Latest News – The Horse
Alabama Police Investigate Horse Deaths
Two Alabama horses were shot and killed Tuesday just outside of Andalusia, Ala., according to a Jan. 7 story in the Andalusia Star-News. The horses were valued at more than $20,000.
Andalusia Police Department (APD) criminal investigator Wade Garrett said in the story, “Two horses were shot–one died from a gunshot wound and one had to be put down.”
The investigation
Your Horse is Missing. What Now?
One of the most painful experiences a horse owner can suffer is discovering his/her horse is missing. For the best chance of finding a horse, get people involved, one authority on the topic says. Here’s how.
Texas Increases Number of Post-Race Drug Tests
The Texas Racing Commission has authorized the Texas Medical Diagnostic Laboratory to increase the amount of ELISA tests it conducts and decrease the number of screens it evaluates from urine samples collected for post-race analysis.
Officials have indicated the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test is cost-effective and highly sensitive, and it also tends to take less time to analyz
MRLS Experiment Rundown
A meeting at Keeneland racetrack for a select group from local Thoroughbred breeding farms on Jan. 6 offered a wrap-up of the six experiments done by researchers at the University of Kentucky pertaining to mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS). The synopses of those experiments, as presented by Karen McDowell, PhD (equine reproduction), are as follows:
Experiments 1 and 2,
Dual Hemisphere Breeding and Live Foal Percentages
Shuttling Thoroughbred stallions between Northern and Southern hemisphere farms for breeding began in earnest around 1992. Stallions had been shuttling from Great Britain and Ireland prior to that time. Between 1996 and 2002, 117 stallions from the United States were shuttled to the Southern Hemisphere in the late part of the year to complete a second breeding season. It was recently
Glass Horse Model Expanded
The popular three-dimensional electronic horse model, “The Glass Horse CD,” which offered a novel look at the gastrointestinal anatomy of the horse when it was introduced in November of 2001, has a new companion that depicts the structures of the equine distal (lower) limb. This CD, called “Elements of the Equine Distal Limb,” should be available for shipping before the end of the
Police Horse Diary
This diary will be a new undertaking for TheHorse.com, and we hope you’ll share your comments and questions as we guide the educational process of these weanlings. The goal is to work with a curriculum developed by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Sue McDonnell, PhD, of the University
Merial Introduces Next Generation Equine West Nile Virus Vaccine
Merial announced today the release of a new equine vaccine–RECOMBITEK Equine West Nile Virus (WNV) vaccine. The recent USDA approval of RECOMBITEK Equine West Nile Virus vaccine offers veterinarians a first-of-its-kind product backed by cutting-edge science to offer fast-acting and long-lasting protection from the often deadly WNV. (Click
MRLS: We Need To Know More
“In the final analysis, we do not understand this disease,” said Bruce Webb, PhD, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky who has been a leading researcher into the problem of mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS).
Webb and Karen McDowell, PhD, a reproduction specialist from the Gluck Equine Research Center at the university, presented a synopsis of the MRLS research
Founder Care and Ethical Considerations
While you probably wouldn’t think of treating a foundered horse as a situation in which tough ethical decisions could crop up, the Second International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot held Nov. 10-11 featured a morning on just that topic.
Equine ID Task Force Meeting at U.S. Equestrian Annual Meeting
The American Horse Council will hold a meeting of the Equine ID Task Force during the U.S. Equestrian Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 14-18.
The Task Force will be discussing the concept and implications of a national identification program for horses as a continuation of the National Institute of Animal
Septic Arthritis and Racing Potential
Septic arthritis in a Thoroughbred foal significantly reduces the likelihood the animal will race, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and veterinarians with Rossdale and Partners in England. The scientists evaluated the medical records of 69 foals treated for septic arthritis and compared each foal’s racing record to at least one of its
Prevention for the Masses
Veterinary care doesn’t come cheap. While conscientious horse owners realize that disease prevention is ultimately cheaper than disease treatment, when you have five, or 15, or 50 horses to care for and limits on your budget, you need to look closely and think carefully about where to best spend your hard-earned dollars in order to obtain maximum protection for minimal cost. Here’s how severa
FEI and Welfare
What does international equestrian sport do to ensure healthy, fair, and clean competition? As a sport where the horse is used for its athletic abilities and man is at the helm, it is crucial that the horse be properly safeguarded.
Ethics and Horse Welfare–The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) considers the welfare of the horse its most important priority. An Ethics
Excessive Girthiness
I start young Thoroughbreds for racing, and occasionally I work with a horse that gets really “girthy.” Can you tell me why this happens, what it is called, and what I can do to prevent it?
Jutted Jaw in a Foal
Our foal was born with something that our veterinarian called a “jutted jaw.” Can you provide any information on this condition and what, if anything, needs to be done about it?
