

Understanding the Straightness Concept and Natural Asymmetry

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Straightness (known in classical German equitation as Geraderichtung) represents the fifth foundational pillar of the Classical Training Scale and the indispensable biomechanical prerequisite for genuine collection and long-term orthopaedic soundness. Every horse is born with an inherent, biologically rooted natural asymmetry—known as die natürliche Schiefe (natural crookedness)—causing the animal to be naturally curved to one … Read more

Understanding Moisture Control and Bedding Material Dynamics in Stables

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Moisture management within the equine stall is the primary operational determinant of distal limb soundness, hoof capsule structural integrity, respiratory health, and stable microclimate hygiene. A standard 500 kg stabled horse excretes between 25 and 35 liters of combined liquid moisture daily in the form of urine, high-moisture fecal matter (averaging 70% to 80% water … Read more

Understanding the Lineage and Bloodlines of Arabian Horses

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The Arabian horse represents the foundational genetic masterpiece of the global equine species, renowned worldwide for its striking sculptural refinement, unmatched cardiovascular stamina, and profound historical lineage. Developed over millennia in the unforgiving, hyper-arid environments of the Arabian Peninsula through the meticulous breeding practices of nomadic Bedouin tribes, this ancient breed evolved a distinct suite … Read more