Latest News – The Horse
Student Research on Horse Behavior
Q: I am a third-year veterinary student at Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. I am working on a paper for my Equine Health Management class, and I am focusing on equine behavioral stereotypies (cribbing, weaving, stall/box walking) and pasturing…
Perspective on Hendra Virus
Ninety-nine times out of 100, a Hendra virus test is negative. But the statistics tell only part of the story. This Australian veterinarian discusses the disease, its implications, and how we can prevent horse-to-human transmission of Hendra.
Equine Research Priorities
In 2009 the AAEP Foundation conducted a survey to assess the thoughts and opinions of the membership in defining and prioritizing the needs for equine health research. This followed an initial survey in 2003 to establish needs for equine research…
Hard Keeper Help?
Reader’s question about why her Thoroughbred horse (stallion) won’t put on weight despite excellent care, and a veterinarian’s response discussing nutritional management, veterinary examinations, and genetics.
State Slaughter Bills Pending
Legislators in several states are again considering bills that address the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
In Florida, lawmakers are reviewing a pair of bills that would make it felony to slaughter horses and sell their me
Second Pack Horse Cruelty Trial Yields Guilty Verdicts
A Montana jury has found two men guilty of animal cruelty for starving and overworking three of their four horses during a pack trip through the Montana wilderness in the summer of 2008.
Curtis Heydon, 38, was found guilty of 10 coun
Avoid Moldy Corn in Horse Feed
Farmers across the Midwest struggled last year to harvest their crops in what turned out to be an unseasonably wet autumn. These conditions led to reports of widespread mold in this year’s corn crop. Moldy corn is a hazard for all species o
First Steps for Foal Handling
Discussion of the many ways to teach young horses/foals to submit to humans; from imprinting to halter training, tying, grooming, and much more.
Racehorse Training Injuries Vary by Stable in New Study
Which kind of injury is most common to a racehorse? That all depends on who trains it and at which track, according to a group of British researchers. Their recent survey of three major Thoroughbred stables in the United Kingdom showed that the
Indistinct Gait Deficits: Musculoskeletal and Neurologic Causes
Strategies to identify specific problems in a horse with indistinct or unusual gait deficits, particularly if
Florida Vet Response Team Receives Horse Rescue Mannequin
To help further the cause of improving large-animal emergency rescue training, USRider has contributed significant donations to the University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine over the years to support the college’s large-anim
My Old WEG Home: A Visit to Kentucky
If you’re planning a trip to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, September 25-October 10 in Lexington, Kentucky, and you’ve purchased tickets to lots of
Pasture Evaluation Program an Investment for Farms
As horse farm managers and owners face another year of tough economic times and high feeding costs, the University of Kentucky’s Horse Pasture Evaluation Program helps them stretch every dollar. The program, which will run from April to O
Normal Steroid Levels in Racehorses
Steroid usage in racehorses has received a good deal of attention in the media, perhaps reaching a peak during the 2009 Triple Crown season when Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness on the legally administered steroid stanozolol, then
EPM Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendations
Diagnosing EPM in a live horse is challenging because no test is 100% accurate; the gold standard for diagnosis is finding the protozoan parasite in the spinal cord, which can only be sampled after the horse is euthanized. So for live horses, diagnos
Ky. Panel Moves to Restrict Frivolous Appeals
In an effort to cut down on abuses of the appeals process by trainers and jockeys, the rules committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved a draft of a rule on frivolous appeals.
Under the proposed rule, presented to the committee by KHRC co-counsel Tim West, an appeal will be deemed frivolous if:
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The applicant for an appeal fails, withou
