Special week on Cat is coming

Lusitano Horse part 1/2

To begin my participation in this blog, I will start by summarizing the history of our Lusitano horse.
I have referred to this article as a synthesis because it is unthinkable to define in detail the Lusitano breed in a simple text or even in a book, because Lusitano is simply the oldest saddle horse in the world.

Photo Credited to Joana Cerqueira

PGoing back to the last glaciation, it appears that the low plains of the south-west Iberian Peninsula were spared, and here during this period there was a restricted area of survival for a small equine group that allowed a very early domestication.
The earliest records of the existence of horses in the Iberian Peninsula date back about 780,000 years, estimated from a skull discovered in archaeological excavations in the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain. Since then many bones and engravings have been found in various places scattered all over the peninsula.
The Lusitano horse is the direct descendant of this Iberian horse that due to the isolation of this region of Europe, has survived and evolved here for about fifteen thousand years, almost completely free of crossbreeding with other breeds until very recently.
Today we have a bigger and better horse, with more weight, higher and with greater strength. All this was achieved thanks to the intelligent action of the breeders and based on a very strong genetics that fifteen thousand years of selection did not allow to destroy by two hundred years of genetic disturbance. On the contrary, our horse has taken advantage of these influences and we have now reached the production of horses of bigger size and of quality of movements, able to stand with all the specialized races, in almost all the modalities of the modern equestrian sports.

The Lusitano as a recognized and closed breed, where crosses with other breeds are not accepted, had its beginning marked with the implementation of the Genealogical Book of the Horse of the Lusitano Breed on the 25th of June of 1977, by the Portuguese Association of Breeders of the Pure Blood Lusitano Horse.

The purpose of the Book is to ensure the preservation and improvement of the Lusitanian breed by evaluating its breeders, thus contributing to the zootechnical improvement of the breed and the definition of its selection program.


And this is the brief history of our Lusitano horse. Every week I will launch an article, for next week I will continue talking about the Lusitano Breed, stay tuned and will soon have news.

Pedro Miranda

What Are Fleas?

Adult fleas are reddish-brown insects with bodies that are compressed, or flattened, from side to side. While visible to the naked eye, they are so small you could line up about eight adult fleas, end-to-end, in one inch. Because fleas are so small, they can be difficult to detect, much less eliminate from your home.
Fleas are wingless, but possess incredible jumping ability. This enables them to jump easily from ground level to “ambush” a pet.Fleas feed on blood, and female fleas consume about 15 times their body weight each day1. Incompletely digested blood is excreted from the flea and dries to form what is commonly referred to as “flea dirt.” This serves as food for developing flea larvae and is one way veterinarians and pet owners can identify an infestation.

Why worry about fleas?

Fleas can pose a serious problem for your dog’s health.
Not only can fleas make your dog miserable, but depending on his age and overall physical condition,

- Fleas can pose a serious threat to his health.Fleas can cause severe discomfort for dogs, including scratching, chewing, biting and restlessness.

- Fleas are the source of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), the most common veterinary dermatological condition.

- Severe flea infestations can cause anemia, especially in puppies or debilitated adult dogs.

- Ingested fleas also can transmit tapeworm infection to dogs.

Your dog isn't the only household resident that can suffer from flea bites. Flea infestations in homes and areas around a home often result in humans being bitten by newly-emerging fleas. You, too, are at risk for health issues, some of which can be serious.

Allergic reaction: Usually in the form of small, raised lesions, called papules, that can be red to purple in color. Severity will vary, depending on the severity of the allergy to the flea bite.

Tapeworm: Tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) is generally spread through infected fleas found on both cats and dogs. Ingestion of infected fleas by children can result in tapeworm infection.

Typhus: A group of infectious diseases usually resulting in a sustained high fever (typhus fever), headache, delirium and sometimes red rashes. Two kinds are most commonly contracted from flea bites:

Flea Typhus. A type of typhus caused by Rickettsia felis, a bacteria first identified in cat fleas.
Murine typhus. Another bacterial form of typhus transmitted most commonly by rodent fleas but also by fleas found on dogs.

Plague: Rodent fleas that can be acquired by dogs and cats in some areas might be vectors for (carriers of) bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis. These fleas might leave the host to bite humans.


Dr. Phil Orwell (Animalix Writer)