To Michele Oren, each horse at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Exceller Farm is special. You don’t devote your life to saving Thoroughbreds and finding them homes without having a special affection for horses. But she’s not afraid to admit that two of the 32 horses at the Poughquag, N.Y., farm where she is the manager are a little more special than most. That’s the way it is when you
One of our mares rubs her butt on everything, all the time. It messes up the top of her tail, and she always has these big scratch marks across her butt.
We can’t seem to get her to stop it. We have dewormed her regularly and tried all sorts of different wormers. It seems like more of a nervous habit. Could she be rubbing herself like a stallion masturbating? Is that normal?
I hope you are not offended by this question, and that you will find time to answer it if you know anything about it or maybe could refer me to someone else who might have heard of this fairly unusual advice. My boyfriend was afraid to write to you about it, so I will.
Recently my boyfriend met an old-time horseman who found out we had a 2-year-old stud colt. This guy was
AI is a relatively easy, safe, and convenient method of covering mares with stallions from all over the world. As with all techniques, it takes skill to make sure all the proper steps are taken to provide the best chance for pregnancy.
With so many horse owners hauling their horses all over the country to equestrian sporting events and to fabulous places to trail ride, horse trailers have taken on a new purpose. Rather than just a box to transport horses, horse owners now look at the comfort and safety of the trailers for their equine partners and for the convenience of the trailers’ features. Like trucks and cars, almost
For many years there has been a saying among horse owners concerning what to feed equines. It goes something likes this: “Dr. Green is an excellent veterinarian.” What is meant by that statement is that green grass prevents a lot of equine health problems.
For example, horses on good pasture rarely colic, and unless the pasture is located in an extremely dry climate, there is little
One of your main objectives whether you own or work with broodmares should be to produce the maximum number of live, healthy foals from the mares bred during the previous season. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to achieving this aim is the “problem” mare.
A swelling on the limb that might or might not be accompanied by lameness could be the first sign of bursitis or synovitis. These are similar, moderately common inflammatory conditions of the structures that produce synovial (joint) fluid.
“When synovial structures become inflamed, distension (swelling) and pain can follow,” says Joanne Kramer, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, clinical assistant
“Our hypotheses were that horses with suspensory ligament desmitis, treated with bone marrow components from their own body, would hopefully return to soundness more rapidly than horses with conventional treatments, and have a lower rate of recurrence, which is a common problem in suspensory desmitis cases,” says Herthel.
Put aside for the moment your belief that the PMU (pregnant mare urine) industry is right or wrong. The issue at hand is Wyeth pharmaceutical company’s reduction in the number of ranchers under contract to collect pregnant mare urine as the main ingredient for hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women. Wyeth has cut ranchers from 409 to 264. This will put 10,000-18,000 horses on
The fertilization of an egg and subsequent growth of one tiny cell into the perfect foal is a very complex process. Understanding the various stages of development can help you understand how pregnancies can be challenged and what’s going on in the event of a problem.
Pregnancy in the mare can be divided into four main events–fertilization, early embryo development, placentation
Because of a reduction in the number of prescriptions being written for hormone replacement therapy in women, and because of recent federal approval of a lower-dose hormone replacement medication, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals met with ranchers who supply the raw product (pregnant mare urine, or PMU) on Oct. 10 and announced that the number of ranches under contract for 2004 would be reduced from 409
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official has predicted that the West Coast will be hit hard with West Nile virus (WNV) next year, particularly California.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Lyle Peterson, MD, acting director of CDC’s division of vector-borne diseases, said in a speech Oct. 1 at the University of California’s Berkeley campus that the area of
A recent study completed by French and Brazilian veterinarians showed that administration of ivermectin/praziquantel paste, a common equine dewormer combination, is safe for pregnant mares and their foals. Dewormers of this type have not yet been labeled for safety in pregnant mares and their foals in the United States.
Patrick Mercier, DVM, of the medical department of Virbac
Cats Don’t Dance, one of two Saddlebreds which survived malicious attacks in late June, is sound and has been started back under saddle, according to his owner, Sally Jackson of Overland Park, Kan. The 6-year-old gelding and four other Saddlebreds at Double D Ranch in Versailles, Ky., were injected with a necrotizing substance in their left forelegs in late June. The unidentified substance
An online diary following the training of two mounted police horse prospects is underway, and since it’s a new undertaking for TheHorse.com, we hope you’ll share your comments and questions as we guide the educational process of these two weanlings.
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