The body condition of a broodmare can affect reproductive performance and milking ability. Recent research has indicated that mares should be kept in a minimum body condition score of 5.5 (see “Selected Body Condition Scores and Descriptions,” below or download this Body Condition Score poster here). This body condition is

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.

Eleven months is a very long time to wait for a foal. I know from personal experience that the further along the mare is, the more your hopes and dreams for your “perfect foal” grow. It doesn’t matter if the foal is bred to gallop to the wire or jump to the moon, or whether you are dreaming about lots of markings or a perfect blanket, everyone wants one thing–a healthy foal. So, it’s no

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

Researchers at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences today released results from a research project that summarizes the background characterization of last year’s outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) in equids from Colorado and Nebraska.

“The objective of the study was to describe the equine West Nile virus cases in Colorado and Nebraska in

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

Toots Banner, DVM, an equine veterinary dentist, was recently hired by the University of Florida’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital to provide service to clients on-site and in the field.
 
Banner said, “Unlike the farrier, whose work is out in front for everyone to see, the work of anyone who is doing equine dentistry is literally out of sight,” said Dr. Toots Banner, a

The Associated Press reported in the New York Times that a package containing West Nile virus exploded on Tuesday night (March 18) at a Federal Express building in Columbus, Ohio. Fifty workers were evacuated.

“Fire officials said dry ice used to preserve tissue samples with live virus might have caused the shoebox-size package to burst at the FedEx office near Port

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) has been confirmed as the cause of illness in three Thoroughbreds that were stabled in a training barn at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Tuesday’s announcement follows treatment of several EHV-1 outbreaks in Ohio and Pennsylvania since January.

The EHV-1 organism can cause three different forms of disease, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory

Animal health officials today explained that the announcement about the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) cases at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., was not made sooner was because the virus wasn’t considered to be actively circulating in the environment until a third horse exhibited clinical signs and tested positive for the virus.

A gelding and a filly with neurologic signs were

Three horses stabled at Turfway Park have been diagnosed with neurologic equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1). Verification of the virus was completed over the weekend at the northern Kentucky track by researchers at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

All three horses have responded favorably to treatment. Two of the horses were

More than 1,000 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) members attended the 63rd annual convention, where the organization’s board voted to retain Rule 227(c), which limits the amount of white on horses eligible for registration in the organization.

The vote on the white rule leaves Rule 227(c) unchanged and will continue to be read and upheld as it is written in the 2003 Official

For the third consecutive year, ReRun, Inc. and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption programs will co-host the All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show to be held on Sat., May 31 at Turfway Park. The Keeneland Association and Turfway Park have signed on as headline sponsors, with Churchill Downs again participating and GEAR for Sports coming aboard as a sponsor of this charity event.

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