Latest News – The Horse

The 2nd International Conference on the transportation of sport/breeding horses will be held July 12-13, 2003, at Hartpury College, Hartpury, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.

Officials expect that up to 300 delegates from all over the world will attend the conference, which is specifically aimed at horse transport industry representatives.

The conference, funded by the Federation

A study led by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) found that West Nile virus (WNV) cost equine owners in Colorado and Nebraska more than $1.25 million in 2002, and prevention costs for WNV vaccination likely topped another $2.75 million for the equine industry in those states last year. In 2002, Colorado reported 378 confirmed cases of WNV in equids, and Nebraska reported 1,100.

Attended by delegates from more than 60 countries, Alltech’s International Feed Industry Symposium provided an abundance of information for those involved with horses, poultry, pigs, dairy and beef cattle, agronomy, aquaculture, and companion animals. Each year, the meeting, held in Lexington, Ky., provides a forum for researchers and international industry leaders to gather, exchange ideas,

A pair of recent studies conducted by researchers in New York, Ireland, and Australia have provided new information about the equine throat. Articles about both research projects appeared in the May 2003 issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal.

In New York, scientists at Cornell University looked at dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), which interferes with breathing in

Results of Texas A&M University’s research into imprinting’s effects on six-month-old foals conclude that neither the frequency of imprinting sessions nor their timing after birth influenced foals’ later behavior. Some veterinarians disagree with the findings.

The study, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, was conducted by Jennifer L. Williams, PhD, and colleagues in

The Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station has published the scientific papers from the August 2002 workshop on mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) convened at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center. This information is available in book form or electronically at

A company in the United Kingdom has created a jump design to lessen the severity of cross-country jumping falls. In 1999, several U.K. riders died from accidents on cross-country jumps. The resultant British Horse Trials Association study committee hired the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), an expert in transportation safety, for scientific investigation, data analysis, accident

Owners of mares should know correct anatomical terminology, have a working knowledge of the normal reproductive cycle, and be acquainted with common problems that could occur. The following article is designed to help mare owners understand the normal reproductive tract of the mare, and the words that veterinarians use to describe normal and abnormal aspects of that anatomy.

See diagrams

As the foal takes his initial stance, a proud owner takes stock to see how straight and strong the youngster’s legs are. Many foals are born with seemingly crooked legs (congenital). Most of these crooked legs straighten by the time the foal is a couple of weeks or months old. Some limb deformities develop after birth, as the foal grows (acquired). In determining what specific veterinary

Noise and exercise intolerance…those are the usual signs of an upper airway disorder. Many things can go wrong with a horse’s breathing mechanisms that don’t involve the lungs. The diagnoses aren’t always accurate, and treatments aren’t totally effective, but researchers are finding new ways to handle these complicated problems.

Diseases of the upper airway can occur in the hard or sof

One of the most traumatic times in a young horse’s life is when he is separated from his mother at weaning time. From birth, he has been dependent on the mare for sustenance and protection. At weaning time that changes, and the youngster must cope with the world, minus his mother’s protective presence.

True, the youngster has become less and less dependent on the mare’s milk for a food

Nutritional strategies for raising and competing sounder Thoroughbreds, many of which can be applied to horses of all breeds, was presented by Laurie Lawrence, PhD, at the Thoroughbred International Exposition and Conference (TIEC). Lawrence, who has done extensive research on equine nutrition at the University of Kentucky, covered nutrition of foals, weanlings, and

Artificial insemination (AI) and stallion book size were among the more controversial topics discussed as university professors from across the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and Israel gathered in Louisville, Ky., June 25-28 for the third International Equine Industry Program Academic Conference.

About 35 participants presented papers on a variety of topics ranging from

Alfred M. Merritt II, AB, DVM, MS, will present the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at the AAEP’s 49th Annual Convention in New Orleans, La., November 21-25, 2003. Merritt’s presentation will highlight advances made over the last 40 years in our understanding of the function and diseases of the equine stomach, with particular emphasis on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will sponsor two continuing education meetings this summer in Fort Collins, Colo. Scheduled for July 28-30, the first-ever Focus meeting and the 11th annual Practice Management Seminar offer practitioners two separate paths of study for one registration fee.

Focus is a new meeting that spotlights one specific modality or conditio