Latest News – The Horse

Early identification of a toxin produced by the diarrhea-causing bacterium Clostridium difficile, in the feces of horses with diarrhea might help identify which horses are at risk for developing serious disease, report researchers from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Diarrhea in horses can range from a mild, self-limiting condition t

What type of impact do various terrains actually have on the health of a horse’s hooves and legs? French researchers are using a highly sensitive 3-D dynamometric shoe and other instruments to give unprecedented insight into the biomechanical effects of diverse surfaces on not only a horse’s limbs, but his entire musculoskeletal system.

Researchers attached the shoe to the front right

Representatives from dozens of national and state-based equine protection, advocacy, and rescue organizations gathered April 9 and April 10 at Bally’s Las Vegas for the third annual Homes for Horses Coalition Conference to discuss the re-homing of at-risk horses in America and other equine welfare concerns.

The conference was held in conjunction with The Humane Society of the United

In efforts to save money around the barn, researchers recommend horse owners carefully consider the supplements they’re adding to their horses’ feed. The researchers behind the 2008 study, “Feeding management practices and supplement use in top-level event horses,” said many supplements are not needed, and giving too many can be

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is widely used to treat proximal suspensory desmitis (inflammation of the suspensory ligament). It is thought to improve lameness by inducing the release of cytokines (inflammatory mediators) that can result i

Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue of Glenville, Pa., has made it to the Top 10 in a $1 million shelter makeover contest sponsored by Zootoo.com, a Web site for animal and pet lovers.

Richard Thompson, founder of Zootoo.com, announced the top 10 shelters selected from a list of 20 finalists at the April 7 Humane Society of the United States Animal Care Expo in Las Vegas.

Those in attendance discussed history and clinical examination of many typical hind limb lamenesses. They noted that once the decision to perform diagnostic analgesia (nerve blocks) or treatment is made, the concern for safety should be foremost in the clinician’s mind and appropriate restraint is critical.

Old Fashioned sustained a non-displaced slab fracture of his right knee during his second-place effort in the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 11 and will miss the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Larry Jones said the injury was not life-threatening and was unlikely to give the horse any long-term pain, but that it could end Old Fashioned’s career. He is to go to Rood and Riddle

The Illinois Equine Industry Research and Promotion Board (EPB) has awarded more than $72,000 in grants, according to Karen Freese, chair.

Grants are funded by the Illinois equine checkoff program, which provides for the voluntary assessment of a nickel per 50-pound bag of horse feed sold at retail.

By law, EPB funds must go to support equine research, education and promotion in

The Oklahoma legislature on April 7 approved a bill that prohibits cloned horses or the offspring of cloned horses from participating in races at tracks in Oklahoma. The bill provides that neither clones nor the offspring of clones would be permitted to race even if they are registered by a national breed registry.

Sponsored by State Sen. Joe Sweeden and State Rep. Don Armes, the bill is

It is our hope that through sharing the experiences of injury and recovery, other riders may be able to prevent some accidents from happening. Or, if they do sustain a horse-related injury, they will utilize the rehabilitation services offered to them during their recovery to ensure they achieve their maximum recovery possible.

If you’ve ever uttered the word “horse,” QuarterFest is the place for you to be the first weekend in May. Everyone from the “horse crazy” of all ages to those who are “horse poor”–they’ve got one or more horses in their barn–will have a ball at QuarterFest: A Celebration of the American Quarter Horse May 1-3, on the grounds of the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Here is a

New York Thoroughbred breeder Ernie Paragallo was charged with 22 counts of cruelty to animals, the chief prosecutor in the case told The Horse‘s sister publication The Blood-Horse April 10.

“The animals were clearly neglected,” Greene County District Attorney Terry J. Wilhelm, alleged of the Thoroughbreds at Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm in the Hudson Valley about 20 miles