Latest News – The Horse

The equine and rendering industries are anticipating a pinch from a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation intended to prevent the proliferation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow disease”).

The regulation on the 1997 legislation prohibits the use of most mammalian proteins in feed for ruminant (cud-chewing) animals. The final rule, which is slated to take

Supporting (also called contralateral) limb laminitis strikes a previously healthy hoof when it bears excessive weight for long periods because the other front or hind foot is extremely painful (such as from a fracture, surgery, severe infection, etc.).

Each year about 2,500 professional veterinarians graduate from the 28 veterinary colleges in North America. That might not be enough to protect the nation from animal diseases that pose threats to human health, according to a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office.  

The American Veterinary

The last Kentucky stallion known to have been exposed to contagious equine metritis (CEM) has been released from quarantine, State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout, DVM, has announced.

The western Kentucky Quarter Horse completed a testing and treatment regimen and was found to be free of the organism that causes the venereal disease. Four stallions that were infected with the organism were

When a horse has pain in the rear half of the foot, injection of the navicular bursa (sac cushioning the navicular bone from the deep digital flexor tendon) is often considered as a treatment option. Corticosteroids (to control inflammation) and possibly hyaluronate (HA, to improve the bursa’s lubrication and decrease synovial inflammation

An equine athlete uses the pelvis and sacroiliac (SI) joint in many different fashions: A rope horse uses the pelvis to rapidly accelerate and decelerate, a Standardbred races at high speed at a constrained gait, and a dressage horse exercises with repetitive and isometric control of his haunches. Furthermore, a vaulting horse is constrained to a circle, but he must provide stability of

Nicanor, full brother to the ill-fated Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro, will have to wait until another day to get his first victory following his runner-up showing as the odds-on choice to Glittermans Cartel in a $42,000 maiden race at Gulfstream Park March 28.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano, Nicanor fought the pacesetter Glittermans Cartel all the way to the wire but came up a half-length short in

The Animal Humane Society of St. Paul, Minn., has seen a significant increase in equine-related cases over the past two years.

Hunt Club, LLC announces it has joined with Grief, Inc. to make corrugated animal bedding in Louisville, Ky.

Hunt Club is healthier, warmer and more comfortable for the horse and is four times more absorbent than traditional shavings or straw. It is ideal for horses with respiratory or post surgical issues and helps prevent allergies or other respiratory ailments.
 
It will

Although horse owners continue to administer oral joint health supplements (OJHS), a substantial proportion of these products are substandard in quality, efficacy, and safety, according to a presentation given at the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced March 27 the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund will distribute more than $18.7 million in awards for 2008.

While this year’s KBIF awards are down from the $19,220,007 paid in 2007, they are still higher than the $15 million awarded during the program’s first payout in 2006.

“It’s certainly much-needed good news for breeders

SmartPak is offering attendees another special opportunity to learn from top riders at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** when they hold their 5th consecutive Course Walk on Thursday, April 23rd.  Attendees will get the opportunity to see the course through the eyes of 2 of the country’s top event riders; Kim Severson and Jan Byyny. 

Always an entertaining duo, Severson and

Alysheba, a Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year, was euthanized March 27 at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute near Lexington. The 25-year-old pensioned stallion, who resided at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions, was buried across from the grave of the great John Henry.

According to a statement released by the Park, Alysheba fell in his stall and was not able to get up.

Two U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to prohibit the transport of horses for slaughter in Mexico and Canada. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) introduced S 727, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act into the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 26.

S 727 would prohibit the

Much like asthma in humans, equine heaves is a chronic, often debilitating disease in horses. The clinical signs can range from coughing and work intolerance to labored breathing, even at rest.

Virginia Buechner-Maxwell, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech,