The fate of steeplechase racing in Australia is coming under fire again as three horses have died in one week of jump racing at the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival. According to news sources that makes seven horses that have died or been euthanized so far this season over jumps, and it’s early in the season.

The deaths caused a suspension of steeplechase racing in the Australian stat

They’re sold over the counter, on the Internet, and in tack shops, so herbal supplements must be safe for your horse, right? Not necessarily, report researchers from Norway and China. According to this group of scientists, some commonly used herbs, when applied to cultured liver cells at biologically relevant doses, are able to activate specific liver enzymes, particularly those belongin

Veterinarians and equine rescue and retirement facilities are teaming up to help rehabilitate, revitalize and, ultimately, find new homes for America’s unwanted horses through the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign (UHVRC). Although the campaign was launched only four months ago, the UHVRC already has provided aid to more than 1,400 horses across the nation.

Established in Decembe

Stonestreet Stables and partner Harold T. McCormick announced May 8 that Calvin Borel has agreed to ride Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra for the current racing season. Also, Stonestreet said it plans to run the filly in the May 16 Preakness Stakes.

In making the decision, Borel selected the filly over Mine That Bird, whom he rode to an upset victory in the Kentucky Derby. Mine That

After a 12-week trial, Buckinghamshire horse dealer James Gray and several members of his family were on May 8 found guilty on charges of animal cruelty at Bicester Magistrates Court.

James and his son Jamie Gray were found guilty of all charges under sections 4 and 9 of the Animal Welfare Act. His wife Julie and daughters Jodie and Cordelia were found guilty of all

One of Queen Elizabeth II’s racehorses has tested positive for a banned medication.

Six-year-old Moonlit Path tested positive for a banned substance that prevents hemorrhaging after a sixth-place finish in her debut February at Huntingdon.

Trainer Nicky Henderson has been charged with breaching two rules by the British Horseracing Authority.

The queen’s racing manager, Michael

Arthroscopic surgery has become a common treatment for horses suffering lameness issues caused by bone chips in the knee. The standard rehabilitation program after that surgery involves a lot of rest.

The former owner of 59 draft horses involved in a 2007 tractor-trailer truck rollover accident in Illinois was sentenced to supervision and ordered to pay $4,000 in fines and restitution in connection with the incident.

The accident occurred Oct. 27 when a truck hauling the horses in a double-decker trailer from Indiana to Minnesota overturned in Wadsworth, Ill. A total of 17 animal

The American Horse Council is working to preserve the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP). If Congress does not take action this year this program could be eliminated, thereby impacting recreational riders.

The RTP provides funding directly to the states for recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has adopted a policy whereby administration of corticosteroids in horses must be stopped seven days prior race day.

The regulation takes effect June 1, according to a policy directive signed May 4. The PHRC unanimously voted for the regulation April 15.

Corticosteroids–those

More than 70 of the allegedly neglected horses and burros found at a Morrill County, Neb., ranch have found new homes through Habitat for Horses, a Texas-based equine protection organization. Placement efforts are continuing for the more than 50 mares, which will be moved to the Cheyenne Stockyards in Wyoming. The males, both geldings and stallions, will be moved to Black Beauty Ranch, a

Large-animal emergency rescue training continues growing in popularity around the globe, according to Mark Cole, managing member for USRider, a roadside assistance plan designed with horse owners in mind. Awareness of the issue was at a far lower ebb in 2002.

“We found that emergency responders, while trained experts in human rescue and extrication, had no training in large-animal

The equine production facility of Cattleman’s Choice Loomix, LLC in Johnstown, CO has become the first equine health production facility to be certified by the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program administered by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA).

Becoming Safe Feed/Safe Food-certified means the facility demonstrates and ensures continuous improvements in delivering

Horsemen have a new option when checking mares for pregnancy this breeding season. Biotracking, a company created by Garth Sasser, PhD, a professor of animal science at the University of Idaho, came up with a blood test for ruminants (BioPRYN) a few years ago. Now BioPRYNes, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test that detects estrone sulfate molecules in blood, is available for

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has suspended trainer Cleve Wells in connection with the treatment a horse received from an employee at Wells’ Burleson, Texas, facility.

On April 23, the AQHA Executive Committee announced that it revoked Wells’ association membership for one year, and fined him $10,000 for violating Rule 104(a). The rule holds training barn owners

Six months after its launch, TheHorse.com’s Thoroughbred Adoption Service listing has helped place 125 horses in new homes. See a list of horses placed.

Another 108 are currently available, ranging from yearlings to sound, already re-trained competition horses, to retired babysitters. Listings can be sorted by date