Latest News – The Horse

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) today issued a statement on new Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations passed by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly Nov. 19. The passed regulations included a "progressive list" of substances that will now be allowed in competition in limited amounts, including phenylbutazone

Not only can DNA-based tests indicate whether or not a horse is infected with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), these tests can also measure the amount of virus in the horse's nasal secretions.

"Virus isolation has been the gold standard test for EHV-1, but have recently been replaced by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests," reported Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl.

Blind horses can usually get by with a little help from a friend; or, in this case, a trustworthy companion horse, said Ann Dwyer, DVM, a private practitioner with a strong interest in equine ophthalmology and co-owner of Genesee Valley Equine Clinic LLC in upstate New York. She spoke at the first AAEP Focus on Ophthalmology meeting, held in Raleigh, N.C., in October.

Uveitis is

With four days of consecutive dressage lessons that ran from Nov. 20-23, Elmer Bandit, the 38-year-old National Competitive Trail mileage holder, observed Thanksgiving by resting at his Independence, Mo., boarding stable home.

How has Elmer prepared for winter?

"He has grown an inch of hair, at least, and is very soft and furry," reported his lifetime owner,

Summer Bird, winner of the grade I Belmont Stakes, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, was withdrawn from the Dec. 6 Japan Cup Dirt after suffering an injury in a workout at Hanshin Race Course.

According to owner Dr. K.K. Jayaraman, the son of Birdstone came back from his work Nov. 29 showing signs of lameness.

One theory explaining this “horse of a different color” phenomenon is that, historically, only a few coat colors might have been appropriate for survival in the wild. For example, horses of a certain color could have been better camouflaged, considered a more appropriate mate, have more tolerance to certain pathogens, or better adapt to the environment than horses of other colors.

For years, the fabled Hialeah Park race track has sat idle — battered, broken, and left to rot.

These days, fresh paint coats the walls, pink flamingos are practicing their familiar moves and some of the luster has been restored to Florida's grand old track. On Saturday, those famous flamingos are expected to fly again, when Hialeah reopens for its first race day in

"The more we look for neurologic signs, the more we discover new syndromes," said I.G. Joe Mayhew, BVSc, FRCVS, PhD, Dipl ACVIM, ECVN, head of Equine Massey and professor of Equine Studies at Massey University in New Zealand, at the 2009 WEVA Congress. Mayhew gave several presentations, including an update on emerging neurologic syndromes.

"Over the last five year

The State of Victoria in Australia will prohibit jump racing after the 2010 season, stated an article on straitstimes.com.

The governing body in that state, Racing Victoria Limited (RVL), made the announcement today (Nov. 27).

The article noted that eight horses die

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance is seeking public comment on its activities in advance of the release of an annual report in late December.

Tommy Thompson, a former federal and state official who serves as independent monitor for the alliance, is preparing the year-end report. The alliance was formed in the fall of 2008, and this year i