Latest News – The Horse

Four horses stabled in Allegheny County, Pa., have been euthanized after developing neurologic signs consistent with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), according to a statement circulated by the Animal Health Emergency Management and Information Network on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services. Three of the euthanized horses

James H. Steele founded the veterinary division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1947. The 96-year-old veterinarian is called “The Father of Veterinary Public Health” by his colleagues.

Lameness, weight loss, colic, and equine Cushing’s syndrome are the four top reasons for euthanizing an older horse, said Catherine McGowan, BVSc, PhD, RCVS, European specialist in equine internal medicine, who presented research by Thomas McGowan, BSc, DVM, PhD, at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, held June 3-6 in Montréal, Quebec.

To date there have been no

Horse owners can learn more about weed control in horse pastures from a new fact sheet published by University of Minnesota horse extension specialists.

The new publication, Plants Commonly Found in Established Minnesota Horse Pastures, is packed with informatio

Experienced agricultural producers in the southern Great Plains know that low wind speeds, high humidity, moist hay, and hot temperatures can be a recipe for disaster. Under such a set of circumstances, tightly stacked hay bales have been known to combust. Without proper preventative measures, hay barns or any other structures close to the blazing bales potentially might be lost.

Texas’ worst drought in 50 years has burnt up pasture and raised the price of hay, leaving horse rescues to cope with an increase in abandonment and neglect cases as owners struggle to feed their horses.

“The cost of hay is going up, if you can even find it,” said Jennifer Williams, PhD, president and executive director of Texas’ Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society.

Williams said the

The UK’s National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) has produced two new brochures on responsible horse management in response to the high number of requests for help that their members are receiving from horse owners struggling financially. The new publications cover “Responsible

After discussions with industry participants and a review of all scientific research available on the use of toe grabs on the front shoes of Thoroughbreds, The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Safety Committee recommends adjusting the current RCI Model Rule on horse shoes to allow toe grabs up to four millimeters in height on front shoes on dirt racing surfaces only.

The committee’s

The majority of Thoroughbred registration applications were recently mailed to the breeders fo 2009 live foals. The Jockey Club is reminding owners and breeders that they can contribute to the post-racing care of Thoroughbreds through a voluntary checkoff program that benefits Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).

The Jockey Club is

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.