A new sustained release formulation of the antibiotic ceftiofur, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in horses with pneumonia, makes treating affected foals easier.”The bacterium Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is a common cause of pneumonia in horses,” said Scott McClure, DVM, PhD, Dipl. AVCS, an assistant professor at Iowa State University. “The antibiotic

Two horses crowned as Horse of the Year were bred Feb. 21 when female superstar Thoroughbred Rachel Alexandra was mated with the stallion Curlin. The mating took place at 9 a.m. (EST) at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky. Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year, was raced by Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings a

In December 2010 Kadie Vanderman completed her master’s degree under the supervision of James MacLeod, VMD, PhD, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair and professor of veterinary science at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and director of UK’s Equine Initiative.

From 2008 through 2010, Merial hosted gastroscopy events across the country as part of a study on gastric ulcers and the recently released results indicate that stomach ulcers are a threat to horses of all breeds and disciplines. Veterinarians scoped 3,354 horses, and more than 58% of them identified with some grade of stomach ulcer. In 2010 alone, 644 horses of varying disciplines from 30 states

Owners and trainers might be the best resource of information for veterinarians evaluating pain in horses because they are most likely to be familiar with the horse’s normal relaxed behavior and mannerisms, according to a researcher from Colorado State University (CSU).

Stallions are commonly known to be feisty, fresh, and sometimes difficult to handle, largely attributable to the testosterone coursing through their bodies. But when mares begin to display aggressive or stallionlike behavior, the reason for the atypical behavior can be less obvious. At the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md., Monica

According to a report from Horse and Hound, a European Union equine border inspection post at Manston Airport scheduled to open in April will allow more horses to fly in and out of Great Britain, bringing the number of equine-friendly airports in the country to four. The airport, located in Kent, England, currently transports a small number of horses each year; however, the opening of the border

Lower thresholds for the common pain reliever phenylbutazone (Bute) in post-race tests of horses could be on the way in California in spite of objections from horsemen. At its meeting Feb. 17 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) approved a 45-day comment period for a rule change that would reduce the permitted level of phenylbutazone from five micrograms

The 52 Ohio Thoroughbreds that gained notoriety via Facebook three weeks ago after their owner’s death have been placed in good homes, confirmed Dan Stearns, the owner’s son. A friend of the owner had turned to social media to disperse the herd.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KRHC) announced Feb. 18 that the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund (KBIF) will distribute $10 million in awards to 1,398 breeders of winning horses in eligible races around the world in 2010. There were a total of 3,159 races eligible for awards in 2010, with 514 of them run at Kentucky tracks with an average award of $8,693. That means nearly $4.5 million in

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would lose $2 million in funding if an amendment introduced and sponsored by U.S. Representative Dan Burton (Ind.) earlier this week is approved. Burton presented the funding cut as an amendment to an omnibus spending bill, and House members approved the amendment by voice vote Feb. 16. According to BLM estimates, more than 38,000 wild horses and burros reside

A Montana couple faces multiple animal cruelty charges in connection with the alleged maltreatment of horses on their Carbon County property. Carbon County Deputy County Attorney Rennie Wittman said that earlier this month, authorities from the county sheriff’s department and the Montana Department of Livestock discovered more than 60 animals residing on a ranch owned by Jack and Terry Martin.

The phrase “nature vs. nurture” is usually used to refer to the debate over which has a greater impact on a person’s personality and preferences–genetics or environment/rearing. But for this article, we’ll use it in the context of fetal programming, or what makes a foal develop into a physically healthy (or not so healthy) horse. Hint: Nature and nurture in this case are scientifically proven to