Latest News – The Horse
California Requires Synthetic Racing Surface
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) decided on Feb. 16 that California racing associations operating meets of at least four continuous weeks will be required to install a synthetic racing surface by the end of 2007 or face a loss of race
Protect Horses From Bugs
Flies and mosquitoes are a nuisance, causing irritation and discomfort as they feed on horses. They can also be a health risk, spreading West Nile virus, encephalomyelitis viruses, equine infectious anemia, vesicular stomatitis, and other
Critical Care In the Field
How does your veterinarian keep up with what is best for your horses? By attending continuing education that covers areas of interest and provides him with lectures and one-on-one time with experts in various fields. Each year, Hagyard Equine
Lessons Learned From the Hurricanes
Microchips were helpful in reuniting horses with owners after the 2005 hurricanes, but it was usually because owners had proof of horses’ microchip numbers. Since 1994, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF) has required
Groups Band Together to Provide Hay for Hurricane Victims
Five equine organizations joined together in Feburary to provide 6,500 bales of hay to nearly 800 horses in Vermilion Parish, La., that were affected by Hurricane Rita. The United States Equestrian Federation, the American Association of Equine
Pasture Pests Pose Problems
Our farms usually fall into one of two pasture pest categories: Currently overrun, or about to be. Tunneling pasture pests can create serious hazards that can injure horses and ruin your fields. In a recent TheHorse.com poll, 65% of the 518 who
Premises Registration in Texas Postponed
Commissioners for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) have postponed taking action on proposed regulations that would require identification of physical locations where livestock, including horses, are held, managed, or handled.
TAHC
Maryland and USDA Officials Distribute Biosecurity Information
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has released the following tips on avoiding transmission of illness in horse facilities. The USDA has published a separate brochure on the same topic (shown at right), which is available online at
Neurologic Case Shows Difficulty of Rule-Outs
A 24-year-old pleasure mare in Brunswick, Ga., has been diagnosed with concurrent infections of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) and equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1). Both can cause neurologic disease.
This case highlights the
Sexual Misbehavior Vaccine?
I am looking into ways to settle down a colt that is showing full-blown sexual interest already at a 1 1/2 years of age. He’s just too much for us to handle, but we are not ready to geld him. If you try to correct him when he’s all excited, he
More Than Skin Deep?
It was two years ago–in April of 2004–that this magazine published the announcement that the Poco Bueno Quarter Horse sire line had been identified as carrying the recessive gene that causes hyperelastosis cutis (HC, also known as hereditary
Hoof Care for Toeing Out
An owner looks for help for a filly that wears down her feet unevenly with turned-out toes.
Fever, Colic, Swelling…What is It?
I had an 8-month-old colt stop eating his grain on Friday. I took his temperature, which was 105?F, and gave him Bute…
Horse Body Condition Score
A reader asks for help finding an equine body score chart in layman’s terms and understanding some horse anatomy terms.
Recovering from Sesamoiditis
My sister’s gelding has sesamoid problems on both forelimbs. Can the sesamoid bones be removed?
Whole Lotta Shakin Going On
Your horse is doing it again: Inexplicably tossing his head and sometimes charging off. Your trainer has tried everything–fly spray, changing tack, new bits, negative reinforcement–and while your horse goes through periods where he never flips
