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

Leptospirosis in Central Kentucky

High incidences of leptospirosis-induced abortions in Central Kentucky horses 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 Masters thesis on the subject at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center in Lexington on Dec. 15.

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread

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Ban Passed on U.K. Hunting with Hounds

According to www.equine-world.co.uk, the U.K. House of Commons on Nov. 18 used the Parliament Act to force through the a bill to ban hunting with hounds. “Following disagreement between the Commons and the Lords, the Parliament Act was invoked for only the fourth (time) since 1949 to force a Bill through,” said the article. The Britis

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Ulcer Prevention Drug Approved By FDA

Horse owners will be able to prevent painful gastric ulcers in their horses with a new omeprazole product that has just been approved for equine use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product will be available through veterinarians without a prescription, and it has been shown to effectively prevent ulcers in horses when given for 28 days during the time of stressful

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West Nile Virus 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 vaccine ha

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Managing Subfertile Stallions

The decision to manage a subfertile stallion non-conventionally is based on the condition of farm economics or despair, or more appropriately, the last hope before retiring the stallion, said Irwin K.M. Liu, DVM, PhD, a professor in the”P>The decision to manage a subfertile stallion non-conventionally is based on the condition of farm economics or despair, or more appropriately, the last hope before ret”>The decision to manage a subfertile stallion non-conventionally is based on the condition of farm “The decision to manage a subfer

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Congenital Hypothyroidism Devastates Western Canada Breeders

Veterinarians in western Canada report that 2004 has been a disappointing year for many breeders because of an increase in cases of fatal congenital hypothyroidism in foals. Newborns with the disease can exhibit clinical signs such as contracted

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Hurricanes Smash the Southeast–Horses Relatively Unaffected

Hurrricane preparation, toleration, and clean-up–take four. Horse owners and veterinarians in Florida weathered Category 3 Hurricane Jeanne beginning late on Sept. 25, their fourth natural disaster in six weeks. Veterinarians and animal rescue

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Eastern Tent Caterpillars Cause Early Fetal Loss, Too

The case against Eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) causing mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) is getting stronger, say researchers. Gavage (tubing into the stomach) of caterpillar larvae has been shown to cause late-term abortions that are

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Quarantine Lifted at Kentucky Harness Track

Standardbred racehorse owners got a scare last week when officials quarantined three barns of horses at the Red Mile, a harness track in Lexington, Ky, because of serologic test results that suggested a horse might have had equine infectious

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Plaintiff Would Cooperate in Saddlebred’s Exhumation

The owner of the ranch near Versailles, Ky., where an American Saddlebred was buried after brutal attacks led to his eventual euthanasia, has expressed in court documents that she would cooperate with requests that the horse’s body be exhumed if

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Olympic Veterinary Care

A summary of veterinary experiences at the Athens Olympic Games will appear in our November issue, but here are some tidbits, including insights from Jack Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor in the University of California, Davis’ Department

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Affidavits Supporting Saddlebred’s Exhumation Submitted

The owners of Wild Eyed and Wicked, one of the American Saddlebreds attacked and subsequently euthanatized after his condition debilitated in the summer of 2003, have asked again that the horse’s body be exhumed from its burial site on Double D

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Hurricane Jeanne Smashes Florida—Horses Relatively Unaffected

Hurricane preparation, toleration, and clean-up–take four. Horse owners and veterinarians in Florida weathered Category 3 Hurricane Jeanne beginning late Saturday, their fourth natural disaster in six weeks. Veterinarians and animal rescue officials that are weary from the back-to-back hurricane visits (Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) report that there have been few equine

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