Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding. Her heart horse, It Happened Again (“Happy,” pictured), a former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, was her longtime partner in the saddle and remains a lasting inspiration. Stephanie is based in Lexington, Kentucky.

Articles by: Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director

Saddlebred Exhumation Under Way

The much anticipated court-ordered exhumation of the body of champion Saddlebred Wild Eyed and Wicked began this morning under gray skies and amidst chilling temperatures at Double D Ranch near Versailles, Ky. Wicked was one of five top American Saddlebreds that were injected with an unknown necrotizing (tissue-killing) substance the weekend of June 28-29, 2003. Wicked and one of the other

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Additional Treatment Receives Conditional License

In the treatment of horses suffering from West Nile virus (WNV), vets have only a few choices besides supportive care. A novel WNV serum antibody product received conditional approval from the USDA in November 2004. Colorado Serum Company (CSC) announced the product’s availability on Dec. 13, 2004.

Serum antibody products help animals that have been exposed to a disease by increasing the

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Leptospirosis in Central Kentucky

High incidences of leptospirosis-induced abortions in Central Kentucky mares could be caused by a tandem effect of temperature and precipitation in certain years, said Capt. David Hall of the U.S. Air Force, who defended his master’s thesis at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center in Lexington on Dec. 15.

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses

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Saddlebred Exhumation Set for Feb. 2

The exhumation of the body of champion Saddlebred Wild Eyed and Wicked from its resting place on Double D Ranch in Woodford County, Kentucky, is set to commence on Feb. 2.

Wicked was one of five horses injected with a necrotizing (tissue-killing) substance in their left forelegs in late June of 2003. He and two other horses were euthanatized when the brutal attacks left them too lame

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Stretching Semen in the Aged Stallion (AAEP 2004)

As breeding stallions age, their reproductive abilities can wane, leaving their breeding managers with a problem–too many mares to breed, and not enough sperm. J. Scott Weems, DVM, of Weems & Stephens Equine Hospital in Aubrey, Texas, has successfully incorporated low-dose hysteroscopic insemination (LDHI)–direct placement of sperm at the site of the oviductal papilla (an ideal site for

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Shock Wave to Treat Navicular (AAEP 2004)

Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Iowa State University, recently evaluated extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in treating 32 horses with navicular syndrome diagnoses.

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New Mexico VS Embargo Lifted

New Mexico has been removed from the Kentucky list of vesicular stomatitis (VS)-embargoed states. Robert Stout, DVM, Kentucky state veterinarian, wrote the following in a letter to New Mexico’s state veterinarian posted on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) web site: “Our removal of New Mexico from the list of embargoed states is based on information received from your office and

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Tsunami’s Effects on Horses Unclear; Work Animals Likely Affected

No one has ventured to guess the extent of devastation to horses in tsunami-ravaged areas in Asia. The initial disaster and the resulting shortages of food and clean water could affect many work animals in regions of southern India areas and in areas where horses are integral to daily life. Internationally, animal welfare groups are analyzing the immediate needs and have been sending supplies

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Judge Orders Exhumation of Champion Saddlebred

The Associated Press reported this morning that a federal judge in Lexington, Ky., ordered that the body of American Saddlebred champion Wild Eyed and Wicked be exhumed for additional forensic testing.

Wicked was one of five top Saddlebreds that were injected with an unknown, necrotizing (tissue-killing) substance the weekend of June 28-29, 2003, at Double D Ranch in Versailles, Ky. I

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Rabies Detected in an Illinois Horse

Illinois agriculture and health officials announced last week that a LaSalle County horse tested positive for rabies at the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) laboratory in Galesburg on Dec. 10, 2004. Eleven people received preventive rabies treatment following exposure to the horse on the small family farm at which it was stabled.

According to state public health veterinarian

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Shock Wave Therapy in the Western Sport Horse

The average equine extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) patient has been examined multiple veterinarians before arriving for ESWT treatment, said Alan Donnell, DVM, of Pilot Point, Texas at the third annual Shock Wave Therapy Symposium, held this year on Dec. 3 in Denver, Colo. Donnell treats Quarter Horses and Arabians and travels to 33 major performance shows throughout the

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Additional WNV Treatment Receives Conditional License

In the treatment of horses suffering from the West Nile virus (WNV), vets have only a few choices besides supportive care. A novel WNV serum antibody product received conditional approval from the USDA in November 2004. Colorado Serum Company announced the product’s availability on Dec. 13, 2004.

Serum antibody products help animals that have been exposed to a disease by increasing th

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DNA Vaccine Awaits Approval

A new vaccine to protect horses against West Nile Virus (WNV) has been developed and submitted for USDA review. If approved, it would be the first commercially available DNA vaccine for any mammalian or animal species.

Steve Chu, DVM, PhD, senior vice president, Global Research and Development, Fort Dodge Animal Health, explained the conceptual DNA vaccine to The Horse. The vaccin

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A New Orleans Vet’s Perspective

“It’s just so amazing to me that in one day, it can all be lost and suddenly you live in a dangerous place,” said Allison Barca, DVM, who has served many of the horses in and around New Orleans for years. Most of Barca’s clients were affected by

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Shock Wave One Year Later

Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Iowa State University, has been at the helm of much of the shock wave therapy research performed in horses over the past five years. At HMT’s

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