My job lets me travel all over the world. For example, we not only do dissections in the Netherlands, but we are also get to go to other countries and sometimes even other continents. For example, my team and I went to South Africa a few years ago. This was not only special because of the place, but we also had a special horse, Mister B. 

Mister B. was an incredibly beautiful Friesian gelding of about 20 years old. Well, you don’t see many Frisians in South Africa, but Mister B. was extra special because he was famous! He was a horse who worked in the film industry where he was mainly used for rearing stunts. Although this might not be an Olympic sport, it takes a lot of strength in the horse and we were very curious about Mister B’s secrets. 

Over the years I have seen many different horses. From unbacked, to happy hackers to sport horses at the top level. Comparing Mister B.’s body to the horses I’ve had on the table so far, there was not much that stood out. What was striking, however, was that Mister B. did have muscle damage in a different shape or pattern than we would normally see. Horses used in the film industry therefore do not necessarily have more damage than private horses. 

Hopefully this case has inspired you and given you new insights so that Mister B’s story will not be forgotten. The more horses we can study and compare, the more we can learn! Would you like access to Mister B’s full story? You can find it in the online Equinestudies course ‘The Horse Inside Out’; click HERE to go to the web shop.