Author: Dr Jane Clothier

Dr Jane Clothier migrated from England to Australia in 2007, and began working as an equine musculoskeletal therapist on the north coast of New South Wales. She commenced a research degree at the University of New England, NSW, and gained a studentship in the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Group at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. She was awarded her PhD for her thesis in 2019. She continues to work in NSW, facilitating occasional workshops, working on horses, and writing articles for her renowned blog, The Horse's Back. These are read in many countries and have successfully placed a number of musculoskeletal issues on the equine professionals’ map. With this publication, she once again brings a complex topic to a wider audience through clear writing and supporting imagery, supported by this dedicated website with online resources, miraclefoal.com.

Is it Hard to Accept That Premature and Dysmature Foals May Have Lifelong Issues?

by Dr Jane ClothierOur Challenge 6 April 20266 April 2026No Comments

Many owners and breeders are themselves challenged when it comes to recognizing the challenges faced by premature and dysmature foals. That’s the challenge I’m facing in trying to promote these research findings. In order to welcome a solution, a listener first has to recognise that there’s a problem. And it’s nothing new: for the best …

Why Conducting Long-Term Premature Foal Research is such a HUGE Challenge

by Dr Jane ClothierResearch Angle 5 February 20266 April 2026No Comments

Long-term research into the effects of premature or dysmature birth in horses is made difficult by the lifestyle of the domestic horse. There are so many different factors and they can all just as easily be stress-inducing as life-enhancing. Compare the life of horses to those of a flock of sheep living in a paddock …