The Rutgers Equine Science Center recently received a $100,000 donation from its director, Karyn Malinowski, PhD. Malinowski made the donation in support of new initiatives, programs, and better horse care through research and education as the Center celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011.

A statewide gelding clinic program will be conducted at various locations throughout California in 2011. This program is intended to help economically challenged horse owners castrate their colts and stallions at a minimum cost and to decrease equine breeding at a time when there is a surplusof horses in the United States.

Starting Jan. 7, veterinarians and the general public are invited to offer their input on three important initiatives that will help shape veterinary medicine and veterinary education. Comments are being sought on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Model Veterinary Practice Act, the AVMA’s strategic plan goals for 2012-14, and the North American Veterinary Medical Education

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., welcomes Laura Werner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, to its surgery department. Werner specializes in lameness and equine emergency services and she is returning to Hagyard after having previously spent a year there as a surgical intern during her advanced training.

Breeders with mares in late gestation need to remember that the mothers-to-be have different nutritional needs than open (nonpregnant) mares. In the last 90 days of pregnancy, fetal growth increases the mare’s energy requirements. Since grain mixes typically have more digestible energy per pound than pastures or grass hay

Polish Navy, the Ogden Phipps homebred and champion Thoroughbred racehorse, was humanely euthanized Jan. 6 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky. He was suffering from complications from a hip injury.

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) will once again offer Kentucky students the opportunity to learn about careers in the equine and related industries at the “Your Future in Agriculture & Horses” event. The bulk of the event provides an opportunity for students to meet with representatives from programs participating in the Agricultural Trade Show, which is part of the KHC Annual Conference schedule

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) Annual Conference will be held Jan. 14 at the Lexington Convention Center in conjunction with the Ag Industry Trade Show, Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention, and Burley Tobacco Coop Conference. The conference officially begins at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 14, with an Ag Industry pancake breakfast featuring an address from Governor Steve Beshear on the state of Kentucky

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) Media Roundup newsletter has been educating its readers through articles and events relating to unwanted horses since November 2009.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has released its second annual “Humane State Ranking,” a comprehensive report rating all 50 states on a wide range of animal protection laws dealing with horses, pets, animal cruelty and fighting, farm animals, wildlife, and animals in research.

The Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) has made strategic moves to strengthen the organization and its leadership team through the addition of two individuals to the board of directors, Ken Haddad of Florida and Susan Harding of Maryland, and one addition to the advisory council, Kentucky’s first lady Jane K. Beshear.

With many horse owners still struggling to make ends meet in the current economic downturn, the horse industry continues to look for a ways to help with the ongoing unwanted horse problem. With the support of the Unwanted Horse Coalition’s Operation Gelding, the Tacoma Equine Hospital in Tacoma, Wash., is providing a low-cost castration clinic to struggling horse owners in the Puget Sound area.

As of Jan. 1, 2011, clenbuterol (Ventipulmin) will no longer be a permitted medication in Equine Canada sanctioned competitions. As a result, horses competing in Equine Canada sanctioned competitions with a positive test result for clenbuterol will be sanctioned as per the Equine Canada penalty tables and drug classification system as a Class III offence. A withdrawal time of at least 72 hours is

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is proud to announce that two 2010-11 Congressional Fellows–Terry Ryan Kane, DVM, MS, and Kathryn Simmons, DVM–have taken prestigious posts on Capitol Hill. Kane is working in the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Simmons took a position in the office of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).

The University of Maine’s (UM) equine program received a donation from the Maine Farriers Association on Dec. 10.