Hurricane Earl isn’t expected to take a swipe at Massachusetts’ east coast until Saturday, but on Tuesday boarding barn operator Dausha Campbell didn’t waste time preparing for the storm’s arrival. “We feel like we’re a great big target,” said Campbell, owner of Serendipity Stables, in Plymouth. “Fortunately, we’re on pretty high ground and

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced Wednesday that USDA Risk Management Agency is expanding crop insurance coverage statewide for hay and pasture in the 2011 growing season. Last year, USDA had a pilot program for hay and pasture in only 15 counties. Producers interested in 2011 crop insurance coverage of hay and pasture must sign up by Sept. 30, 2010.

Experts advise: When it comes to respiratory illness in horses, save the gambling for Vegas. Be aware of the major respiratory diseases that horses are susceptible to at each point of their lives (commonly, heaves, Rhodococcus equi, and equine herpesvirus) and use preventive measures, both with management and vaccination, to head them off.

Recurrent colic is typically defined as three or more episodes of transient or prolonged colic occurring over a period of months or upwards of a year. Although a practitioner cannot always determine a definitive etiology without exploratory surgery, many diagnostics are available to help pinpoint the most likely cause of recurrent colic.

The continuing education (CE) office at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science (CVM) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) joined efforts Aug. 10-Aug. 13 to present two 360-degree continuing education experiences that featured topic choices of stallion reproduction or equine dentistry. The 360-degree experience is a full-circle approach t

More than 460 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “Which of the following dewormers do you use to treat encysted small strongyles?”

Exercise intolerance often is first sign that a performance horse has an abnormal heart rhythm, said Kelsey A. Hart, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, internal medicine clinician and graduate fellow in the department of large animal medicine at the University of Georgia, at the American Veterinary Medical Association meeting in Atlanta. “It can be acute exercise intolerance where the ho

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asked the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council (NAS/NRC), an independent, nonprofit group that advises government agencies on scientific issues, to review the agency’s Wild Horse and Burro Program management operations. The NAS/NRC would review technical aspects of the program, including science-based animal population

The build-out for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) has reached less than a month to go, and construction crews have taken over the Kentucky Horse Park to prepare it for the 16-day event. Dozens of RV trailers have been moved into the Campground and will be used by grooms (equine caretakers) during the Games. The Groom’s Village will feature RVs, dining and oth

Everybody loves a good back scratch, including your horse, right? Scratching of the withers has been scientifically proven to reduce a horse’s heart rate, but a good scratch might not be enough to communicate to your horse that you’re happy with what he’s just learned and that you want him to do it again next time. According to new research by French equitation scienti

A California woman accused of misrepresenting horses she offered for sale on equine-related websites pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge under a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles last week. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph N. Akrotirianakis said that between Nov. 2004 and June 2008, Trina Lee Kenney of Wrightwood, Calif., allegedly made false claims abo

Persistently lived up to her name when she wore down reigning Horse of the Year and odds-on choice Rachel Alexandra for a one-length victory in the $294,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 29. In an ironic twist, the winning 21-1 shot is trained by Shug McGaughey, who also conditioned the undefeated Personal Ensign for the Phipps family, who campaign homebred Persistently.

Prevent unwanted horses by gelding your stallion or by providing the event at which other horse owners can get their stallions gelded. The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s Operation Gelding will provide funds and materials to assist organizations, associations and events that sponsor clinics to which horse owners can bring th

Read about events surrounding a mare that lost her foal and a foal without a mother.