A racing surfaces testing laboratory designed to enhance surface safety for horses and riders is being launched with the financial support of a broad industry coalition, it was announced April 17 by the laboratory’s coordinators Mick Peterson, MS, PhD, and Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, FRCVS, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ECVS.

Based in Orono, Maine, the laboratory is expected to begin operation within the

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) will hold its inaugural Horses Helping Horses event starting April 19.

This will feature an eBay auction of halters to help fund the MMSC’s myriad programs for retraining ex-racehorses and for educating the general public about the athleticism of the Thoroughbred. The auction will open April 19 and run until

Days End Farm Horse Rescue of Woodbine, Md., is racing to secure votes in a national online shelter challenge sponsored by Petfinder. First prize in the nationwide challenge is $20,000, with a $1,000 prize for first place in the state of Maryland. Last year Days End placed 10th in the nation and was awarded $2,000.

The farm intends to use the prize money to pay for grain and hay to

Pfizer Animal Health’s equine wellness program PreventiCare now features a redesigned Web site and new online capabilities that allow horse owners and veterinarians to enroll, track, and manage horses in the program.

The new Web site, Equinepreventicare.com, permits horse owners to register and submit enrollment and

Kingston, a dressage horse ridden by U.S. equestrian Leslie Morse, was eliminated from the Rolex FEI World Cup Grand Prix today, after he became unsound at the beginning of his dressage test.

“I could tell in the first corner, he felt unbalanced and I knew he wasn’t right,” Morse said. “We respect the Ground Jury’s decision to ring the bell and we all agreed it was absolutely in the best

Earlier this spring, a group of third graders in Richmond, Ky., got a hands-on lesson in rescuing large animals.

On March 30, Tomas Gimenez, DrMedVet, and Rebecca Gimenez, PhD, gave a Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue presentation to Mrs. Green’s third grade class at Model School in Richmond, Ky

The Jockey Club has established a free service to help owners identify tattooed but unidentified Thoroughbreds in their possession.

For legible tattoos, an owner can use a free tattoo lookup feature available from The Jockey Club’s Web site and the Registry

The Olympic Council of Asia will host 200 horses from 20 countries and regions when the 16th Asian Games come to Guangzhou, China, in November 2010. As the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held in Hong Kong, this is will be the first time mainland China has hosted a major international equestrian event.

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Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue of Glenville, Pa., has made it to the Top 10 in a $1 million shelter makeover contest sponsored by Zootoo.com, a Web site for animal and pet lovers.

Richard Thompson, founder of Zootoo.com, announced the top 10 shelters selected from a list of 20 finalists at the April 7 Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo in Las Vegas.

Representatives from dozens of national and state-based equine protection, advocacy, and rescue organizations gathered April 9 and April 10 at Bally’s Las Vegas for the third annual Homes for Horses Coalition Conference to discuss the re-homing of at-risk horses in America and other equine welfare concerns.

The conference was held in conjunction with The Humane Society of the United

The Illinois Equine Industry Research and Promotion Board (EPB) has awarded more than $72,000 in grants, according to Karen Freese, chair.

Grants are funded by the Illinois equine checkoff program, which provides for the voluntary assessment of a nickel per 50-pound bag of horse feed sold at retail.

By law, EPB funds must go to support equine research, education and promotion in

Equestrian vaulters from around the world will descend upon the Bluegrass state in July in preparation for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The vaulters will perform dance and gymnastics on cantering horses in two events.

Athletes and horses from around the world will compete at the Kentucky Horse Park in the American Vaulting Association /United States Equestrian

At a press conference April 9 at Churchill Downs, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that the Louisville racetrack has been fully accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance following a comprehensive review of racing operations at the facility. Churchill Downs is the first track to be so designated by the Alliance.

The accreditation of Churchill Downs

The crowd-pleasing Westfalen mare Rocher, who might be known best for her flopping ears and hair-raising extended trot, will retire from international competition, according to Gypsy Woods Farm owners Charles (Chuck) and Joann Smith.

Topics in equine health that are timely and relevant to today’s horse owner will be featured this year as part of the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s “Ask the Vet” online discussion on aaep.org/horseowner. Each month an AAEP-member veterinarian will answer questions submitted by horse owners pertaining to