Latest News – The Horse

After raising $47,000 in pledges from the 2009 Breeders’ Cup, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program is well on its way to doing the same–if not more–this year. Owners and trainers of Breeders’ Cup starters have been asked to pledge a percentage of their earnings to support New Vocations’ mission to rehabilitate, retrain, and re-home retired racehorses.

Pennsylvania State University’s student-sponsored Equine Speaker Series will return later this month to continue providing horse owners and enthusiasts with access to industry professionals and the information they have to offer. November’s speaker will be Carey A. Williams, PhD, Rutgers University equine extension specialist. Williams will deliver her presentation Nov. 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Laminitis begins well before clinical signs occur, at the cellular or even the molecular level, and addressing platelets might be a key to prevention or early treatment. Jamie Textor, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, an equine surgeon and PhD candidate at the University of California, Davis, spoke about the role of platelets in laminitis during the Sept. 17-18 Laminitis West Conference, in Monterey, Calif.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Army and wild horse advocates will meet in Nevada to discuss ways to manage 104 mustangs residing south of Walker Lake on the Hawthorne Army Depot.

Therapeutic programs, equine rescue organizations, youth clubs, educational and research programs are among the 18 organizations receiving $17,693 in grants from the Maryland Horse Industry Board. The grants help to strengthen the industry by building awareness of and involvement in the horse industry through research, education and promotional activities.

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) has launched a matching funds program to promote free or low-cost geld clinics in the Commonwealth. The organization started the program to assist Kentucky veterinarians who conduct Operation Gelding clinics as part of an Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) program that is currently under way.

Concerns about equine piroplasmosis (EP), a blood-borne disease considered to be foreign to the United States, have prompted educational efforts to inform veterinarians and horse owners about the disease. To further these educational efforts, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is releasing A Literature Review of Equine Piroplasmosis.

The veterinarians of the University of California, Davis,’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital want to help clients protect their horses from influenza, tetanus, dental problems, and other health risks, despite the economy, so they’ve developed a a discounted “package” of preventive care services.

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) announced Tuesday that it has launched a mobile phone application which gives those involved in horse sport quick and easy access to crucial information on prohibited substances. The Clean Sport app allows immediate access to the FEI equine prohibited substances online database, which was developed early in 2010.

With only two workouts by Breeders’ Cup World Championship entrants, the scene on the backside of Churchill Downs the morning of Nov. 3 was all about Zenyatta. There was a huge throng outside Barn 41 as the 6-year-old mare, who is the morning line favorite at 8-5 for the Breeders’ Cup Classic to be held Saturday.