A Kentucky Horse Racing Commission committee is considering changes to the state’s Breeders’ Incentive Fund, money for which comes from a 6% sales tax on stud fees. The committee met Oct. 21 to toss around ideas and devise a plan to better market the fund, which paid about $15 million in awards to Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and other breeds of horses in 2008. The money

Neuromuscular diseases, which affect the function of muscles and the way they interact with the nervous system, can lead to performance issues, said Kelsey A. Hart, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, internal medicine clinician and graduate fellow at the University of Georgia’s department of large animal medicine, at the recent American Veterinary Medical Association meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Advances in nutrition and medicine are allowing our equine companions to live longer than ever. But for the average horse owner that also means more years worrying about colic; and the older the horse, the greater the risk.

The University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center has received a $1 million leadership gift from Gail Riepe of Cockeysville, Md., toward the $17 million required to build a state-of-the-art equine surgical suite at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals. Riepe is a 1968 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and is part of a loyal Penn family. Her father, husban

Statistics from The Jockey Club for the 2010 breeding season show that the number of stallions that serviced mares fell 9.3% and the number of mares bred fell 10.5% when compared to the same period a year ago.

When it comes to horse management, “experience is the best teacher.” According to a recent study by Swedish researchers, experienced staff might help protect your horse against orthopaedic injuries. The study tried to ascertain which horses at riding schools suffered fewer orthopaedic injuries. The researchers examined 99 horses at eight riding schools that carried life

The operator of an online database that tracks animal abuse cases nationwide is offering to help animal welfare authorities in New York develop the nation’s first registry for convicted animal abusers. Earlier this month, lawmakers in Suffolk County, N.Y., unanimously passed IR 1879, a bill that establishes an online animal abuser registry similar to databases containing infor

More than 100 dignitaries, alumni, donors and students gathered on Oct. 10 to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new equine center wing, the first-ever addition to the University of Louisville College of Business. The two-story, eco-friendly 7245 sq. ft. addition will cost $3.38 million and will include a green roof and sky garden. “Today we expand the college’

The FEI announced today that all urine samples taken from athletes competing at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have tested negative for prohibited substances. The announcement comes just one week after the FEI revealed that all equine blood and urine samples were also free of prohibited substances. “Clean sport is one of the FEI’s major goals,” FEI Presi

It should come as no surprise that horse show numbers are down. The question is: What can be done to increase participation and to accommodate all ability levels? Earlier this year, the American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee appointed a task force to review and address AQHA’s show initiatives, with an eye toward increasing participation in AQHA-approved events.

As of Oct. 8 more than 2,300 horses associated with the Kleberg County, Texas, piroplasmosis outbreak have been tested for the disease, and 409 have turned up positive–only one more since the previous report from the USDA to the World Organization for Animal Health on Aug. 25, 2010. The first case associated with the Kleberg Country outbreak was diagnosed in

A total of 411,023 tickets were sold to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games This includes tickets sold in 63 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Preliminary estimates show approximately 70% of sales came from outside Kentucky.

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium board of directors has recommended withdrawal guidelines and plasma thresholds for a bronchodilator, a muscle relaxant, and four anabolic steroids. According to a release from RMTC, the scientifically identified withdrawal guidelines and plasma thresholds are for the short-acting bronchodilator glycopyrrolate, the muscle relaxant methoc

The words “middle-aged, overweight, and sedentary” do not describe a healthy horse. They do, however, describe a growing number of horses. As the obesity epidemic spreads to the equine population, researchers are learning more about its association with metabolic disorders. A free, live webcast called “Equine Metabolic Syndrome”

Studies show that the leading factor in roadside breakdowns is tires. Additionally, as temperatures cool across the country, tire pressures will decrease. Given these facts, USRider reminds equestrians and others who travel with horses to perform periodic air pressure checks on both their vehicle and trailer tires. “As the weather patterns transition to cooler temperatures no