Latest News – The Horse

Although Rachel Alexandra has been installed as the 4-5 favorite for the $1.25-million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Aug. 2, she could face stiff competition from several of the six 3-year-old colts entered against her.

The filly, who is scheduled to arrive at Monmouth around 8 a.m. July 31, vanning down from Saratoga, drew post 6 and will be ridden by Calvin Borel.

“It’s an

Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) is pleased to announce 35 new companion animal studies available for sponsorship.

MAF will fund more than 200 new, continuing, and veterinary student scholar studies in 2009-2010. These studies are available for study sponsorship–which is a great way to help support research leading to needed treatments and prevention strategies for diseases that concer

With the large amount of rain Maine has experienced this summer, it has been a challenge to produce quality hay for Maine’s livestock industry. If hay growers did not take advantage of excellent weather for dry hay production at the end of May and very early part of June, they are now faced with crops that are of low nutritional quality and weather patterns that are not conducive to good drying.

Six horses have died from catastrophic injuries at Del Mar during a 10-day span that includes the first week of racing. Three occurred during morning training on Polytrack, two happened during races on Polytrack, and one was in a turf race.

The fatalities came from six different barns. Mad for Plaid, a maiden claimer trained by Peter Miller, fractured her left front sesamoids during

The first competitors in the 2009 Tevis Cup endurance ride to arrive at the Auburn, Calif., fairgrounds last week were Thor Halseth, of Agoura, Calif., and his 8-year-old gray Polish Arabian gelding, Road Rage.

Halseth arrived early to participate in the race sponsored training ride where experienced former competitors guide riders over the last 70 miles of the 100-mile course. Road Rage

Steven Brinsko, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, associate professor and chief of Theriogenology in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, has been named the 2009 vice president of the American College of Theriogenologists (ACT).

Brinsko will begin his four-year term as the ACT vice president next mont

This year’s Chincoteague Pony swim and auction raised $94,100 for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. Approximately 150 ponies were rounded up yesterday for today’s annual sale, the proceeds of which are used to help maintain the wild herd and run the fire department.

This year, bidders bought 70 ponies at an average price of $1,344.29, according to Suzanne Taylor, executive

Head Tevis Cup veterinarian Greg Fellers, DVM, will implement a new post-ride vet check this year. His check will be conducted within two hours after horses complete the 100-mile ride from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, Calif.

“What I am looking for in this new check is a continually falling heart rate. This check should find heart rates in the 44, 46, 48 beats per minute range,” Fellers

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board clarified July 28 that horses are banned from being entered in races if they have received hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment within one week of post time. The therapy is permitted otherwise.

The directive, explained in a release, clarifies existing state rules and is endorsed by the New York Racing Association, the Wagering Board said.

State game lands can be beautiful places to ride horses. However, riding (along with hiking, biking, and other uses) is permitted or restricted by individual state’s policies. The purchase and maintenance of these lands is generally funded by the sale of licenses and sporting goods purchased by anglers and hunters. If equestrians wish to ride on state wildlife management areas, they must

Raptors will take flight in the new Agnes Varis Auditorium and an expected crowd of thousands will gather to learn about all the furry, galloping, and ruminating animals at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine annual Open House, Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m in Grafton, Mass. The event is free and open to the public, rain or shine.

Canines of all types wil

Developmental orthopedic disease can rob a young horse of his future as a sound athlete. Each year the consequences of diseases such as osteochondritis dissecans and physitis render hundreds, maybe thousands, of young horses structurally inadequate f