Stephanie Ruff

Stephanie Ruff has spent her entire career in various facets of the equine industry. She was a freelance writer for many years, was the owner/editor of Arabian Finish Line, managing editor of Arabian Horse Life and content manager of Practical Horseman and Dressage Today before moving to The Horse. She has ridden many different disciplines, but for the last 20 years has focused on dressage. Stephanie has both a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky and has always had a keen interest in equine health, science, and research. A native of Pennsylvania, Stephanie enjoys hanging out with her Arabian and Half-Arabian mares, two German Shorthair Pointers, traveling and embracing the Florida lifestyle where she currently lives.

Articles by: Stephanie Ruff

Free Equine Rescue Seminar

What would you do if your horse got stuck in the mud around the pond or at a river crossing? What if he were trapped in an overturned trailer? Those are just two of the scenarios that will be addressed in free equine rescue seminars sponsored by Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 23 and 26.

Read More

First Cloned Horse Born

The world’s first cloned horse, created by Italian scientists from a single skin cell taken from a mare, has been born, according to a Washington Post article.

The birth of the healthy foal, announced in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature, brings to nine the number of mammalian species that scientists have cloned from adult cells, along with sheep, mice, rabbits,

Read More

Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis Confirmed in Two Maryland Horses

The first positive cases of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) this year in Maryland have been confirmed in two Lower Eastern Shore horses. Tissues from two horses, both from the Pocomoke City area in Worcester County, were submitted to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) on July 21 and July 23 and were confirmed positive and reported on July 28,

Read More

Blister Beetles Kill Horses

Three horses recently died of blister beetle poisoning in Clay County, Fla., and two have returned after treatment at the University of Florida following ingestion of alfalfa hay contaminated with blister beetles. The hay was delivered from a supplier in Oklahoma.

Blister beetles, any of six species of the genus Epicauta, can inhabit alfalfa and clover fields from the central

Read More

Not-So-Happy Trails

More and more horse owners across America are turning to trail riding as their recreational equine-based activity of choice. Breed registries such as the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, and Appaloosa Horse Club are recognizing this phenomenon and are encouraging it with special awards for miles ridden.

As more horses take to the trails in all parts o

Read More

Wounds in Horses

Despite owners providing excellent facilities, wounds are common in all types of horses. An owner should have an excellent working relationship with his/her veterinarian to provide optimal care.

While waiting for your veterinarian, there are a number of things a horse owner should not do. Placing fingers in the wound can contaminate it, as can hair from clipping around the wound. Do not

Read More

Avoid Radiation Exposure

In my opinion, the cover photo on the May 2003 issue of The Horse captures a scene that occurs far too often in the equine ambulatory setting. Clients and horse handlers often assist in obtaining radiographs of their horses. Sometimes these people are directed to stand in or around the direct beam of the X ray machine, and all too often without any radiation protection whatsoever. Like

Read More

Reaction to WNV Vaccination?

My miniature horse injured her shoulder last February (it has healed). However, after her first West Nile virus vaccination over a year later, she became lame in that leg/shoulder again. Is this a possible side effect to the vaccination?

Read More

Deciphering Nutraceutical Labels

Did you ever go to the tack store and try to figure out the exact amounts per serving of each ingredient contained in some of the nutraceutical products? It can be an important issue if your horse’s joint supplement, vitamin supplement, and food product contain duplicate vitamins and minerals, some of which can be harmful if given in excess doses. But when ingredients are labeled as X parts

Read More

Older Mares: She Ain’t What She Used to Be

Producing a foal year in and year out takes its toll on the overall health of a mare, and the wear and tear on the reproductive system often makes it more and more difficult for her to conceive and carry a foal to term. The advances of science have given the breeder more tools with which to combat the aging process, but eventually time will win out and the mare will become barren.

Read More

Anatomy of a Trim

Why do we ask farriers to take knives and nippers (and sometimes a whole lot more) to our horses’ feet every six weeks? For many of us, it has always been just one of those things you knew you had to do if you had horses.

Read More

The Art of R&R

It has taken months of preparation for this moment. You’ve done the roadwork, marched your horse up and down hills, put in miles on the training track, added the speed and agility sessions, plugged in that heart rate monitor, and assessed your horse’s growing fitness by the numbers and by feel. And the hard work and dedication you’ve put into it have paid off–your horse just successfully

Read More

Supplements: Is It Worth the Money?

There are valuable compounds, nutraceuticals, and supplements out there that are proven, produced by reputable manufacturers, and supported by science and/or make valid claims. Are you a careful enough consumer to make sure you are buying those products and are not being tempted by low prices or outlandish claims?

Read More

West Nile Virus Vaccine: Adverse Reproductive Effects?

Top veterinarians and the USDA dispute allegations made in a May 30 article in The Denver Post that the West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine might have caused widespread abortions and deformed foals. Mare owners calling themselves the “Lost Foals Group” claimed the vaccine caused up to 1,200 abortions and nearly 300 deformed or dummy foals.

A news release from the USDA stated: “Some

Read More

More From The Horse

horse nose
horse in stable
Insektenplage. Schönes Pferd frei zwischen gelben Blumen auf einer Wiese wird von Insekten attackiert
Beautiful horses, animals, pasture, stables, horseback riding

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How do you plan to keep your horse safe during fireworks and Fourth of July festivities? Please select all that apply.
125 votes · 156 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

The Horse
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.