Saddle Up SAFELY, a program began by University of Kentucky HealthCare and UK College of Agriculture Equine Initiative and now including more than 30 medical and equine-related organizations, is giving away prizes in exchange for horse riding safety tips. Such prizes include four tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in September as well as many other horse-related items, and every per

Two-time Olympian Marco Kutscher might not have known his horse Cornet Obolensky received injections of a prohibited substance during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but the German equestrian was still named the “primary person responsible” and, thus, negligent, according to the decision of the Tribunal of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).

Nutritionists normally recommend horses consume some “long-stem” forage each day. Long-stem forage is best defined as hay or pasture. This recommendation respects the natural desire of horses to graze, as horses are hardwired to spend more than half of their day eating. Forage products that include extremely short pieces of fiber such as cubes, pellets, or chaff are often fed in li

The third Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit ended June 29 in Lexington with a commitment to create a national rider injury database, something that Keeneland president and CEO Nick Nicholson said was his No. 1 priority going into the meeting. “I think we need it, and I was going to be very disappointed if we didn’t get (an agreement to pursue) it,” said Nich

Awareness of what your horse is eating can help you determine if his dietary needs are being met and, if not, what can be added to meet those needs. With respect to the nutritional needs of a horse, it is important to know the meaning of the chemical analysis on the feed and supplement labels and the chemical analysis results.

Infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (commonly known as pigeon fever or dryland distemper) assumes three forms: external abscesses, internal infection, and ulcerative lymphangitis (limb infection). This article covers the history of this disease as well as therapy and prevention methods.

Hurricane Alex poses no immediate threat to the safety of horses residing Gulf Coast communities, according to owners in the region.

The first storm of the 2010 season, Hurricane Alex began pelting Brownsville, South Padre Island, and Los Fresnos, Texas with heavy rains and strong winds on Wednesday, June 30. The Category 1 storm is expected to continue produce similar severe weat

Florida horse owners are being urged by Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson to get their animals vaccinated following an upsurge in the number of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) cases.

According to the USDA, in 2009 Florida led

According to a recent report, one out of every 10 work-eligible Kentuckians is unemployed. In response to the significant increase in jobless horse owners, the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) has modified eligibility requirements for their Equine Safety Net program. Started in April 2007, Equine Safety Net provides feed for horses owned by individuals who have recently lost a job or

Two novel discoveries about how different types of tendons age and “refresh” themselves made by researchers from University College London in the United Kingdom help explain why aging horses are atrisk for tendon injury. Tendons play key roles in locomotion as they are the link between muscles and bones. Ten

A study performed by Equibase at the request of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) indicates the percentage of “career-ending did-not-finish” (CEDNF) incidents was about twice as high on dirt than synthetic surfaces in 2009. The study is based on a review of official racing charts. The “CEDNF” statistics, as they are called, are for horses

A new, potentially fatal syndrome in horses called equine fescue edema has been reported by Australian scientists in the Australian Veterinary Journal. The researchers noted that all affected horses in the study were grazing pastures sown with Mediterranean (winter active) varieties of tall fescue containing endophytes, and have suggested that a combination of fescue variety and endophyte strain