Latest News – The Horse

In California, a San Diego County ranch owner says 23 show horses have been poisoned by someone who fed them highly toxic oleander leaves.

Debbie Tomin, owner of Rockridge Farm in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., says three horses are seriously ill and are undergoing treatment at an equine hospital.

The other horses, including two pregnant mares, are being treated at the ranch.

Four horses have been euthanized and a fifth horse is recumbent following an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in a boarding stable in northern France, according to the treating veterinarian. Quarantine has been established and will continue for at least three more weeks.
 
Jeroen Lissens, DVM, said seven of the 63 horses at the stable have tested positive for the disease

K-Zar Emanuel, 15-year-old gray Arabian gelding won the 2009 Tevis Cup, crossing the finishing line at 10:20 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 1). Four miles from the finish, after crossing No Hands Bridge in the California moonlight, rider Sarah Engsberg urged her mount on with the words, “We’re Going Home, K-Zar.”

Engsberg, from Fairburn, Ga., arrived in California early to ride K-Zar three time

The convention of leading and mounting the horse from the left might be more than just tradition, according to a new study from St. Andrews University. The study, led by Kate Farmer, MA, at the Harmony Center in Austria, shows that horses generally prefer this arrangement too, and not just because this is how they are trained.

The researchers compared two groups of horses: one trained

The hock is one of the most complex and hardest-worked joints in the horse’s body, so it must be strong and sturdy to avoid injury. Much of what we ask our horses to do, whether high-performance dressage, reining, jumping, or simply going up and down hills on trail rides, requires strong and well-functioning hocks. In this article we’ll examine hock conformation, injury, ways to counteract

Veterinarians can better diagnose problems in our horses because of the improving array of equipment they have in their arsenals.

Ventilating your equine facilities is critically important for your horses’ and your own health and well-being. Taking advantage of natural ventilation is the best way to design your facility for long-term comfort.

Despite a horse's apparently sturdy exterior, his various internal body systems are delicate–particularly his

Up until recently I have never had any behavioral issues with my 15-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Awhile back he flipped out in the cross-ties with a new farrier. Since then he has been very upset to be shod in cross-ties. How can I calm him down?

A few of our therapy horses are very mouthy. When they are in session and have a child on their back they try to nip at their leaders. We have a hard time correcting it because of the child. How do I help incoming horses not develop these habits?

Anhidrosis, or nonsweating, is a poorly understood condition affecting thousands of horses worldwide. Horses are most commonly affected in areas with hot, humid climates, such as in the southeastern United States. Let’s look at the causes of and treatments for this condition.

What Causes Anhidrosis?

Veterinarians and researchers are still trying to deduce the exact

There seems to be little information available on the Internet about guttural pouch tympany. I lost a filly to this, along with displaced soft palate.

My mare’s personality seems to have changed since a rattlesnake bite six years ago. She seems less people-friendly and less energetic. Is it from some sort of facial nerve damage from the bite? Have you heard of long-term effects from a snake bite?

With crew and volunteers crowding the forest road, Marcia Smith, DVM, of Loomis, Calif., (rider #12) appeared around the bend at the Robinson Flat vet check and crewing point.  First to arrive at Mile 36 of the 100-mile Tevis Ride, Smith and her mount, AM Sands of Time (Sandy) were making excellent time. The 12-year-old gray Arabian mare moved easily and Smith’s proficient crew began