We now have a fantastic and continually growing data set, as our study is entering its sixth year of whole-island data collection in summer 2013.
Principle investigators Phil McLoughlin and Jocelyn Poissant with their graduate students & collaborators are tracking the life histories, movements, and ecology of the Sable Island Horses. Each summer we have been naming and keeping track of the life histories and movements of every horse that lives on Sable Island, as well as a number of other parameters. We have high hopes for this long-term, 3
05/31/2026
Officially launching the Sable Island Horse Projects Instagram! We will to share some insights, experiences, and information on the long-term research project. Come connect with this unique, remote landscape and the fascinating population of horses who have roamed since the 1700s.
Stay tuned for more updates!
05/24/2026
Last year, Parks Canada shared this wonderful post with our research team in action! Many long hours were spent hiking the dunes looking for every band, collecting f***l samples, and processing everything back at Main Station. The team usually includes folks at every level, from undergraduate students, masters and PhD researchers, post-doctoral researchers, all the way to Phil and Jocelyn leading the charge as the Principle Investigators.
The team will be out again in July and August for the annual data collection and we are excited to see the new additions to the population.
05/08/2026
🐴 Hello Sable Island Horse Project enthusiasts!🐴
The McLoughlin Lab is looking to revive our page by sharing some fun photos and updates from the research team on a regular basis! This long-term research has been ongoing since 2007, marking 19 years of dedicated effort on the project.
We hope you'll join us as we continue to learn more about these unique equines and their life on Sable Island. Stay tuned!
Photo credit: Alex Grant
This three part documentary includes some footage from Sable Island in January and interviews with Dr. Philip McLoughlin, PI of the Sable Island Horse Project. Looks Amazing!
These shots are from the wonderful winter episode of "Wild Canadian Year" that was shot last January. We do agree that Sable Island is one of the most beautiful and unique places!
We are in the process of organizing our April 2018 trip out to the island. Last years April trip was very exciting and full of firsts for Parks staff and for our lab. We are all looking forward to this years trip and wonder what to expect! The island during April is certainly less colourful, but it is as charming as ever.
10/25/2017
Check out filming of Sable Island horses and grey seals from January, 2017, on CBC's Wild Canadian Year (Winter) episode:
Winter - Episodes - The Wild Canadian Year Lynx hunt snowshoe hares in the boreal forest and the ancient dance between wolves and caribou on Canada’s vast tundra reveal the harshest time of year when landscapes are transformed by the cruel and dramatic beauty of snow and ice.
Just back from the 2017 Sable Island Conference, hosted by the Friends of Sable Island Society. Very informative!
A great study on antimicrobial resistance in the Sable Island horse population!
A survey of the antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolated from Sable Island horses - Canadian Journal of Microbiology Copyright remains with the author(s) or their institution(s). Permission for reuse (free in most cases) can be obtained from
01/30/2017
Our project coordinator (Philip McLoughlin) recently accompanied a group of filmmakers to Sable Island to be interviewed for one of the two documentaries that will be released in 2017 and 2018. He came back with some amazing photos of both horses and seals. For those of you who are unaware the horses develop a thick winter coat, the younger the animal the thicker the coat. This makes our winter island horses look adorably fluffy and has made us very excited for the labs first ever winter/spring trip to the island in April! We are looking forward to sharing updates about our April trip with you.
Keep your eyes open for the two documentaries coming out that will feature film from Dr. Philip McLoughlin’s trip:
The Wild Canadian Year in late 2017: This documentary will only have footage of animals and music.
Equus 2018: This documentary is being made by a filmmaker called Niobe Thompson and will feature the horses and include footage about our project.