Dennis Brooks, DVM, PhD, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine, will present the prestigious Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at the annual meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) in Baltimore, Md., in December 2010.

Brooks’ lecture, titled “Catastrophic Ocular Surface Failure i

With just 14 days until the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the first group of eight horses arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday afternoon. This first group of equine athletes represent Chile and Guatemale and will compete at the Games in the World Championship of Endurance presented by Meydan. The horses have been quarantined in Miami si

This week veterinarians confirmed Kentucky’s equine West Nile virus (WNV) case of 2010. The 6-year-old Morgan stallion, located in Shelby County just southeast of Louisville, was found down and unable to rise and was later euthanized. Just as with the first Kentucky horse, this WNV-affected horse was not vaccinated for the mosquito-borne virus. In 2009 eight horses in Kentucky were

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will strengthen the equine veterinarian’s ability to serve the horse through applicable science, effective business tactics and welfare advocacy during its 56th Annual Convention, Dec. 4-8, in Baltimore, Md.
As the world’s largest gathering of equine health care professionals, the Convention unites more than 4,000 equine v

A recommendation to lower the recommended threshold for phenylbutazone (Bute) from 5 micrograms per milliliter of plasma or serum to 2 micrograms per milliliter of plasma or serum will be considered by the Model Rules Committee of the Association of Racing Commissioners International. The bute recommendation will be considered by the Model Rules Committee during a conference call

Two Florida men accused of poaching two horses and butchering them for their meat will soon decide whether they will accept a plea deal in the case or go to trial for multiple felony charges. Miami-Dade County law enforcement authorities arrested Luis Miguel Cordero on Sept. 15, 2009, as he attempted to

When elite equestrians compete for world titles this month, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will be working behind the scenes and before the cameras to ensure the health of equine athletes. The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, held Sept. 25-Oct. 10 in Lexington, Ky., is anticipated as the largest sporting event to take place in the United States thi

Former Ohio Arabian horse trainer Robin Vess, who was found guilty on multiple animal cruelty charges in April, has lost her bid for a retrial. Animal welfare authorities charged Vess with 42 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in February after they discovered 37 animals living in filth without food or water on her Oak Harbor farm. One horse was found dead, another five were eut

Horses shipped from overseas normally travel in jet stalls, specially made containers that house three adult horses or five foals. David Hasenauer, president and CEO of Jet Pets, Inc. in Los Angeles, a privately owned and operated quarantine facility under contract with USDA, offers this piece of advice before shipping a horse to the United States: “If you’re going to spe

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, operating on a tight schedule, approved a regulation Sept. 7 governing out-of-competition equine drug testing with plans to have it in place in advance of the Nov. 5-6 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs. The regulation was unanimously approved with a request it be given emergency status, meaning it will take effect when s

A Virginia veterinarian faces multiple animal cruelty charges for allegedly neglecting 18 horses that were removed from her Franklin County property last month. Captain Aleck Beeman of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said law enforcement authorities seized the animals on Aug. 16 after neighbors complained about their condition. “Veterinarians body scor

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has announced detection times for methylprednisolone acetate (Depo-Medrol), a frontline treatment for lameness in the equine athlete. The findings from recently completed studies on the use of intra-articular methylprednisolone acetate show the detection times as 28 days for the 200mg dose and 14 days for the 100mg dose.

As investigators began to ask questions about the cause of a Labor Day fire that destroyed four barns located near Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, the official number of horses that died increased to 29. Initial reports placed the number of deaths at 27, but two more were added as cleanup began at the scene, the Journal-News in Martinsburg, W.V., reported. The

Modern saddles provide new options for tree type, with the goal of sparing a horse pain from localized saddle pressure. But new Swiss research suggests that, at least when a horse trots, tree type makes little difference in pressure distribution along the horse’s back.

More than 40 of the 80 horses removed from a Kansas equine rescue in July are available for placement in new permanent homes. Sheriff’s deputies and veterinarians removed the horses from the Winding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement facility on July

This Labor Day weekend 393 veterinary students attended the eighth annual Opportunities in Equine Practice Seminar (OEPS) held in Lexington, Ky. The seminar hosted third-year veterinary student chapters of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) from 35 schools spanning the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Thirty-seven equine veterinary practices from acro