Latest News – The Horse
AAEP Disaster Update
In the wake of catastrophic world events, the AAEP created the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Task Force in 2002. The World Trade Center bombings, the foot and mouth outbreak in the United Kingdom, and Hurricane Lili pounding the Gulf Coast
New Beginnings
If you had never been to Louisiana before, you might drive through the southern countryside today, passing sugarcane fields and oil refineries, and across bridge after bridge spanning a seemingly endless swampland, without too heavy of a reminde
Fainting Foals, Sleepy Horses
Humans have been fascinated with narcolepsy for centuries. The sight of an otherwise normal person suddenly lapsing into unexplainable deep sleep was cause for curiosity, if not amusement, even after scientists in the late 1800s found that
Lameness Diagnosis at Home
This system will allow a practitioner to diagnose a horse in the field while trotting in hand, being ridden, or longeing, whereas video-based motion-capture technology (if adequate numbers of strides are evaluated) is restricted to a lab and is very
New Product Reduces Clinical Signs of Herpes
Pfizer Animal Health on Feb. 8 announced the release of Zylexis in the United States, which according to the company’s research prepares the horse’s immune system to function more efficiently against equine herpesvirus-1 and -4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4)
Kentucky Rescinds Maryland EHV Restrictions
On March 31, one week before Keeneland’s spring race meet is set to begin, State Veterinarian Robert Stout, DVM, lifted restrictions for all Maryland horses entering Kentucky racetracks based on information provided by the Maryland Department of
The Hardest Decision
Several recent occurrences have brought to mind the role of humans as stewards of our animals. These stories don’t all have to do with horses, but how many horse owners do you know who don’t have dogs, cats, or other critters running around the
Florida MRLS Update 3-31-06
A second foal has been confirmed as having died from mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) in Florida, according to Dana Zimmel, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP, of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The first case was a
First Commercially Cloned Mare Born
Scientists and veterinarians today (March 30) announced the birth of the first commercially cloned mare, created from the cells of champion cutting horse Royal Blue Boon. The filly, Royal Blue Boon Too, was carried to term by a recipient mare an
MRLS in Florida
Editor’s Note: By clicking on this Read More
Emergency Training Emphasizes Horse Handling Skills, Practical Equipment
“Keep your knee gently pressed into her neck, and if she decides to get up, go ahead and let her, don’t fight it.” An emergency instructor gave this advice to a firefighter learning to hold down a horse acting as an injured animal during a
Interval Training: A Better Option for Racehorses?
Musculoskeletal injury is the main cause of wastage in Thoroughbred racehorses worldwide, with nearly 30% of all fractures being pelvic and tibial stress fractures. Studies in California in the late 1990s suggested fast work increased the risk o
Citizens Push for “Brigadier’s Law”
A deliberate hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of a Metro Toronto police horse on Feb. 24 has galvanized Canadians to amend the Criminal Code to better protect law enforcement service animals.
After attending Brigadier’s
Premature Foals (Book Excerpt)
Foals can be born prematurely for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons for a premature delivery are infection of the placenta (placentitis) or long-standing placental insufficiency.
Understanding Congenital Stationary Night Blindness
Canadian researchers are investigating the cause of a condition found primarily in Appaloosas that prevents them from seeing in the dark. Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a hereditary, non-progressive condition for which there is
Book Excerpt: Feeding During Pregnancy and Lactation
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Understanding Equine Preventive Medicine by Bradford G. Bentz, VMD. This book is available from



