Latest News – The Horse

Florida law enforcement authorities have charged a Walton County man with two felony animal cruelty counts for allegedly killing a Miniature Horse and a dog after a family dispute. Walton County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Michael Morrison said deputies discovered the animals’ remains last week when their owner reported that the animals had disappeared, and that her brother-in-law had allegedly

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has announced the 2012 Olympic equestrian timetable. London 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement. The Olympic opening ceremony on July 27, 2012, will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition, with the world’s best athletes competing for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of

New York racing stewards have suspended trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.–famous for training 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown–for 90 days for a positive drug test result from a horse in his barn at Aqueduct last fall and for possession of hypodermic needles in his barn, racing regulators said Feb. 16.

“Stallions do not become sires because of reproductive capability,” began Dickson Varner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, professor of large animal medicine and surgery at Texas A&M University. “They’re selected based on performance, pedigree, and conformation–reproductive ability is last. The equine breeding industry abounds with stallions whose level of fertility is less than optimal.” Varner discussed

More than 520 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “Do you quarantine horses upon return from being off the farm (e.g., vet clinic, horse shows, etc.) and in contact with other horses?”

The North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association (NAVRMA) announced Feb. 7 that online registration is open for the 2nd annual North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Conference (NAVRMC) to be held June 2-4, 2011, in Lexington, Ky. Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital will act as the conference organizing host in collaboration with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)

Law enforcement authorities in Oregon are seeking the owner of a horse found wandering in the Tumalo Reservoir area between the towns of Bend and Sisters last week. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies discovered the approximately 8- to 10-year-old gray Arabian gelding on Feb. 11 after a caller reported seeing it unattended in the area.

A Michigan man is charged with killing two horses, one of them his own, according to Ottawa County law enforcement authorities. The man suspected his wife and her horse’s trainer were engaged in an extramarital affair. Ottawa County sheriff’s department Lt. Mark Bennett said Dennis Finkler and his wife were at the stable where they boarded their 12-year-old Quarter Horse on Feb. 11 when they

The soft, expressive equine eye holds a great fascination for horse lovers. And although it’s normally a resilient structure, it’s not immune from injury. At the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md., Dennis Brooks, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVO, a professor of ophthalmology at of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine gave this

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for shooting a wild horse in Nevada. On Feb. 9 an on-site veterinarian conducting health assessments during the agency’s Elko District’s Antelope Complex wild horse gather discovered a mare that had sustained what appeared to be a puncture wound to her

Alltech, American Horse Publications (AHP), and the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists (IAEJ) are delighted to announce the recipients of the Alltech ‘A+’ Award, established to honor creativity, passion, and excellence in equine journalism with stories connected to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The post-Games media contest, judging entries published between July 2, 2010,

Two horses collapsed and died in the paddock on Feb. 12 at the Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire, England, according to a report from BloodHorse.com. An investigation into the cause of the horses’ deaths is under way, but initial reports indicate that the horses might have been electrocuted.

Throughout a horse’s life, bone adapts and changes continually in relationship to its environment. Osteochondrosis (OCD) is the failure of the bone to develop strong cross-linkage of collagen fibers (which affects the cartilage) and is most commonly caused by poor nutrition, mechanical trauma, and rapid growth, with nutrition being the most important. Lesions caused by OCD can result in serious