Latest News – The Horse

There has been one racing fatality following a breakdown in the first eight days of competition on Santa Anita Park’s new dirt track, according to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Rick Arthur, DVM. Another death was attributable to a training accident.

A Hialeah, Fla., man is facing multiple charges after his fingerprints were found on a van that police later determined contained horse meat intended for illegal sale.

Polish Navy, the Ogden Phipps homebred and champion Thoroughbred racehorse, was humanely euthanized Jan. 6 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky. He was suffering from complications from a hip injury.

As the lackluster economy continues to challenge the horse industry, ranchers, lawmakers, and horse owners gathered at the Summit of the Horse in Las Vegas, Nev., this week to discuss the economic state of the industry and the unwanted horse issues. One of the topics drawing much attention to the summit was ways to re-establish the horse processing industry in the United States. But the path to

Breeders with mares in late gestation need to remember that the mothers-to-be have different nutritional needs than open (nonpregnant) mares. In the last 90 days of pregnancy, fetal growth increases the mare’s energy requirements. Since grain mixes typically have more digestible energy per pound than pastures or grass hay

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., welcomes Laura Werner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, to its surgery department. Werner specializes in lameness and equine emergency services and she is returning to Hagyard after having previously spent a year there as a surgical intern during her advanced training.

Equine herpesvirus-1 disease is “one of the costliest equine diseases worldwide,” said Dr. Rebecca McConnico.

Two barns are under quarantine at Beulah Park, located near Columbus, Ohio, as state veterinary officials continue to investigate a possible equine herpesvirus (EHV) outbreak. Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) executive director Tom Fries Jr. said the state Department of Agriculture got a “presumptive positive” on Dec. 31 from a horse stabled in Barn 24, one of the two barns under quarantine.

As 2010 came to a close, so did the racing career of a highly celebrated Thoroughbred racehorse named Zenyatta. She is retired now, and after more than three years and 20 races, she walked away from the track completely sound. This fact alone should garner as much fanfare as her stunning performances.

After years of intensive research, a product called SucroMate has achieved the coveted status of FDA-approved for reproductive health in mares. This is no easy feat as only two veterinary drugs obtained FDA approval in 2010. SucroMate is licensed to induce ovulation in mares being bred with fresh, cooled, or frozen semen.