Latest News – The Horse

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) Operation Gelding program continues to enjoy success as participation has spread across the United States. The program is designed to offer funding assistance to organizations, associations, and events that wish to conduct a public gelding clinic under the name and guidelines of Operation Gelding.

Whether they work in an exclusively equine practice or a mixed-practice setting, veterinarians attending the 2011 North American Veterinary Conference will encounter a program devoted to their specific interests, note the organizers of the event, which will take place Jan. 15-19 in Orlando, Fla. The five-day equine program includes a variety of world-class speakers and topics, with most days …

Lookin At Lucky, the 2009 champion 2-year-old Thoroughbred male and winner of the 2010 Preakness Stakes, has been purchased by Coolmore Stud andis being retired to stand for stallion duty at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., in 2011.

Mosquito-borne illness in horses has been a hot topic this summer with several states reporting a record number of positive test results for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). According to the USDA’s National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS), this year a total of 228 confirmed EEE cases were reported nationwide as of Nov. 12.

The full skeleton of a horse that lived in France 100,000 years ago has been discovered in the volcanic region of Auvergne, according to several French news sources including the French Press Agency (AFP).

Before Zenyatta leaves for the next stage of her life as a broodmare at Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky., Hollywood Park in Inglewood Calif., will stage an appreciation day for the brilliant mare Dec. 5.

A truck driver is facing animal cruelty charges in Kansas after two horses he was transporting fell inside their livestock trailer and were later euthanized. On Oct. 31, John Caldwell of Wetumka, Okla., was hauling 15 horses from Colorado to Oklahoma when fellow motorists traveling on Interstate 70 in Salina, Kan., alerted him that some of horses inside the trailer had fallen …

At the United States Pony Club (USPC) Board of Governors meeting November 6-7, 2010, the Pony Club Riding Center Program was approved by a unanimous vote to become a permanent program. This approval comes after a five-year ‘beta’ period during which the program was tested at over 50 Pony Club Riding Centers serving more than 700 members around the United States.

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Thanks to climate change and increasing amounts of grain blends, the prevalence of feed-borne mycotoxins (dangerous toxins exuded from molds) is on the rise, according to Trevor Smith, PhD, of the University of Guelph, Canada. Smith, a professor with a research interest in feed and food toxicology, discussed the effects of one of the most common families of mycotoxins–Fusarium–on

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Nov. 17 to celebrate the impending opening of the new Lexington Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine, located in Lexington, Ky.

A Florida man accused of poaching two horses then butchering them for their meat pleaded guilty to the charges against him during an appearance in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Nov. 17.

In the back of the mind of every horse, stable, or ranch owner lies the fear of a barn fire, buffered by the hope that he or she is prepared to deal with such a crisis. The San Antonio Saddle Horse Association recently offered a fire prevention and safety seminar to help educate horse owners on the best ways to keep their barns safe from fire and how to deal with a fire should one occur.

Horses afflicted with the skin disease hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA, also called hyperelastosis cutis or HC) can develop external lesions from a variety of environmental factors. This includes everything from sunlight to contact with tree bark or fence boards … even other horses; keeping their fragile skin intact can be a full-time job. (Editor’s note: This is p