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

Critter Control

Appreciating wildlife is fine, and horse people generally are wildlife lovers. However, when nature’s creatures take up residence in your barns, sheds, or fields, they can bring disease and destruction. It’s imperative to the health of humans,

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Help is On the Way

Conscientious horse owners do everything possible to take care of their horses. They vaccinate appropriately, deworm on a regular basis, feed a balanced diet, and provide a proper environment for the well-being of their horses. But even the best

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How Does Your Horse Score?

Keeping a close eye on your horse’s body condition and weight is perhaps the best way to gauge the effectiveness of a feeding program. We all want our horses to be in tip-top shape, well-muscled, and neither too fat nor too thin. The problem?

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FDA Approves First EPM Treatment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug to treat equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses. Bayer Animal Health of Shawnee Mission, Kan., is the sponsor of the drug ponazuril, which will have the trade name

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EPM Treatment Research

More than 50 years ago, horses at The Jockey Club in San Paulo, Brazil, were suffering from a neurologic disease that caused muscle wasting. In 1964, that same disease was seen in North America. Robert MacKay, BVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of the

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West Nile Virus Update for 2001

Horses in Alabama, Virginia, and Louisiana have been battling West Nile virus (WNV) for the first time since it hit the Western Hemisphere in 1999. In the meantime, veterinarians, public health officials, and horse owners are anticipating the

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EEE Outbreak in Wisconsin

As many as 30 horses in northwestern Wisconsin recently died from what officials believe is Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE). Most of the cases were found in an area 30 miles north of Eau Claire,

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Skunk Revealed as an EPM Intermediate Host

Researchers have discovered that the striped skunk can serve as an intermediate host in the laboratory for Sarcocystis neurona, the single-celled protozoan parasite that causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The striped skunk’s

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West Nile Virus Migrates to the Southeast

The year’s first four equine cases of West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States have been confirmed in Florida. Three positive horses were located in Jefferson County, and one was found in bordering Leon County. The United States Department of

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West Nile Virus In 18 States & D.C.

Since its first appearance in this country in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has found its way into the everyday vocabulary of the horse community as it has made its way through 18 states

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Clinical Signs of West Nile Virus

Nathan Slovis, DVM, an internal medicine specialist at the veterinary firm of Hagyard-Davidson-McGee in Lexington, Ky. diagnosed the first equine case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Kentucky, and described

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Wyoming Herpesvirus Outbreak

An equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) outbreak has affected nearly 50 horses and caused the deaths of seven horses in Wyoming. The outbreak occurred at Paradise Ranch in Johnson County near Buffalo.

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Anthrax Affects Everyone

Anthrax is a rapidly developing, acute or sub-acute, fever-producing, infectious disease of all warm-blooded species, including humans.

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Pacemaker Recipient Gives Birth

A Thoroughbred/Irish Draught mare received a pacemaker in groundbreaking surgery at Great Britain’s Royal Veterinary (UK) College’s Sefton Equine Hospital in February. Seven-year-old Xena was weak

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Gene Mapping Workshop Shows Great Progress

In the past two years, researchers have more than doubled the known number of landmarks for the equine gene mapping project, bringing the total mapped markers and genes to nearly 1,000. Horse geneticists

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