Latest News – The Horse

Heavy rainfall in South Florida Dec. 18 forced officials at Gulfstream Park to take immediate action to protect horses and people. About 600 horses were relocated to other area stabling facilities and there was an evacuation of one backstretch dormitory.

This brief composting introduction was written as a guide for on-farm composting of horse mortalities and can assist in designing and troubleshooting composting systems.

United States Equestrian Federation finalists for 2009 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year are: Courage to Lead, Morgan mare, owned by Beverley Lesher; Kripton-Seni II, Andalusian stallion, Joe & Nancy Latta; CH Our Charming Lady, American Saddlebred mare, Jack and Donna Finch; Ravel, Dutch Warmblood gelding, Akiko Yamazaki; Sapphire, Belgian Warmblood mare, McLain Ward & Bluechip Bloodstock

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will sponsor a new business education workshop Feb. 5-6, 2010, in Dallas, Texas. The meeting, which offers essential skills for building a successful equine practice in the 21st century, is sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Boehringer-Ingelheim.

The San Diego mounted police unit is being disbanded and the horses sold due to budget deficits, according to an article at SignOnSanDiego.com. In January all eight mounted police horses and most of the equipment will be auctioned off.

Duke, a gray Percheron/Thoroughbred cross police horse in the Lancaster, Pa., mounted unit, was rushed to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center on Dec. 16 for emergency colic surgery. Duke is expected to make a full recovery and return to duty in about three months.

More than 640 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “What fire prevention measures do you employ around your barn?”

The number of Kentucky horses abandoned by their owners rose through 2009, according to a report released by the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) this week. County officials, rescue operators, and KHC members provided data for the report, which compared the number of horses abandoned or placed in equine rescues between 2007 and 2009.

An estimated 168 horses were reported abandoned by

Purina has selected the winners of its online Senior Horse Tales Contest. Four national winners and seven regional winners were chosen in categories that included best senior horse essay, best senior horse or senior pony photo, oldest horse in age, and oldest pony in age. Entrants were asked to include how Purina Equine Senior feed made an impact on their horses.

“The passion

This is one of a series of articles translated as part of our partnership with A Caballo, an equine publication based in Mexico, and Jorge Murga, DVM. Keep an eye on TheHorse.com for more Spanish-language resources coming soon.