Progression of obesity and insulin resistance exacerbates laminitis risk. As a horse gets fatter, insulin sensitivity decreases. Insulin resistance worsens with chronic obesity, making a horse more susceptible to laminitis and less tolerant of triggering events.

Strangles is a dreaded disease for horse owners. It is caused by bacterial infection with Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (referred to as S. equi). The bacteria typically infect the upper airway and lymph nodes of the head and neck. Strangles has affected horses for centuries, is highly contagious, can recur on farms with previous outbreaks, and is one of the most commonl

Twice, my 12-year-old Paint gelding has gotten his third eyelid “stuck” over the top of his eyeball for 10 or 20 seconds. The first time was when water splashed in his eye during a bath.

My 18-year-old Percheron/ Morgan gelding was diagnosed with insulin resistance. Just prior to being confined to stall rest for a connective tissue injury, his insulin was 67 microIU/mL. The vet did a dexamethasone suppression test to rule out PPID,

I have searched the Internet and asked everyone I know about the abnormal sheath buildup on my 17-year-old palomino gelding. Ever since we bought him, we noticed a large, crusty buildup all over him.

A lot is asked of young show stallions, particularly when it comes to juggling performance and breeding. I wondered what your experience has been on this subject. Do you feel breeding can actually benefit the performance behavior?

Intestinal parasites, or “worms,” have been problematic since the domestication of horses. In this first section of a two-part series, we’ll review the identification, transmission, and problems associated with internal parasites.

Dawn of a New Era

It’s important that we focus on equin

The foster owner of a horse that was abandoned in Mesa, Ariz., says the outpouring of support for the gelding’s recovery has been “tremendous.”

The Thoroughbred, named Solo Vino by rescuers, was brought to Gwen Cleary’s farm on March 3, after her neighbors found the abandoned horse, who was emaciated and had a large open wound in his head. (

Strangles is a highly contagious disease that causes horses to have swollen and painful lymph nodes that block their airway and can cause difficult breathing. The name was coined because these enlarged nodes sometimes (but rarely) suffocate affected horses.

The first reported case of strangles in a horse was made in Europe in 1251 by Jordanus Ruffus. Convinced of its contagious nature,

On Feb. 27 Ivonne Rodriguez’s Paint horse, Geronimo, went missing from his Miami, Fla., pasture. Rodriguez immediately filed a police report and canvassed the neighborhood for information about her horse. Six days later, Miami-Dade County police discovered Geronimo’s remains in a field across the street from Rodriguez’s farm.

“He was tied to a palm tree and butchered for his

EasyCare has developed the Easyboot Rx, a new rehabilitation boot and padding system.

The Easyboot Rx provides support and relief for horses suffering from chronic lameness, laminitis, injury, surgery, navicular disease, and other lower limb and hoof problems.

The Easyboot Rx sole is made of durable and soft material in a lightweight package. Upper edges are rounded for safety

Normandy will host the 2014 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games, the FEI Bureau announced today. This will be the seventh edition of the FEI World Equestrian Games and the first one to be held in France.

The Games are the world championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the FEI. Organizers expect to host 900 horses and 800 riders and

Attendees at the UK’s National Equine Forum yesterday heard about the progress made thus far by a working group focused on African horse sickness (AHS).

Rt Hon Jane Kennedy, MP, the Minister for the Horse wrote the speech presented by Arik Dondi, deputy director of Exotic Diseases Policy at the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), as Kennedy was unable to attend.

Each year about 2,500 professional veterinarians graduate from the 28 veterinary colleges in North America. That might not be enough to protect the nation from animal diseases that pose threats to human health, according to a report released last month by the Government Accountability Office.  

The American Veterinary

The last Kentucky stallion known to have been exposed to contagious equine metritis (CEM) has been released from quarantine, State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout, DVM, has announced.

The western Kentucky Quarter Horse completed a testing and treatment regimen and was found to be free of the organism that causes the venereal disease. Four stallions that were infected with the organism were

When a horse has pain in the rear half of the foot, injection of the navicular bursa (sac cushioning the navicular bone from the deep digital flexor tendon) is often considered as a treatment option. Corticosteroids (to control inflammation) and possibly hyaluronate (HA, to improve the bursa’s lubrication and decrease synovial inflammation