Latest News – The Horse
Rain Forecast for Kentucky Oaks, Derby
As you handicap this year’s Kentucky Derby, you better ask yourself not only who can get a mile and a quarter, but who can do so on an off track. Some of this year’s contenders have been running on synthetic surfaces and never touched a track listed as sloppy or muddy. That might change May 2 because Churchill Downs has a traditional dirt surface, and the forecast is for rain.
It is
BLM Cites Co-Owner of Nebraska Mustang Ranch
The co-owner of a Nebraska training ranch from which 211 BLM mustangs and burros were recently removed faces federal charges for the alleged maltreatment of a mustang adopted in her name.
On April 16, the BLM cited Anissa Meduna, co owner of the 3-Strikes Ranch in Alliance, Neb., with one count of inhumane treatment of a wild horse or burro, said BLM spokesperson Cindy Wertz.
BLM to Offer Cash Incentives for Wild Horse Adoptions
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hoping cash incentives will boost adoptions of wild horses and burros that would otherwise spend their lives in long-term holding facilities.
Under a pilot program slated to debut at an adoption event in Kellyville, Okla., next month, the agency will pay $500 to qualified individuals who adopt BLM mustangs or burros that are four years
Where is Your Money Going?
By now we all know the hurting economy is also hurting the horse industry. Even the highest echelons of horse ownership are being affected, so
Win Willy Out of Derby with Possible Injury
Win Willy, fourth-place finisher in the Arkansas Derby, was declared out of the Kentucky Derby by trainer Mac Robertson on the morning of April 29, hours before entries were to be taken for the May 2 race at Churchill Downs.
Robertson said an X ray taken Tuesday revealed a “line” in the left front fetlock that could or could not be a problem. So, to err on the side of caution, the
NBC Plans Week-Long Derby Coverage
NBC Universal is planning a full-court press when it comes to handling the 135th Kentucky Derby, with all-week coverage featured in a variety of programming and platforms.
The race itself will be part of a three-hour show from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. EST Saturday, May 2 airing on the NBC network, but Derby segments can be seen on the Today show. The show will air live from Churchill Downs Friday,
Pharmacy Releases Statement on Polo Pony Test Results
The pharmacy involved in the investigation into the recent death of 21 polo ponies in Wellington, Fla., has released a statement verifying that selenium was the excess ingredient in the medication prepared for the ponies.
Florida State Veterinarian Thomas J. Holt, DVM, reported yesterday that the animals had “significantly
Navicular Disease: Research Needed to Better Understand
Navicular disease was first described 250 years ago, when it was called “coffin joint lameness” because the lameness came from inside the horse’s hoof.
Mustang Bill Heads to House
A bill prohibiting the euthanasia of healthy Bureau of Land Management (BLM) horses took a step toward becoming law on Wednesday when members of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee approved the measure by a 21-14 margin.
H.R. 1018 amends the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 to allow the BLM to increase acreage available to free roaming herds, an
Derby Fever
I’m not sure how many of you know it, but The Horse is owned by Blood-Horse Publications, which publishes The Blood-Horse weekly Thoroughbred news magazine
I Am The Walrus
… mustache, that is. Alfie, a 10-year-old Shire cross in Bitton, Gloucestershire, seems rather fond of his unique facial hair–so much so that he
Team Vet Says Rolex Horse Died of Abdominal Hemorrhage
The horse that died at this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event succumbed to an abdominal hemorrhage, according to a statement from Canadian Eventing Team Veterinarian Christiana Ober, DVM, released via Equine Canada.
Kingpin, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding ridden by Canadian Mike Winter, collapsed on landing after negotiating cross-country fence 10.
Shin Soreness Takes Square Eddie Out of Derby
J. Paul Reddam’s Square Eddie will not run in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, trainer Doug O’Neill told The Blood-Horse early April 28.
The son of Smart Strike, who has been plagued with sore shins while on the Derby trail, worked a half-mile at Churchill Downs April 26 under exercise rider Tony Romero in :50 1/5.
Elmer Bandit Sidetracked by Justice System
A call to jury duty prevented Mary Anna Wood from competing her 38-year-old half-Arabian gelding, Elmer Bandit in the Rustlers and Renegades Competitive Trail ride in Cherryvale, Kan., this past weekend. Elmer broke the record for lifetime competitive trail mileage
Churchill Unveils Barbaro Statue
Fans entering Gate 1 at Churchill Downs may have their breath taken away when they arrive for the races Kentucky Derby week following the unveiling of life-sized statue of Barbaro April 26. The event drew a “Friends of Barbaro” crowd of about 500 who cheered with approval when the tarp was pulled off the sculpture.
Tugging at the cloth were Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the breeders and
Consider Temporal Nerve Problem in Neurologic Horse Diagnosis
When presented with a horse demonstrating facial nerve paralysis and/or a head tilt, neurologists say veterinarians should consider temporohyoid osteoarthropathy, a disorder of the hyoid apparatus (voice box) and associated structures. Although it is not the most commonly diagnosed neurologic condition in horses, it’s an important and treatable condition that horse owners and their
