Latest News – The Horse

Strangles is a highly contagious disease that causes horses to have swollen and painful lymph nodes that block their airway and can cause difficult breathing. The name was coined because these enlarged nodes sometimes (but rarely) suffocate affected horses.

The first reported case of strangles in a horse was made in Europe in 1251 by Jordanus Ruffus. Convinced of its contagious nature,

On Feb. 27 Ivonne Rodriguez’s Paint horse, Geronimo, went missing from his Miami, Fla., pasture. Rodriguez immediately filed a police report and canvassed the neighborhood for information about her horse. Six days later, Miami-Dade County police discovered Geronimo’s remains in a field across the street from Rodriguez’s farm.

“He was tied to a palm tree and butchered for his

EasyCare has developed the Easyboot Rx, a new rehabilitation boot and padding system.

The Easyboot Rx provides support and relief for horses suffering from chronic lameness, laminitis, injury, surgery, navicular disease, and other lower limb and hoof problems.

The Easyboot Rx sole is made of durable and soft material in a lightweight package. Upper edges are rounded for safety

The equine and rendering industries are anticipating a pinch from a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation intended to prevent the proliferation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow disease”).

The regulation on the 1997 legislation prohibits the use of most mammalian proteins in feed for ruminant (cud-chewing) animals. The final rule, which is slated to take

Supporting (also called contralateral) limb laminitis strikes a previously healthy hoof when it bears excessive weight for long periods because the other front or hind foot is extremely painful (such as from a fracture, surgery, severe infection, etc.).

Each year about 2,500 professional veterinarians graduate from the 28 veterinary colleges in North America. That might not be enough to protect the nation from animal diseases that pose threats to human health, according to a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office.  

The American Veterinary

The last Kentucky stallion known to have been exposed to contagious equine metritis (CEM) has been released from quarantine, State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout, DVM, has announced.

The western Kentucky Quarter Horse completed a testing and treatment regimen and was found to be free of the organism that causes the venereal disease. Four stallions that were infected with the organism were

When a horse has pain in the rear half of the foot, injection of the navicular bursa (sac cushioning the navicular bone from the deep digital flexor tendon) is often considered as a treatment option. Corticosteroids (to control inflammation) and possibly hyaluronate (HA, to improve the bursa’s lubrication and decrease synovial inflammation

An equine athlete uses the pelvis and sacroiliac (SI) joint in many different fashions: A rope horse uses the pelvis to rapidly accelerate and decelerate, a Standardbred races at high speed at a constrained gait, and a dressage horse exercises with repetitive and isometric control of his haunches. Furthermore, a vaulting horse is constrained to a circle, but he must provide stability of

Nicanor, full brother to the ill-fated Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro, will have to wait until another day to get his first victory following his runner-up showing as the odds-on choice to Glittermans Cartel in a $42,000 maiden race at Gulfstream Park March 28.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano, Nicanor fought the pacesetter Glittermans Cartel all the way to the wire but came up a half-length short in

The Animal Humane Society of St. Paul, Minn., has seen a significant increase in equine-related cases over the past two years.

Hunt Club, LLC announces it has joined with Grief, Inc. to make corrugated animal bedding in Louisville, Ky.

Hunt Club is healthier, warmer and more comfortable for the horse and is four times more absorbent than traditional shavings or straw. It is ideal for horses with respiratory or post surgical issues and helps prevent allergies or other respiratory ailments.
 
It will

Although horse owners continue to administer oral joint health supplements (OJHS), a substantial proportion of these products are substandard in quality, efficacy, and safety, according to a presentation given at the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced March 27 the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund will distribute more than $18.7 million in awards for 2008.

While this year’s KBIF awards are down from the $19,220,007 paid in 2007, they are still higher than the $15 million awarded during the program’s first payout in 2006.

“It’s certainly much-needed good news for breeders

SmartPak is offering attendees another special opportunity to learn from top riders at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** when they hold their 5th consecutive Course Walk on Thursday, April 23rd.  Attendees will get the opportunity to see the course through the eyes of 2 of the country’s top event riders; Kim Severson and Jan Byyny. 

Always an entertaining duo, Severson and