Amidst reports of horses being abandoned due to the struggling economy, the University of Illinois Extension has scheduled a telephone conference on October 6 from 6:30 to 8:00p.m. to address this issue.

“Horses and other animals are suffering from the economic downturn right along with their owners,” said Ellen Phillips, U of I Extension educator. “Across the country, horses are being

Hoosier Park Racing and Casino took precautionary measures Sept. 12 when symptoms of a case of Streptococcus equi (strangles), a contagious bacterial disease, was suspected in a Thoroughbred racehorse on the backstretch at the facility.

All 59 horses stabled in the barn with the horse have been quarantined until test results are returned from the lab.

Hoosier Park officials

All eyes figure to be on Storm Cat’s offspring starting Monday, Sept. 14, at the Keeneland September yearling sale. And for good reason. There are 32 yearlings consigned to the sale from Storm Cat’s last full crop, which numbers 56. Twenty-nine of the youngsters are consigned to Book 1.

Storm Cat’s place in the history of the Keeneland September yearling sale is well assured. The top

Five horses have been reported stolen from their Tampa-area pasture. An eyewitness watched the situation unfold, unaware the animals were being stolen.

The thieves pulled up a fence post, cut the fence, and released two horses of their own to help them corral the others that were grazing in the pasture. The thieves then drove through the fence, loaded the horses, came back through and

Previous studies evaluating the behavioral responses of horses to different types of bridles found that horses perform at least as well, if not better, with a bitless bridle than a jointed snaffle.

To probe deeper into the issue, Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD, and Daniel Mills, BVSc, PhD, IL TM, CBiol MIBiol, MRCVS, tested their hypothesis that a horse’s behavior would change–for the

The students, faculty, and staff of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University are having their annual Open House today (Sept. 12, 2009). All are welcome to attend the Cummings School Open House from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Directions to the Cummings School campus can be found on the  https://Visitor

A total of 203 cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) has been reported in the United States this year according to the USDA’s National Animal Health Surveillance System as of Sept. 12.

West Nile virus (WNV) cases continue to climb slowly, now standing at 75.

As of our last report on

The Companion Animal Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) Service at The Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital provides emergency and intensive care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drs. Amy Butler and Ed Cooper, both board-certified specialists in the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, lead a team

Two horses at risk for life-threatening bleeding caused by an uncommon infection of the internal carotid artery were successfully treated recently by University of Florida veterinarians who used cutting-edge technology to resolve the problem faster and less invasively than traditional surgery would allow.

“The problem both of these horses had involved a disease called guttural pouch

The owner of a Quarter Horse mare found dead in its South Carolina pasture last month is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the incident.

The horse was discovered dead in its pasture with a single small wound in its head on Aug. 28. A necropsy

Anytime a horse develops fever, malaise, and a stumbling gait or inability to stand, owners should contact a veterinarian immediately–they might be dealing with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). In addition, the animal should be quarantined to prevent transmitting the virus to other horses through nasal secretions, said Gillian A. Perkins, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Cornell University, who recently

The U.S. Senate has passed the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (S1023). Introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), this bill could benefit tourism involving the horse industry.

“Equine tourism is a growing and diverse segment of the horse industry,” said American Horse Council President Jay Hickey. “Because it

Purina Horse Feed has donated $10,000 to the Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (SIUC) Equine Science Program in an effort to help rebuild the SIUC Horse Center after a severe storm struck Carbondale, Ill., on May 8, 2009. The SIUC Equine Science Program and Horse Center has been instrumental in past research and field testing of Purina’s Equine Senior horse feed.

The SIUC Equine