Latest News – The Horse
Arthritis Under Control
Although not usually life-threatening, arthritis causes your horse pain and can be career-ending. In fact, a research report from Michigan State University’s McPhail Equine Performance Center calls degenerative joint disease the single most common cause of early retirement for sport horses.
Scientists are working hard on several studies that might eventually present realistic solutions
Stop Problems Before They Start
Thought you knew the latest in keeping your horse healthy from head to toe? Think again! Richard Mansmann, VMD, PhD, from Central Carolina Equine Practice in Chapel Hill, N.C., is using a preventive foot care program that’s designed to detect early and/or prevent foot problems that could limit performance in horses. This program involves at least an annual visit by the veterinarian and
What Boys Are Made Of
An appreciation of normal reproductive anatomy is essential to the competent physical examination of the stallion’s reproductive tract. If you are involved in breeding, then you should be familiar with what is considered normal so you know when something is wrong. This information will also help mare owners make informed decisions about a particular stallion which might have physical problems
The Magnificent Seven
Ever wonder why some minerals (such as copper, zinc, iron, and selenium) are referred to as “trace minerals” while other minerals (such as calcium and phosphorus) are not?
Keeping Disease at Bay
Preventing communicable diseases from striking horses should be the goal of every horse owner. Despite our best efforts, however, there are going to be occasions when a communicable malady afflicts one or more horses at a private farm or public stable. When that occurs, efforts must be made to treat the afflicted animals and to prevent the disease from spreading to others on the premises or i
Gentling Abused Colts
I run a rescue ranch in Tucson for abused horses and dogs. I recently got in two young horses about six to eight months old, weighing in at about 500 pounds each. They have been badly branded, and they appear to be beaten up pretty badly. Their cuts are healing, and they seem to have that “baby resilience.” One of them has a bad limp in the right front leg; I suspect from being hobbled or
Colt Fertility
My husband and I have a mare in heat. I had suggested that we use a 2 1/2 year old stud that we own. He said that the stud is too young. Can you help?
Wrapping a Bowed Tendon for Exercise
We have a 4-year-old Thoroughbred with a bowed tendon. He has been laid up for about a year and is now in training and doing well. When we race him, should we wrap his leg to support the bow or leave it open?
What Makes a Horse Yawn?
What makes a horse yawn? Does this help the horse get lots of air in his lungs like with people? Is it a sign of anything in particular?
What’s Right for Your Horse?
Joint trauma can severely limit performance and seriously affect the quality of your horse’s daily life. Owners want and need to know how best to manage equine joint disease. The most important factor in successful treatment is early detection and diagnosis.
Any of the components of joints–the joint capsule, synovial membrane, synovial fluid, cartilage, bone, and ligaments–can b
Laser Surgery in Horses
The term “laser” conjures up images varying from action movies to removal of skin wrinkles to hands-free toilet flushing. What these things have in common is that a beam of light with a particular wavelength produces a particular desired effect. A surgical laser simply delivers coherent (meaning the beam stays together indefinitely), monochromatic (single wavelength as opposed to the visible
The World’s First Equine Clone
The landscape of equine reproduction research dramatically changed yesterday (May 29) when a University of Idaho (UI) and Utah State University team announced they were the first to clone a member of the equine family–the mule–according to an article to be published in the journal Science. The research team includes Gordon Woods, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACT, UI professor of animal and
First 2003 Kentucky Equine WNV Case Confirmed
Kentucky has its first confirmed case of West Nile virus (WNV) in an equine for 2003, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health reported on Thursday.
The 20-year-old pleasure horse is located in Madison County, said Rusty Ford, the Department’s equine programs manager. The horse is recovering and the prognosis is good.
“West Nile is here to
University of Kentucky Pasture Monitoring Interim Report–Comparison of 2002 and 2003
The University of Kentucky mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) pasture monitoring program has been evaluating certain pasture parameters weekly since March 1, 2003. A comparison of 2002 and 2003 values for some pasture parameters and a brief interpretation follows.
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003
From the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association
Before adjourning for the Memorial Day recess, the United States Congress passed the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. President George Bush will sign this legislation, which includes a number of provisions that will benefit the horse industry.
The $350 billion tax cut bill
Idaho, Utah Researchers Successfully Clone Mule
A University of Idaho–Utah State University research team is the first worldwide to clone a member of the horse family, a mule, according to an article to be published in the journal Science.
The research team includes Gordon Woods, UI professor of animal and veterinary science, Kenneth L. White, Utah State University professor of animal science, and Dirk Vanderwall, UI
