Latest News – The Horse
Trick Training Your Horse to Success
I like to start trick training by teaching the bow. It can be either easy or very difficult to teach, depending on how smart your horse is and how well you can teach it.
Horse Industry Leaders Meet with Agriculture Secretary Veneman
Horse industry leaders met with United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman during the National Issues Forum of the American Horse Council (AHC) in Washington, D.C., April 20. The meeting provided an opportunity to explain
EVA Uniform Methods and Rules Released
Today the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the release of the United States’ Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) Uniform Methods and Rules (UM&R), which were effective April 19 and will serve as a standard for handling EVA in breeding and other situations in this country. The United States is the only major horse-breeding country without a current EVA control
U.K. Horse Owners: Be Wary of WNV in Exported Horses
Horse owners in the United Kingdom (U.K.) are being reminded to protect horses they are exporting to the United States from West Nile virus (WNV). However, no WNV vaccine is available in the UK.
According to an article in the online
BLM Dispersal/Holding Options
The Wild Horse and Burro Program focuses on two key factors: Management of wild horses and burros whose habitat is on public lands, and programs to deal with excess animals removed from public lands. The federal Bureau of Land Management’s
WNV Satellite Conference: Remain Wary of Disease
The years 2002 and 2003 have been the years of the horse, as far as West Nile virus (WNV) is concerned, said Robert Restifo, MS, Public Health Entomologist Administrator and chief of Ohio’s Vector-borne Disease Program, at the third annual West
Stallion Infertility and the Y Chromosome
Environmental factors, management, and genetics all play a part in determining a stallion’s fertility. Bhanu P. Chowdhary, BVSc, AH, MVSc, PhD, associate professor in animal genomics at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine,
AQHA to Honor its Nearly 350,000 Members
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is rolling out the red carpet to welcome all AQHA members to its third annual Member Appreciation Days and Open House, which will be held June 1-13, 2004 in Amarillo, Texas. Members won’t want t
African Horse Sickness Cases Lessen in Western Cape
The African horse sickness (AHS) death toll in the Western Cape of South Africa has risen to 15 confirmed cases since the first death on the Elsenburg Agricultural Research Farm was confirmed on Feb. 25. Two cases are awaiting confirmation, with
Pursuing Hope
Referral centers are godsends to the equine community. Often housed in state-of-the-art buildings, featuring the latest in scientific technology and equipment, and manned by specialists, referral centers offer a strong ray of hope when the best efforts by veterinarians in the field just aren’t enough. There is a down side, of course: They can be expensive. Owners and operators of referral
Breaking the Rules
Whether you realize it or not, and most likely you don’t, administrative bodies of one type or another affect nearly every aspect of your horse activity. On the public side, for example, state departments of transportation license your farm truck and trailer, local zoning boards dictate whether you can keep horses on your property, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration establishes
Feeding HYPP Horses
Horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) need careful dietary management to reduce or eliminate its characteristic muscle dysfunction attacks.
More Than a War of Words
More than a half-century ago, noted science fiction author Isaac Asimov began his acclaimed series of Robot novels, examining increasingly complex interactions between humans and robots in a future world. Asimov’s underlying premise for the books was that robots had advanced sufficiently to become sentient beings. Questions raised by this development include whether robots should be
Bumps and Bruises
Horses often get banged and bruised by running into things, being kicked by another horse, falling down when running and bucking, etc. It’s not unusual to suddenly discover your horse has a large, soft lump on some part of his body. The most common areas are the hindquarters, chest, or along the ribs. The skin might not be damaged, but the injured tissues underneath can bleed or ooze serum,
Building Blocks?
They come in various colors and sizes. Some weigh 50 pounds, others a pound or less. But how do we know which salt and/or mineral block to place before our animals? Should we offer all of them and let the horses choose? Can a horse actually get enough salt and minerals from a rock-hard block to meet his needs? Shouldn’t we simply buy feed that already contains the necessary ingredients for a
The Other Cancers
Is there an uglier word in medicine than “cancer?” This is true in human and veterinary medicine. Many of us view cancer as invasive, debilitating, and fatal. But those who know horses know that while cancer occurs in equids, most of these cancers are sarcoids and melanomas–cancers that are generally benign, but should receive attention from a veterinarian to ensure they aren’t a danger to
