Purina Mills nutritionist Randal Raub, PhD, began his lecture at the 2003 Purina Farriers’ Conference with a little-known statistic–horse owners are most likely to discuss their horses’ nutrition with their veterinarians, followed by their farriers. Moreover, farriers notice weight gain or loss in the horses they shoe, since they see them regularly. Weight loss, gain, or feeding changes migh

The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council is moving forward on research to develop tests for presence of the drugs inolin, a bronchodilator which could also enhance performance, and dizocilpine, a potential stimulant. The council is also working toward establishing a new way to do business with the University of Kentucky to accomplish such research.

The drug council, a sub-committee o

Illinois horse owners polled in a statewide referendum on Oct. 7 approved an innovative new program that establishes an elective tax on horse feed products that will benefit equine research and education in the state.

Sponsored by the Horseman’s Council of Illinois (HCI), the referendum that would set the five-cent optional tax passed by a small margin. Proceeds from the taxatio

In November, the Missouri-based Animal Health Foundation (AHF) will celebrate 20 years of fundraising efforts to help support laminitis research. Established in 1984 by Donald Walsh, DVM, and his wife, Diana, AHF raises funds that go directly to research programs. AHF has no employees, no office, and very few administrative costs, but it does have hundreds of dedicated volunteers who build

Hair remnants, resembling Eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) setae (hair-like projections on the outside of the caterpillar), were found embedded in the submucosa of the digestive tract of one mare fed ETC larvae. Examination of this mare represents the initial step of a controlled experiment with the purpose of investigating the role of the ETC exoskeleton (cuticle) in MRLS (see also

Rain, cooler temperatures, and tenacious firefighters are finally extinguishing many of the fires that have burned in British Columbia, Canada, for the last six weeks. Owners of one Thoroughbred farm are rebuilding after flames took two barns, while two others are rejoicing after a close call.

Lightning ignited the first major fire near Kamloops on July 30. By Aug. 1, the flames

“Tornadoes Rip Through the Midwest,” “West Nile Races Across the U.S.,” “Ice Storm Paralyzes Central Kentucky,” “Drought, Wildfires Scorch Western States,” “Chemical Spill Forces Evacuation.”

News headlines trumpeting natural and man-made disasters have filled the front pages of newspapers at an exceptional rate in 2003, and disaster planning has become this decade’s Y2K phrase.

Adapting to the environment, informed by genetic codes, and endeavoring to meet human demands, the horse’s hoof is like an individual fingerprint on the human hand. Decoding the process the horse uses to arrive at his ideal hoof form filled three days of lectures, discussions, and demonstrations at the May 2-4 Natural Hoofcare Conference at Tufts University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Elliott detailed evidence of a reduction in hind gut (cecal) pH following carbohydrate overload, generally believed to be the leading factor in the onset of laminitis in otherwise healthy horses. Carbohydrate overload has also been associated with an increase in amine (an organic compound containing nitrogen) production in the gut.

As a horse owner, you are regularly bombarded with advertisements for various products that will supposedly cure your horse’s arthritis. On the other hand, you might have noticed that your veterinarian uses pharmaceutical products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and you only have access to them through a veterinarian’s administration or prescription. It is

There was some apprehension in Central Kentucky as to whether the elimination of cherry trees and spraying for caterpillars would be enough to decrease the numbers of mare reproductive loss (MRLS) abortions that occurred in 2001, and to a lesser degree in 2002. The removal of the cherry trees to eliminate the most suitable habitat for the Eastern tent caterpillar (ETC) moth to lay her eggs,

On March 5, 2003, leading researchers from the United Kingdom gathered at Ascot Racecourse to present practical aspects of their research findings to the British Thoroughbred industry. Arranged by the Veterinary Advisory Committee of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and sponsored by Ascot Racecourse, Transforming Racehorse Health in the 21st Century was the most recent in a series of

Laminitis specialist Robert Eustace, BVSc, Cert EO, Cert. EP, MRCVS, director of The Laminitis Clinic in Wiltshire, England, wants horse obesity to be declared a welfare concern. In a campaign launched at the annual meeting of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) at the end of 2002, Eustace directed sharp words at the horse show judging system, which rewards round,

As the breeding season winds down and spring becomes summer, the primary focus on breeding farms is preparation of yearlings for the sales. The stakes are clearly high as vast sums of money are on the line–rightly or wrongly, the overall “presentation” of a yearling at the sales has a strong bearing on price, regardless of breeding. Plain and simple, poorly “fitted” yearlings won’t cut the

Of particular interest to horse owners was Johnson’s black-and-white linkage of the newly termed “Equine Metabolic Syndrome” (EMS) condition with laminitis and obesity. “Obesity-associated insulin refractory state” was Johnson’s precise description of EMS in these non-Cushing’s horses, many of which also suffer from recurrent laminitis.

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom has advanced hoof balance from a farrier’s art form to a measurement of pressure inside the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint (coffin joint). Some day, a horse’s ideal balance might be determined by a pressure reading of this type.

Excess intra-articular pressure and/or joint fluid volume of the DIP joint is a