Latest News – The Horse

By the time this magazine is in your hands, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will have released a report they commissioned to answer some of the questions raised in the industry about horse slaughter. The TRF is, of course, strictly a Thoroughbred rescue group. However, the issue of slaughter is one that touches every horse owner, so the information they provide is important to

Ohio and Pennsylvania have confirmed or reported cases of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1, see Pennsylvania information on page 15). But the worst problems reported thus far have occurred in Ohio, where 12 horses died in an outbreak at the University of Findlay (see article #4127 at www.TheHorse.com) and three other Ohio horses die

While Ohio veterinarians are busy fighting what seems to be an especially aggressive strain of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), two horses were euthanized due to illness from the virus at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Penn., in an outbreak that appears to be a more typical, sporadic episode. Additionally, at least two Iowa horses have been euthanized after battling what officials

A new Horse/Human Age Relationship Chart was recently released that seeks to better explain the relationship between the stages of life for humans and horses. This information reveals that, beginning at birth, horses age 6.5 years for each human year until puberty. Once a horse reaches age four, that rate slows to 2.5 years for each human year.

The Age Relationship Chart, created by

A question has been raised whether the increased number of West Nile virus (WNV) cases in Kentucky in late summer and fall 2002 contributed to a rise in fall abortions. A retrospective study by the University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease and Diagnostic Center (LDDC), from July of 2002 through early 2003, looked at 400 equine abortions for evidence of WNV. Their findings were “surprising,”

The long-awaited reference Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse was recently released by Elsevier Science. The book was co-authored by Mike W. Ross, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of the University of Pennsylvania’s school of veterinary medicine; and Sue J. Dyson, FRCVS, of the Center for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust in the United Kingdom. Ross and Dyson offer comprehensive

University of Florida (UF) research has shown that any exercise above a walk could force acidic gastric juices up into sensitive areas of the equine stomach, which could be why ulcers develop or worsen in horses in training (affecting more than 80% of performance horses in some studies).

Alfred Merritt, DVM, MS; and Mireia Lorenzo-Figueras, DVM, have found that gastric tension changes

Whether it is the increased stress of daily life or the baby-boomer generation wanting to experience the roots of their pioneer forefathers, more and more people are setting out to see the country from horseback. As a result, equestrian campgrounds have multiplied throughout the country and the design of horse trailers has changed drastically to cater to the comfort of weekend or week-long

Amber is a 30-year-old Arabian mare which was slowly starving to death because her owners had run out of money to care for her. Because of her age and lack of potential and worth, Amber’s owners allowed her to be pushed out of food and veterinary care in their herd of 35 horses. The husband finally decided to give Amber to a nearby therapeutic riding center, which promptly contacted the Hoove

Advanced reproductive technologies that can be used in horses are expanding every year. Geography is no longer a limiting factor in choosing a mate for your mare, as fresh cooled semen can be shipped across North America with ease. Frozen semen also means stallions from other continents can be used.

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation’s board of directors has approved funding of $748,116 for a slate of 19 research projects for 2003, increasing the organization’s total for equine research since 1983 to more than $10 million.

The research funded in 2003 will take place at 11 universities in the United States and Canada and includes the launch of 10 new projects and the

The equine breeding industry is among the recipients of funds from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, which allocated more than $4.3 million for 2003 projects.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders received $190,000 to continue research into mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS), which struck Central Kentucky in the spring of 2001. The exact cause of MRLS still

The Virginia Racing Commission has banned the use of shock wave therapy on horses within 10 days of a race.

The therapeutic treatments, originally used to break up bone fragments, have an analgesic (pain-killing) effect on horses that can last for up to four days. Because of that, there has been suspicion in the racing industry that horses are racing when injured and can’t feel

War Emblem, North America’s champion 3-year-old male of 2002 who was sold to Japan’s Shadai Stallion Station for nearly $18 million in September, is having difficulties covering mares in his first year at stud and his owners are negotiating a settlement with an insurance company.

The problem with War Emblem does not involve his fertility, sources close to Shadai said, but with his