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.

Disaster planning experts met Aug. 17 and 19 in San Diego, Calif., and at University of California, Davis (UC Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine to set up a plan that includes animals in emergency response. Dozens of personnel from fire departments, animal control agencies, law enforcement, relief agencies and animal rescue groups reviewed and revised a document being drafted by the Califo

Thoroughbred gelding Karelian, who sustained a life threatening injury in July, has been released from Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. The 8-year-old gelding fractured both right front sesamoid bones, ruptured his suspensory apparatus and disrupted the lateral collateral ligament, dislocating his fetlock during a morning workout. Karelian was sent to orthopedic surgeon, Larry Bramlage, DV

Veterinary students, practitioners and technicians can find information as close as an iPhone to help them with calculations and interpretations related to veterinary medicine. VetPDA Calcs, developed by University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, contains 18 useful calculators for veterinary clinical use. “Initially designed to make life easier

Results of a postmortem examination on Oki Doki have been released by the Equine Clinic of the University of Berne (Switzerland). The final report from the clinic states: “Oki Doki, Warmblood gelding, bay, born April 4, 1996

In the evening of July 20, 2010, Oki Doki died in the trailer on t

Two committees of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission have agreed on a set of regulations that will pertain to out-of-competition testing that is being pushed through before the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 5-6 at Churchill Downs. During a lengthy Aug. 26 meeting, the KHRC rules committee and Equine Drug Research Council endorsed regulations that call for a first-offense penalty o

In study that could have been dubbed “Who’s smarter than a veterinarian?” Michigan State University researchers concluded that when it comes to assessing chronic respiratory disease changes in horses, the answer is…owners.