Knowing whether a horse favors his left or right leg can help owners and trainers develop better training programs for him, according to Amanda Warren-Smith, PhD, of the Millthorpe Equine Research Centre in New South Wales, Australia. An easy way to determine his laterality is with a pedometer designed for people. Laterality is the preference an animal shows for one side of its bo

Many horse owners will eventually face tough decisions regarding animal mortality and disposal. The Unwanted Horse Coalition receives many calls from concerned owners regarding the legalities and options for disposing of horse carcasses. The problem arises with the diminishing disposal options for animals and livestock. Burial is not legal in all areas, many landfills do not accept animals,

The Jockey Club reminds stallion owners to submit their Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) for the 2010 breeding season as soon as possible.

“Timely submission of RMBs helps avoid unnecessary delays in the registration process,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s executive vice president and executive director. “Additionally, prompt reporting helps ensure that the b

Build-out projects at the Kentucky Horse Park are picking up as the countdown to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games continues. Many construction projects are underway for different temporary structures around the park. Construction crews have started assembling the temporary Driving Stadium on the Secretariat Polo Field adjacent to the Camp Ground. The temporary Driving S

Veterinary involvement in the selection of the Haggin Cup, awarded to the horse found to be in the “most superior physical condition” after successful completing 100 miles of the Western States Trail, is extremely important. Greg Fellers, DVM, head veterinarian of the event for the past five years, explained, “The physical examination findings carry the most weight

A bipartisan group of congressmen have asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to halt controversial gather operations in Nevada and postpone all pending wild horse gathers until an independent study of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustang management operations takes place. The BLM is a division within the Department of Interior, and the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 p

Kentucky Department of Agriculture officials have concluded a recent case of Potomac horse fever that was diagnosed in a horse at Keeneland’s training center on Rice Road was not contracted or introduced to the horse while he was stabled on the grounds. State veterinary officials were alerted July 30 when a horse that had been stabled at the facility tested positive for the di

AT&T will provide wireless service and devices to the World Games 2010 Foundation as the Official Wireless Service Provider of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The 2010 Games will feature eight world championships of equestrian sport and are being held for the first time in the United States from September 25-October 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has been working jointly with the USDA-Veterinary Services (USDA-VS) to recover stray livestock that have come across the Rio Grande River due to recent rainfall that has flooded several South Texas counties. USDA-VS personnel in the Laredo and Eagle Pass areas responded to stray livestock issues as a result of the Rio Grande River floodin

Rein tension, saddle and seat pressure, training rewards and reinforcement, and the evaluation of stress and emotions in riding horses were some of the main topics at this year’s International Equitation Science Symposium held July 31–Aug. 2 in Uppsala and Strömsholm, Sweden. With the theme “Horse welfare and human safety: importance of learning, training, and

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced today that the following horse/rider combinations will be participating in the USEF Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Dressage Team, held at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions. This class will be held as one of five National Dressage Championships in Gladstone, NJ ove

More than 1,000 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, “What do you think should happen with wild/feral horses?”

Vitelle, the once-paralyzed filly, is finally walking, trotting, and cantering without a walker at the farm in Belgium she left more than a year ago. In June 2009, at 3 weeks old, the Boulonnais Draft horse foal developed sudden paralysis and urinary incontinence. Three days later she underwent a groundbreaking surgical laminectomy at a Belgian veterinary school to remove a cyst from her spinal co

A California rancher recommends horse owners examine their barns for Africanized honeybee hives after two horses stabled on her Menifee property died subsequent to sustaining hundreds of stings. The two Tennessee Walking horses were stabled in a barn containing undiscovered Africanized bee hives at Wagon Wheel Ranch. On July 21 a ranch hand discovered the animals swarmed by the bees, said ranch ow

Basic conditioning of the equine athlete involves consideration of the event in which the horse will be competing, the level of competition that you expect the horse to achieve, the time you have in which to condition the horse, and the horse’s previous conditioning for the event. The goal of any basic conditioning program is to enhance the psychological and the physical respo