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

In The News: A Free Seminar For Horse Owners

A free seminar for horse owners and industry leaders about the latest on EPM, West Nile, and Foot and Mouth Disease will be presented Friday, April 27, 2001 at the Kentucky Horse Park Visitor’s Information Center from 5-7 pm. The seminar will

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Equine Skin Disease

Equine skin diseases may be due to fungal agents (dermatophytes or ringworm), bacterial infections (dermatophilus or rain scald), or immune-mediated disorders (pemphigus foliaceous). Nodular skin diseases”quine skin diseases may be due to fungal agents (dermatophytes or ringworm), bacterial i

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USDA Alert

Effective immediately and until further notice all importation of live swine and ruminants from the European Union (EU) and other countries affected with foot and mouth disease (FMD) will not be allowed entry into the

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Riders Health Insurance At Risk

Regulations proposed by the Internal Revenue Service, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration could affect people who enjoy horseback riding (and other forms of recreation) by permitting healt

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Strangles Management

Disinfection and cleanliness cannot be over-emphasized in the face of a strangles outbreak. In addition to direct contact with positive horses, Streptococcus equi can be introduced by contaminated hands, clothing, and equipment. Ask your

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Girth Strap Tightness

Every time you saddle a horse, you tighten a girth. But how tight should you make that girth? Just enough to keep the saddle on? With space to slip a hand under the girth? As tight as it will go? Furthermore, how well does a horse breathe with this

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Choke (Esophageal Obstruction)

The word choke for me conjures up images of someone hovering over a table, unable to talk or breathe because a piece of food has lodged in their trachea or windpipe–fortunately, the Heimlich maneuver usually rectifies the situation. Choke is

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Castration In The Horse

In this article, we’ll see how an orchidectomy is performed in the horse, when it can be performed, potential complications, and the myths behind castration in horses.

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Club Foot Concerns

Club feet might be one of the most common growth problems in young horses. Affecting youngsters primarily between birth and 6 months of age, the club foot actually is a flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint (coffin joint) caused

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Septic Arthritis: Joint Savings

However, the most common cause of lameness that veterinarians see in neonatal foals is caused by septic arthritis, not careless mares. Septic arthritis also can be seen in older foals and adult horses, but the cause usually is quite different from th

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Deworming Drugs

I wanted to ask if any vets or horse owners have heard of problems with the Quest wormer.

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; Stay Weather-Aware at Events

Lightning Strikes and Horses

To help safeguard livestock from lightning strikes, learn what lightning likes, then either remove the attractant or remove the livestock. Here’s what you need to know about lightning and horses.

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Create Protective Barriers

You’ve heard it a hundred times before, and you’ll probably hear it a hundred times again: If there’s a way a horse can get into trouble, it will. That means if you have abandoned machinery at the far end of your 900-acre spread, your horse”P>You’ve heard it a hundred times before, and you’ll probably hear it a hundred times again: If there’s a way a horse can get into trouble, it will.”>You’ve heard it a hundred times before, and you’ll prob

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Travel Diets: Take it With You

Over the past couple of years, a great deal has been written about the effects of transportation (by road or air) on horses. Hopefully you have taken the time to read these articles and now have a heightened awareness of the potential stresses

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