Latest News – The Horse

Since the middle of March, the United Kingdom’s Animal Health Trust (AHT) has confirmed influenza in 20 racing yards (stables) in Newmarket, located in different areas of the town, and in a single breaking/holding yard just outside Newmarket. Most of these diagnoses have been made on the basis of nucleoprotein ELISA positive swab samples but two have been diagnosed on the basis of

The Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) presented its heralded May Award to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) during the ARCI’s 69th Annual Convention in April. The award is traditionally given to an individual or organization in racing for the highest level of service and contribution to the betterment of the racing sport.

The AAEP was

Some horse and agriculture farms were asked to be test farms during and after the mare reproductive loss (MRLS) crisis in 2001. One of those farms is Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Ky., owned by John D. Gunther and operated by Leslie K. Miller, general manager. The test farms have provided a wealth of information during the past 2 1/2 years, on

On Monday, May 5, acting secretary for department of health Robert S. Muscalus reported the first positive test for the West Nile virus (WNV) in Pennsylvania in 2003. The virus was detected in a dead crow in Philadelphia.

Acting Secretary for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Kathleen A. McGinty emphasized the importance of homeowners to remove

Laminitis specialist Robert Eustace, BVSc, Cert EO, Cert. EP, MRCVS, director of The Laminitis Clinic in Wiltshire, England, wants horse obesity to be declared a welfare concern. In a campaign launched at the annual meeting of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) at the end of 2002, Eustace directed sharp words at the horse show judging system, which rewards round,

A study led by researchers at Colorado State University determined that the effects of West Nile virus (WNV) cost equine owners in Colorado and Nebraska more than $1.25 million in 2002, and prevention costs for WNV vaccinations likely exceeded an additional $2.75 million for the equine industry in those states last year. In 2002, Colorado reported 378 and Nebraska reported 1,100 confirme

ReRun Inc. has assumed management of Greener Pastures Equine Sanctuary, a 160-acre estate along the Sassafras River near Cecilton, Md., donated by the Wear Family. The facility, which was previously managed by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), is home to many retired racehorses and is also a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to preserving the nesting habitat of the blue heron and American

A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare in Crow Wing County, was Minnesota’s first equine West Nile virus (WNV) case for 2003, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH). Paul Anderson, MBAH assistant director, said the virus was expected to appear again this year, but not so early in the season. The first U.S. equine WNV case of 2003 was reported in Florida in early

Blood-Horse Publications announces its second annual book warehouse clearance sale will be held Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 at 349 Virginia Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky.

If your horse does more than walk around his pasture eating grass, he is at risk for ulcers. The equine life of leisure–grazing in the sun on lush grass, no worries about when that ambitious owner will appear to ride or train–isn’t reality for most horses. The demands of training can precipitate a pain in the gut–also known as equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Give a horse a job–be it

One of the most complex and least-studied subjects involving the horse is heritability of behavior. Do horses truly inherit behavioral traits, or do these traits simply come into being as the result of environmental factors and influences? There are a couple of reasons why there are few learned answers to this question. First, it is a complex issue because a great many factors are involved in

What is your favorite color of horse? Is it the pitch black of Walter Farley’s Black Stallion? The whiteness of the Lone Ranger’s Silver? The sunshine gold of Roy Rogers’ Trigger? How does a breeder capitalize on the fancy colors that bring big bucks? Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as breeding a black stallion to a black mare to get a black foal. The late Ann Bowling, PhD, author of

All of the cutting-edge hoof information presented at this symposium is very helpful to the fledgling field of equine podiatry. Equally valuable is the open, helpful atmosphere in which everyone is learning and helping each other understand new concepts.

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom has advanced hoof balance from a farrier’s art form to a measurement of pressure inside the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint (coffin joint). Some day, a horse’s ideal balance might be determined by a pressure reading of this type.

Excess intra-articular pressure and/or joint fluid volume of the DIP joint is a

Of particular interest to horse owners was Johnson’s black-and-white linkage of the newly termed “Equine Metabolic Syndrome” (EMS) condition with laminitis and obesity. “Obesity-associated insulin refractory state” was Johnson’s precise description of EMS in these non-Cushing’s horses, many of which also suffer from recurrent laminitis.

Classes resumed March 10 at the University of Findlay’s James L. Child Jr. Equestrian Complex, which had been under quarantine since the weekend of Jan. 18 because of an outbreak of equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1). (For more on the outbreak, see article #4179 online.)

The University followed the guidelines and advice of George Allen, PhD, of the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center