Latest News – The Horse
Mud Management
Flanders and Swann, a singing comedy team from the United Kingdom, once penned a song that went like this:
“Mud, mud, glorious mud,
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.
So follow me, follow,
Down to the hollow,
And there let us wallow
In glorious mud!”
Of course the song was written from the perspective of a hippo.
For that animal’s distant
Beasts of Burden
Any horse owner who tours the medieval gallery at a museum must stop at the displays of suits of armor and marvel. Imagine the sheer weight of such an outfit–then imagine trying to maneuver oneself into the saddle wearing it! Visions of metal-sheathed knights being lowered by crude cranes and slings onto their groaning draft horses might in fact be hyperbole since historians say knights
Out of Work; Out of Money
The world of insurance as it pertains to equines can be a bit complicated for the average horse owner. Nowhere is this more true than with “loss of use” insurance. At the outset, it doesn’t seem all that complicated. If your horse can no longer perform in the discipline stated in the policy, you receive a sum of money that has been established in advance. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that
Why Horses Stumble
There are many reasons a horse might stumble. Work with your veterinarian and farrier to determine the cause, since the onset of stumbling might indicate a shoeing/trimming problem, or could be a warning of serious health problems.
Don’t Leave Me Alone!
Why do some horses not like having their buddies taken out of their pen when they have to stay in?
Get a Vet!
When I ride my 24-year-old Arabian mare Western, she tends to want to pick up the pace and wants to look around. How can I get her to slow down and stay focused? She gets stiff and starts to limp on her left hind leg when I am riding her. Another thing she does is pee constantly when I am riding her, but it isn’t pee that comes out, it’s blood. Can you tell me why she does this and if there i
Blind and Restless
My 19-year-old horse is 95% blind, and when he’s not eating or sleeping he walks in circles. What can I do to stop or minimize this behavior?
Patent Urachus
I have a 10-day-old orphaned foal. When she urinates, it also comes from her navel. I have talked to our vet, but would like to read more about this condition.
The White Rule
Back in 1940, life in the United States was simple, despite a world at war and a complex future right at the nation’s doorstep. That March during the Fort Worth stock show and rodeo, a group of prominent ranchers and horse
Advanced Diagnostics
Lameness is one of the most common problems encountered in equine veterinary medicine. The majority of lameness cases are localized to areas within the distal limb; however, the sources, causes, and locations of lameness are diverse. The cause o
Kentucky Gov. Fletcher Signs Emergency Regulation Amending Ban On Texas Livestock
The ban on Texas livestock coming into Kentucky from Texas because of vesicular stomatitis (VS) has been amended by Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher today (May 27) by an emergency regulation, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The emergency regulation will allow livestock from most of Texas to enter the Commonwealth under certain conditions. Livestock would still be
Maryland Horse Farm Quarantined as Veterinarians Investigate Cause of Equine Illness
A private Maryland horse farm has been under a voluntary quarantine since March 25 while veterinarians investigate the cause of illness in 12 horses, four of which have been humanely euthanized. Veterinarians are testing for several diseases,
EU Places Restrictions on Horses from the United States
The American Horse Council has learned that all horses being exported from the United States to the European Union (EU) now require a negative (1:12) virus neutralization test for vesicular stomatitis (VS). The test samples must be taken within
Salmonella In Central Kentucky
On May 8, a Central Kentucky equine hospital sent out letters to area clients, farm managers, and veterinarians notifying them that an increased number of salmonella cases had been detected at the clinic this year, and explaining the methods
Rock Hard Ten Goes to Gate School
(from Belmont Park notes)
In the Preakness on May 15, Rock Hard Ten, a huge colt, was especially conspicuous. As the last horse loaded into the gate at Pimlico, Rock Hard Ten had the attention of the racing world and NBC’s
Wisconsin Veterinary School Gains Renowned Equine Surgeon
One of the nation’s first veterinarians to use arthroscopic surgery in equine practice, Joe Foerner, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, began providing surgical services to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine on May 21. He will be
