Latest News – The Horse
Fescue Toxicosis
Mares grazing on tall fescue pastures infected with a toxin have increased gestation lengths, mare and foal deaths, agalactia (absent milk secretion after birth), retained placentas, premature separation of the placenta at birth, and increased placental weights and thickness.
Focus on Discipline: Endurance
Uphill, downhill, through brush, over rocks and deep sand, across streams–this equine athlete carries his rider to a destination. The trail horse travels along a sometimes none-too-defined path, replicating the centuries-old use of the horse as
Bioabsorbable Screws
A unique type of bone screw made of a most unlikely material is making waves in equine fracture repair at the Equine Research Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The results indicate that the screws also could have important applications in human
Injured Riders Can’t Help Horses
Why doesn’t every rider wear an approved safety helmet, and wear it correctly, every ride? Statistics show that most people who are severely hurt in riding-related incidents suffer from head injuries. I guess it’s a lot like the debate concernin
Navicular Syndrome Treatment: The Brave New World
In spite of the best care given to horses in the history of their domesticated lives, record numbers of carefully bred, reared, and trained saddle horses are prevented from fully athletic lives by the crippling disease known as navicular syndrome.”n spite of the best
Studies on Vitamin E
Researchers at Oregon State University and elsewhere are continuing to examine the role of vitamin E in horse health, including disease prevention and therapy. In particular, vitamin E deficiencies and/or supplementation could be important
Puncture Wounds in the Foot
Within this subject, it is also a good time to discuss simple foot abscesses, as they are a common–and often the best possible–outcome for a puncture wound to the foot. Generally before infection can take hold, the puncture must penetrate the dead
Hoof Preparation Products
Walk into any tack store and you can smell the hoof care section before you even get there. A long list of
Grains of Glory
It’s five p.m., and up and down the aisle of a large boarding stable, the nickering and rumbling begin. What’s the cause of the excitement? Nothing more than a metal scoop digging into a bin of grain, a sound that tips off every equine resident
Therapeutic Options – What is AAEP’s Position?
Today, therapeutic options such as acupuncture, chiropractic and physical therapy are experiencing wider clinical use. Although the mechanisms by which these therapeutic options may work are not fully understood, they do offer the
The Right Touch: Massage
Editor’s Note: This series on therapeutic options is meant to offer basic information on the history of the therapy, what the therapy is, and how it is being used in the equine industry. Information presented in this series is
Small Talk: Miniature Horses
Miniature Horses are gaining in popularity, say devotees of the diminutive breed, but that growth has brought with it some problems in the realm of health and conformation. Mary Ann Eberth, operator of Little King Farm in Madison, Ind., says the
Combined Immunodefiency in Arabians
A newborn Arabian foal is possibly one of the most beguiling creatures on Earth. Elegant of feature and blessed with beauty, he’s full of promise for the future–and often descended of royal blood and worth many thousands of dollars. Imagine how
Restraint Techniques for Breeding
When a mare and a stallion meet, love might be in the air…but there’s the potential for danger, too. Particularly when humans get in the middle of it all. In our efforts to orchestrate the best possible combinations of
Getting the Germs Out
You’ve heard it before, but here it is one more time: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. With this in mind, it’s time to take a serious look at disinfecting barns and equipment where horses are housed. When it come
