Les Sellnow

Les Sellnow was a prolific freelance writer based near Riverton, Wyoming. He specialized in articles on equine research, and operated a ranch where he raised horses and livestock. He authored several fiction and nonfiction books, including Understanding Equine Lameness and Understanding The Young Horse. He died in 2023.

Articles by: Les Sellnow

Mules and Donkeys

In addition to long ears, she said, donkeys have a short, upright mane and have finer, lighter hair around the eyes and muzzle when compared to horses. Donkeys have no forelock and have a switch for a tail. Mules normally will have a full tail, but might not have a forelock.

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AAEP 2002: Reproduction

The reproduction session at the annual AAEP meeting in Orlando, Fla., was something of an A to Z seminar with an international flavor. It started with speakers from North America presenting discussions on endometrial echotexture (ultrasound results) and using computer analysis to determine when a mare will ovulate, or has ovulated, and along the way included a French researcher describing how

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AAEP 2002: Surgery

The surgery session at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) convention covered a variety of subjects that ranged from using a laser to cauterize displaced soft palates to administering butorphanol for 24 hours to ameliorate pain in the wake of colic surgery.

The leadoff presenter was Patricia Hogan, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, from New Jersey Equine Clinic. Intermittent dorsal

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Repro in the Rockies

The center of the Colorado State University (CSU) veterinary school’s equine reproductive universe is its 22,000-square-foot Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory and a smaller satellite, the Equine Reproduction Laboratory. In these facilities, faculty members, graduate students, post-doctorate fellows, and visiting scientists from around the world work on a daily basis to unveil

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Horseman’s Day at the 2002 AAEP Convention

Horseman?s Day, held for the third time as part of the annual AAEP convention, was another rousing success. There weren?t as many people in attendance as there were in San Diego last year, but they were just as enthusiastic. AAEP officials said

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Joint Disease Research

Scientific researchers have learned that the injuries suffered by human and equine athletes, especially as they relate to joints, often are very similar. Now, they are using that knowledge in their attempts to find ways to prevent injuries to both.

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Healing Hoof Cracks

Hoof cracks are a common occurrence in the feet of many domesticated horses, and they can range in severity from a minor blemish to a cause of serious lameness. Causative factors can vary widely, ranging from injury to imbalance of the foot.

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AAEP Preview: Horseman’s Day

The third Horseman’s Day will be held as part of the AAEP’s annual veterinary convention in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 8. It’s hard for attendees to pass up the chance to have not only excellent lectures, but one-on-one time with some of the country’s

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Effects of Airport Radiation on Shipped Semen

As airports across the country and around the world continue to tighten security, there is a growing concern among some researchers that increased irradiation levels for screening luggage and shipped parcels have the potential for damaging

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Purina Veterinary Conference 2002

Only 20 miles from downtown St. Louis, Mo., is a 1,200-acre research farm owned by the nutrition company Purina Mills. On Oct. 3-5, 140-plus veterinarians and another 50 Purina Mills representatives gathered to tour that research facility and

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Alberta Drought

A severe drought in northern Alberta is taking its toll on the horse population of that Canadian province. Canadian newspaper reports have indicated that many Alberta horses have been sent to slaughter (because the drought has made feeding

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Drought Takes Toll on Horses

Drought, in varying degrees of severity, still grips nearly 50% of the United States. Also afflicted are parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada (see “Alberta Drought” below). The two areas of the United States most seriously affected by the drought are the East Coast from Maine to Georgia and an area of the West that stretches from Montana to Texas.

The drought has had a broad

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Horse Auctions: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

For some, a horse auction is an excellent place for buyer and seller to meet and arrive at fair market value for an animal. To others, a horse auction is the place where good money was spent on a horse which couldn’t, or didn’t, perform up to expectations.

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Locked Into Place

Much has been learned about exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying-up) in recent years, but unfortunately some of that knowledge has been troubling. For example, at least one newly recognized cause of tying-up in foals has, in identified cases, always

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It’s In the Attitude

Man has been linked to the horse for centuries, but often in the past, it was more of an adversary relationship than a partnership. In recent years, that has changed for many horse owners. Thanks to the efforts of equine behaviorists at the

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