Every horseperson has seen the telltale signs of a thin horse: the disproportionately skinny neck, the protruding spine, the row of ribs, and the jutting hipbones. Thanks in part to advances made in feeding management, veterinary care, parasite control, and dentistry, educated caretakers can fatten horses safely and easily. But when is it time to switch from a “weight-gain” diet to a “maintenance”

Before purchasing a yearling it’s important to review his health records to ensure he is healthy and sound enough for a successful racing career. Jennifer L. Higgins, DVM, gave potential buyers insight into specific lesions that could reduce a horse’s career earnings when she presented a retrospective study on the subject at the 56th Annual Convention of the American Association of

One barn at Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio, has been released from quarantine, but a possible new case of equine herpesvirus (EHV) is being investigated in another barn, officials said Jan. 8.

New regulations to assure that the medicines animal owners purchase for their pets and horses are safe were announced in late December 2010 by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an agency of Great Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The 21st annual Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) Stallion Season Auction raised a gross amount of nearly $1.7 million during a three-day telephone auction and a live auction held Jan. 8 at the Keeneland Entertainment Center.

The 2011 Pennsylvania Horse World Expo is slated to take place Feb. 24 -27 at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pa. During the event many equine professionals will be on hand to share their knowledge on a diverse list of topics. Join them for research-based discussions on the many issues that today’s horse owners are facing. There are three arenas and two seminar halls

The capacity of feeds and forages to counteract changes in gastric pH (their buffering capacity) plays an important role in the prevention of gastric ulcers in horses. Alfalfa hay has been shown to be more effective in reducing the severity of ulcers in horses by providing superior buffering capacity compared to grass hay.

If your horse has to be sedated, the effect of that sedative on the fluid pressure within his eyes (intraocular pressure) might be the last thing you’re worried about. Unless, of course, he is being sedated for an eye procedure–then this issue becomes quite important. At the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md., one veterinarian discussed

The Equine Studies Program at the University of Maryland has put together a line-up of 31 industry-leading speakers for their University Seminar Series to be hosted at the Maryland Horse World Expo, Jan. 20-23, 2011. This seminar series provides horse enthusiasts the opportunity to learn up-to-date information about a variety of equine related topics. Professionals from all facets of the equine in

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will hold the Secretary’s Advisory Committee’s first meeting on Animal Health Jan. 20 and 21. The meeting will be held in the Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, in rooms 104-A and 107-A.

For many horses, suffering an episode of collapse (when a horse falls suddenly with or without recumbency–the inability to stand–or loss of consciousness) is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, according to a Scottish researcher.

There has been one racing fatality following a breakdown in the first eight days of competition on Santa Anita Park’s new dirt track, according to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Rick Arthur, DVM. Another death was attributable to a training accident.

The Kentucky Equine Networking Association (KENA) meeting will be held on Jan. 14 at the Hyatt Regency Lexington in conjunction with the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) Annual Awards Banquet. The joint dinner meeting follows the KHC Annual Conference, which features a business tract including presentations from equine business consultant Elisabeth McMillan of Equestrian Professional. During the

The Rutgers Equine Science Center recently received a $100,000 donation from its director, Karyn Malinowski, PhD. Malinowski made the donation in support of new initiatives, programs, and better horse care through research and education as the Center celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011.

A statewide gelding clinic program will be conducted at various locations throughout California in 2011. This program is intended to help economically challenged horse owners castrate their colts and stallions at a minimum cost and to decrease equine breeding at a time when there is a surplusof horses in the United States.

Starting Jan. 7, veterinarians and the general public are invited to offer their input on three important initiatives that will help shape veterinary medicine and veterinary education. Comments are being sought on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Model Veterinary Practice Act, the AVMA’s strategic plan goals for 2012-14, and the North American Veterinary Medical Education