| Heeding Quarantine |
September/2009 |
Quarantine is one of the oldest infectious disease control measures. Formal use of quarantine dates back at least to the 14th century in Italy, where city officials banished people infected or exposed to people with plague ("black death") for 30 days. This was termed "trentino.
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| Castration as a Solution? |
August/2009 |
The plight of the unwanted horse may be the most important horse issue of the 21st century. Estimates suggest that 100,000 horses per year become "unwanted," leading to saturation of rescue and retirement facilities around the country and a strain on their financial resources. Is overbreeding to blame? Is it because horse processing plants were closed? Just as a combination of factors have lead to the surplus, only a wide variety of ideas and programs will begin to solve the problem.
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| Becoming 'Equitarians' |
June/2009 |
What exactly is an "equitarian," you ask? Since I'm a descendant of the dictionary family and, thus, "empowered" to make up my own definitions, I'll explain: An equitarian is one whose only reward for providing medical or humane services to needy horses is the satisfaction of a job well done. There are millions of our equine friends worldwide who could use such a person.
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| America's Horses Face Crisis |
April/2009 |
For those of us in the horse rescue field, today's troubled economy has produced serious issues of horse welfare. Increasing numbers of horses are facing homelessness and possible abandonment. Although it is gratifying to see more effort being made by professional institutions and organizations to assist in these crises, it is clear that all horse lovers must become horse advocates.
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| Equine Welfare Challenges |
March/2009 |
Last year welfare of the horse in the United States reached the consciousness of not only the industry, but also the general public. The horse and veterinary industries have long addressed issues of equine welfare as it relates to competition, and the equine rescue community has long dealt with the reality of abused and neglected horses. But mainstream media outlets such as USA Today published stories outlining the welfare issues of horses as a result of the processing plant closures, and the U.
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| Supplement Safety |
December/2008 |
As president of NASC I am very familiar with this issue and the committee examining the safety of garlic, lutein, and evening primrose oil. While I was not a member of the committee, I was asked to make presentations to the committee and submit information regarding the objectives commissioned by CVM. While I believe that certain conclusions of the committee are technically correct with respect to safety under the current system of evaluation and approval for feed ingredients, horse owners should realize this is a complex issue and the oversimplification in your recent article may cause undue and unfair concern.
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| Weathering Gustav and Ike |
November/2008 |
We had our plan for Hurricane Gustav. We had been here before with Katrina. Schedules were set. Evacuation of coastal parishes was going well. Coastal pet owners and their pets (large and small) were settling in to shelters. Most horse owners knew they needed to move quickly before mandatory contraflow (government routing of evacuation traffic outward on all roads from major cities) from our 12 most vulnerable parishes.
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| The Wild Horse Dilemma |
October/2008 |
Thirty-seven years ago Congress passed the Free-Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act with good intentions. When populations had tripled and it became apparent that these animals needed management, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) created Adopt-A-Horse to handle the "surplus." The costly program worked for several years, but the BLM ran out of adopters.
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| Rabies Has Many Faces |
September/2008 |
Rabies. The word conjures up chilling images from old movies: a snarling dog, foaming at the mouth, attacking anything that moves. But did you know horses are very susceptible to this disease?
Skunks, foxes, bats, and raccoons are the main wild animals that transmit rabies. These all can live in habitats bordering typical horse farms.
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| Influenza In Perspective |
September/2008 |
The equine influenza (EI) epidemic in Australia is over: There have been no new cases since Dec. 25, 2007, and the country was declared provisionally free of EI on March 14, 2008. Large-scale surveys, both targeted and random, are under way to assure EI's continued absence.
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| Hoof Care: Addressing the Individual |
August/2008 |
We have greatly altered the lifestyle of our domesticated horses. These changes have had some negative impacts on the horse, one example of which is the health and quality of the hoof capsule. The majority of the equine population is overweight, underworked, and genetically selected for traits other than hoof capsule quality.
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| Making Racing Safer |
July/2008 |
Life is an extreme sport, complete with everyday risks. When it comes to Thoroughbred racing, the fate of horse and rider are linked in an event, the outcome of which is, by its very nature, in doubt. Win or lose, no one envisions the tragedy that can occur in the blink of an eye that ends the career or the life of horse or rider on the racetrack.
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| Compounding Caution |
June/2008 |
I recently spoke with a professional horsewoman about the use of compounded drugs in horses. She had heard about the numerous deaths of horses in Louisiana directly attributed to as low as one dose of an illegally compounded clenbuterol product (see thehorse.
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| Conscientious Ownership |
May/2008 |
In recent months, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and The Denver Post have reported on the apparent increase in the number of unwanted, neglected, or abandoned equines across the country. Additionally, other print, electronic, and television media outlets have reported that state agencies and rescue organizations are being flooded by requests for help from owners who find themselves unable to care for their horses.
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| Ever-Elusive EPM |
April/2008 |
Charlie (not his real name) had been a patient at our clinic on several occasions. He was always gentle and cooperative as we tried to determine what was causing his curious collection of clinical signs. He had tolerated everything from the obvious poking and prodding to neck radiographs and endoscopic exams.
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| You, Your Vet, and the National Animal Identification System |
March/2008 |
Recently, horse owners have been hearing a lot about animal identification and microchipping. As many already know, the USDA has, for the past four years, been developing and implementing the voluntary National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in order to rapidly trace an animal disease to its source (the goal is 48-hour traceback). Only production livestock and some horses are included in the focus of this system.
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| Beanie, A Public Servant |
February/2008 |
Ignore adversity. If it were possible for a horse to have a motivational motto, this might be Beanie's choice. Despite a life fraught with challenges, the mare has stood tall, both literally and figuratively, and many people have reaped the rewards of her kindness and perseverance.
For nearly two decades, the Masterson Station Park Equestrian Program, located in Central Kentucky, has been administered by Georgia Ockerman, whose responsibilities include finding appropriate mounts for the program.
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| 25 Years of Medicine |
January/2008 |
Reflecting upon the last 25 years in equine veterinary medicine, it is difficult to limit the list of changes to a single page. Since The Horse has done an excellent job of educating horse owners about diagnostic and therapeutic advances in the "science" of equine veterinary medicine, I have chosen to comment on changes or constants in the "art" of equine practice. After my 33 years in practice, I have observed the following trends:
In many situations, the horse has assumed pet or companion status, even when performing as an equine athlete.
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| Seeking an Expert |
December/2007 |
We live in the age of instant and abundant information. Today's horse owners and enthusiasts are extremely well-informed and have high expectations for the medical care of their animals. As a result, it is not uncommon when a horse develops a medical problem for the horse owner to desire a second opinion from an expert to supplement the information provided by his or her own veterinarian.
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| The Giving Tree |
October/2007 |
You probably read it when you were young, or you've read it to your own children at some point, but there's a wonderful story out there by Shel Silverstein called The Giving Tree. Originally published in 1964, the story is that of a young man who loves to climb a favorite tree, and the tree loves the boy in return.
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| Shoeless and Satisfied |
September/2007 |
I must take exception to comments by Stephen E. O'Grady, DVM, MRCVS, in "Barefoot vs. Shod: An Equine Podiatrist's Perspective" online at thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9796">www.
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| Horses and Ducks |
August/2007 |
Perhaps you've seen the ad: A freckle-faced little girl covers her face, so pleased she can't hold it in. Purina has a series of these cute and effective ads for its Equine Senior feed. At the bottom of the ads is this: "Horses Make Better People, We Make Better Horses.
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| Research... Missing Dollars |
July/2007 |
Leaders in veterinary research and the equine industry should develop policy initiatives that recognize needed changes in the research landscape. Equine medicine remains grossly underfunded. As companion animals, horses receive few government research dollars.
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| Veterinary Ethics |
June/2007 |
Owners, trainers, and veterinarians are responsible for the health and welfare of the horse. Performance horses need to be treated like any other athletes. This often entails medical treatment by veterinarians, which allows horses to compete in a comfortable manner.
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| Ideally Speaking |
May/2007 |
At the end of a long day, possibly after driving many miles in all sorts of weather and traffic, many an equine veterinarian must pause for a few moments and shake his/her head in amazement. This amazement is probably not in regard to the animals, but to their owners! Perhaps we can make this difficult occupation a bit easier with just a few common sense reminders.
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| Equine Infectious Anemia Testing and Risk |
March/2007 |
Despite the fact that infection with equine infectious anemia (EIA) virus is found in fewer and fewer horses every year, U.S. horse owners continue to pay in excess of $50 million annually for required testing (Coggins tests). In 2006, the USDA reported fewer than 200 new cases, 66 of them on one premises.
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| Abandoned Horses |
February/2007 |
Along the scenic route to Prineville, Ore., you'll notice a sign: Redmond Tallow Company. As if the words don't say it all, a loitering buzzard evokes pensive consideration of the cycle of life. I've never had more than two thoughts about Redmond Tallow--best not to follow their trucks on an August afternoon, and that's who to call when there's a dead horse.
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| Learning for Health (Equine Dentistry Education) |
January/2007 |
Lt. Col. L.A. Merillat, a renowned veterinary surgeon, described the differences in human and animal dentistry in a textbook over 100 years ago: "Human dentistry owes its existence to a single disease process, caries (cavities), while animal dentistry depends upon a single physical defect, enamel points (dental elongations)."
While human dentistry has made great strides to prevent dental caries with educational efforts on dental and oral hygiene and the application of fluoride in toothpaste and in drinking water, animal dentistry has only recently made similar advances.
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| How Far We've Come |
December/2006 |
I was flattered when I was asked to discuss how far we've come in equine reproduction. I found it interesting to go back and review the many changes that have occurred.
Stallions
The use of artificial insemination has increased over the past several decades in all breeds except the Thoroughbred.
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| For Love or Money? |
November/2006 |
Was it for love, or money? H.L. Mencken wrote that when someone says "it's not about the money," it is about the money. This cynicism is more clever than true. For most of us, most of the time, it's about both.
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| Humane Concerns |
October/2006 |
What to do with unwanted horses? Unwanted by their owners for many reasons. Good, bad, old, lame, unmanageable, etc., all need new homes. Most find new owners with good, caring families, but some are taken to sales and are bought for under $300 by horse slaughter plants, because no one else would pay even that much for the horse. This category amounts to about 90,000 horses a year in the United States.
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| Over the Northern Border |
September/2006 |
In this month's issue of The Horse, certain parts of the Canadian horse industry are highlighted. While the industry is smaller in total horse numbers when compared to the U.S.
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| The Latest Elixir--Wellness |
August/2006 |
In today's world, horse owners are overwhelmed with information available about how to feed their horses. Every month, dozens of articles appear in magazines and on the Web that advocate a wide range of nutritional solutions for every problem facing the horse, and the marketplace is full of feeds and supplements designed for this problem or that challenge.
Added to the clutter are chat rooms and blogs where horse owners and self-proclaimed nutritionists with no real knowledge throw in their advice, and the horse owner is left with a spinning head from information overload.
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| Recovery...of Sorts |
July/2006 |
Same storm, starkly different effects. There was a very different disaster area waiting for me in coastal Mississippi than I saw in Louisiana eight months earlier, and recovery has been markedly different. In both regions, all forms of life were at the mercy of Hurricane Katrina's fury.
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| The World's Horses |
June/2006 |
In the country they transport clean water and firewood and are the power for the plow or the cart to market. In the cities they serve as the builder’s van, the taxi, and the refuse collection service. Most of the horses, donkeys, and mules on this planet lead lives intimately linked to those of some of the poorest people.
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| Permanent Identification |
May/2006 |
Hurricane Katrina taught us many lessons. Serving as the Horse Unit Coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture's State Veterinarian's Office after Katrina, I received a much-needed education in permanent identification and the benefits for both horses and their owners. A total of 364 horses were rescued and transported to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, La.
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| New Beginnings |
April/2006 |
If you had never been to Louisiana before, you might drive through the southern countryside today, passing sugarcane fields and oil refineries, and across bridge after bridge spanning a seemingly endless swampland, without too heavy of a reminder that just last fall, nearly all seemed lost. While all is not normal or pristine, you can visit the occasional small town that survived or is rebuilding.
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| Spring Fevers |
March/2006 |
Respiratory problems are frequent health issues for horses, and are often associated with microbial infections. For horse owners preparing for spring competitions or the birth of foals, a review of respiratory diseases is timely. Owners need to recognize early signs of respiratory infections to minimize the spread to other horses and to initiate prompt veterinary treatment.
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| Genome Sequencing |
February/2006 |
In 1991, Eliane Marti, Dr. Med. Vet., published a study as a graduate student in Switzerland, showing that chronic hypersensitivity bronchitis (a.k.a. heaves) had a strong hereditary component among Swiss horses.
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| A Decade Looking Inside |
January/2006 |
Starting in 1996, James N. Moore, DVM, PhD, a veterinary educator at the University of Georgia (UGA), began to work with Thel Melton, a computer graphics artist in the college, to develop a faster way for students to envision what is happening beneath the skin in horses. The collaboration grew out of the frustration Moore experienced teaching veterinary students about equine colic.
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| Handle Stallions With Care |
December/2005 |
The horses that I have been around all my life have one thing in common--they are all different. Whether it was the pack horses in our front yard when I was a child in Colorado, or the racing Quarter Horses my Dad owned in Oklahoma later in my youth, or the magnificent Thoroughbreds I care for today, they're all individuals. The one thing I try to remember is that each horse is unlike the horse in the stall next door, even though they may have the same job.
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| Three Days in Louisiana |
November/2005 |
As news editor of The Horse, I had asked myself: How was I to communicate to readers the enormous amount of devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to everything in her path? Her effects on people and property have been extensively covered in the mainstream news media, but her wrath was no easier on animals. And early on, there was precious little information about their plight because no one could get into storm-ravaged areas to investigate.
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| End Horse Slaughter |
October/2005 |
In August 2002, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn gave his opinion (Opinion No. JC-0539) that horse slaughter was illegal in Texas because of a 1949 Teas law against the sale, possession, and transport of horse meat for human consumption. District attorneys from Kaufman and Tarrant Counties started prosecution using the law (Agricultural code 149).
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| Disaster Prep Reflections |
September/2005 |
I love my job working for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a field research analyst in zoonotic diseases. I recently attended—in my capacity as certified veterinary technician (CVT)—a three-day seminar at the Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth, Vt., on the rescue of large animals in disaster situations.
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| Eager Boys and Wolves |
August/2005 |
In the children's story "The Boy who Cried Wolf," a young shepherd amuses himself by crying "Wolf!" and enticing villagers to run to help him save his flock. After a time, when there were never any wolves, no one paid attention to the cries.
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| A Promising Future |
July/2005 |
When equine industry leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., on April 19 for the first Unwanted Horse Summit, it marked the start of an unprecedented effort by the horse community to address the care and fate of this country's “unwanted” horses. The recently coined phrase "unwanted horse" represents those horses within the domestic equine population that are no longer wanted or useful to their owners, or their owners are not interested in or capable of providing their day-to-day care.
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| Caring for Geriatrics |
June/2005 |
When The Horse editor Kim Herbert asked me if I might be interested in writing on one of my favorite topics--old horses--it brought to mind so many great memories from my childhood. I was an endurance rider, so I got to be really close to my horse, Flagpole.
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| Update Influenza Vaccines |
May/2005 |
Veterinarians and horse owners, as caretakers of the health and wellbeing of our animals, tend to be vigilant about ensuring the safety and efficacy of vaccines. But do we ever step back to examine if these vaccines, which include multiple antigens and adjuvants, contain unnecessary components? For example, by continuing to include the A1 strain in flu vaccines, we may actually be providing more than our horses need.
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| U.S. Outreach Needed |
April/2005 |
There is a growing awareness in the equine community of unwanted, neglected, and mistreated horses. At the 2004 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) meeting, an entire session was devoted to a discussion of the "Unwanted Horse."
In light of information presented there, one might be inclined to say that the challenge on the home front is enough for American horse owners and the veterinary community.
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| What is a Specialist? |
March/2005 |
Your primary care veterinarian calls in a specialist for your sick horse; you didn't know there were veterinary specialists. You are familiar with the specialty system in human medicine. Most of us have been to an ophthalmologist, some to an internist, a cardiologist, or a dermatologist.
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| Plight of the Unwanted Horse |
February/2005 |
"Unwanted horses" within the domestic equine population have been determined by someone to be no longer needed or useful, or their owners are no longer interested in or capable of providing care for them physically or financially. Many unwanted horses will be sent to slaughter, euthanatized, or simply abandoned and left to die.
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| Be Prepared for the Worst |
January/2005 |
September 15th is a day I will never forget. The Dearborn County Sheriff's office asked if I would respond to a horse trailer accident involving 50 horses, and I was on my way. I was the only vet present to help fire and rescue personnel extract 20 horses from an overturned horse trailer.
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| The Truth About H.R. 857 |
December/2004 |
As lead sponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857) in the U.S. House of Representatives, I feel it is important to respond to articles recently published in The Horse that grossly misrepresent my bill and the issue of horse slaughter as a whole.
Several misleading themes continue to be put forward by opponents of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) that are not supported by the facts.
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| Dental Professionals Available |
November/2004 |
There is, of late, much discussion amongst horse owners and the horse industry in general about the practice of equine veterinary dentistry by unlicensed lay individuals. Some feel that laws should not restrict the horse owner in their choice of service providers.
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| AAEP Horseman's Day |
October/2004 |
As technology continues to make impressive gains, availability of information on a variety of specific topics seems to be limitless. Unfortunately, the plethora of information comes with its own problems: What to trust? What is relevant to my particular situation/question? And what is the most up-to-date information? For many individuals, collecting the information is easy; it is the analysis and determination of what is important that becomes difficult and time-consuming. In some cases, drawing a conclusion with bad information is worse than not having any information to begin with.
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| Changes in Horse Dentistry |
September/2004 |
We all want our horses to have comfort, enhanced performance, more nutrition efficiency, and even a good chance of living longer. So we're all glad to see the changes that are occurring in the field of equine dentistry, a long-neglected part of horse health care that is now, fortunately, coming back into prominence.
The Good--Veterinarians have been out of the loop for decades regarding equine dental care, but we're now beginning to realize its importance, and we're availing ourselves of excellent opportunities to learn more about providing thorough equine dental care.
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| Just Say No to HR 857 |
August/2004 |
Welcome to the ugly side of veterinary medicine--horse slaughter. Now there is a subject most horse enthusiasts don't want to deal with. But because we don't live in a perfect world, horse slaughter is a necessary evil.
Let me state right now that I am not pro-slaughter.
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| TRF Secretariat Center |
July/2004 |
Since its founding more than 20 years ago, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) has been proud of its many accomplishments, from each horse that it has saved to each new farm or facility it has opened, to every time it has helped spread the message that there is a far better way of dealing with unwanted former racehorses than sending them off to a slaughterhouse. The TRF, it has been said, is in the business of creating happy endings.
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| The White Rule |
June/2004 |
Back in 1940, life in the United States was simple, despite a world at war and a complex future right at the nation's doorstep. That March during the Fort Worth stock show and rodeo, a group of prominent ranchers and horse breeders from across the West gathered in the home of Jim and Anne Hall, masters of West Texas' famed Burnett and Four Sixes ranches, to further a common interest--establishing a studbook and registry for America's oldest breed of horse.
Bred since the late 1600s, when Virginia and Carolina horsemen referred to them as Celebrated American Quarter of a Mile Running Horses, American Quarter Horses by the 20th Century had characteristics that set them apart from other breeds--extreme speed, innate cow sense, an intelligent and willing disposition, symmetrical conformation, heavy muscling, bulging jaws, and little fox ears.
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| Governing Equine Competition |
May/2004 |
As the National Governing Body for equestrian sport, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF, formerly U.S.A. Equestrian) takes seriously the importance of providing a fair and level playing field for all competitors. This mission is a large and important one.
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| The Horse Protection Act |
April/2004 |
Although the Horse Protection Act (HPA) was enacted 34 years ago, show ring abuse of the Tennessee Walking Horse and other high-stepping gaited breeds is still a significant, ongoing problem. Horses are intentionally abused through mechanical and chemical means to obtain an unnatural, high-stepping gait that leads to the winner's circle.
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| Continuing Education for Veterinarians and Horse Owners |
March/2004 |
Continuing education is a euphemism for most of life. We learn as we live. But if life is continuing education, then medical science is the fast track. For equine veterinarians, much of our professional continuing education takes place at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) annual convention, which is highlighted in a supplement that accompanies this issue of The Horse.
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| Wild Horses and Burros |
February/2004 |
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages the majority of the wild horses and burros in the United States. The agency manages these animals on the public rangelands consistent with BLM's multiple-use mission, which takes into consideration natural resources such as wildlife and vegetation, and other users such as ranchers and recreationists.
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| FEI and Welfare |
January/2004 |
What does international equestrian sport do to ensure healthy, fair, and clean competition? As a sport where the horse is used for its athletic abilities and man is at the helm, it is crucial that the horse be properly safeguarded.
Ethics and Horse Welfare--The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) considers the welfare of the horse its most important priority.
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| Two Chances at Life |
December/2003 |
To Michele Oren, each horse at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Exceller Farm is special. You don't devote your life to saving Thoroughbreds and finding them homes without having a special affection for horses. But she's not afraid to admit that two of the 32 horses at the Poughquag, N.
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| Colic Emergency! |
November/2003 |
A10-year-old Thoroughbred broodmare awaits her morning meal. There is a 4-month-old foal by her side. She only eats about half of the ration, but shows no signs of distress. The barn manager is notified that his best mare is a bit off her feed and showing mild signs of depression.
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| Too Much, Too Soon? Just Right? |
October/2003 |
I think we have seen over and over again that it is beneficial to stress the bones of a horse when they are most adaptive. This optimal adaptive period would seem to be when the horse is still in an active growth stage. We have all seen many cases where a certain type of injury (e.
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| Equine Influenza |
September/2003 |
Equine influenza is a common disease that causes acute respiratory signs. In nations with extensive horse breeding and racing industries, it is currently considered to be the most economically important respiratory disease of horses. The prevalence of equine influenza is 50-60% in most field studies.
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| Avoid Radiation Exposure |
August/2003 |
In my opinion, the cover photo on the May 2003 issue of The Horse captures a scene that occurs far too often in the equine ambulatory setting. Clients and horse handlers often assist in obtaining radiographs of their horses. Sometimes these people are directed to stand in or around the direct beam of the X ray machine, and all too often without any radiation protection whatsoever.
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| What You Don't Know Could Hurt |
July/2003 |
As a horse owner, you are regularly bombarded with advertisements for various products that will supposedly cure your horse's arthritis. On the other hand, you might have noticed that your veterinarian uses pharmaceutical products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and you only have access to them through a veterinarian's administration or prescription. It is important to realize that FDA approval brings assurance that your veterinarian is using a product that has met stringent standards for quality, consistency, and safety.
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| What's Right for Your Horse? |
June/2003 |
Joint trauma can severely limit performance and seriously affect the quality of your horse's daily life. Owners want and need to know how best to manage equine joint disease. The most important factor in successful treatment is early detection and diagnosis.
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| Equine Physical Therapy Advances |
May/2003 |
In 1982, I was working as an athletic trainer when a veterinarian came in for help in rehabilitating a sprained ankle. As I applied electrical stimulation and range of motion exercise, I asked him what would be done for a horse with a similar injury. He told me of blistering and firing and of extended stall rest, followed by turnout.
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| Responsible Horse Ownership |
April/2003 |
Animal rights, owner responsibility, health and welfare, and all the attendant issues occupy more and more of our time and energy these days as we horse owners struggle to find a place in our busy lives for what once was a routine part of life in a long-ago society. Now, a few generations removed from our agrarian roots, we are bombarded, it seems, with ethical and political questions unasked generations ago.
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| West Nile Virus Vaccination |
March/2003 |
The following responses to questions are from Rob Keene, DVM, a field technical consulting equine veterinarian with Fort Dodge Animal Health (FDAH), manufacturers of the West Nile virus vaccine.
The West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine is probably one of the best-known vaccines on the market right now.
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| The MRLS Mystery |
February/2003 |
Three concerned equine practitioners visited the Gluck Equine Research Center the first part of May 2001 to discuss what they had discerned as unusual activity in their broodmare practices. The rest of May and early June encompassed our initial exhausting experiences with mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS).
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| Veterinarian/Farrier Relationship |
January/2003 |
The Practice Act laws state that only veterinarians can diagnose and treat health problems. The veterinarian has to keep records related to each visit and also must protect the confidentiality of your horse's records, and is the steward of that information for you. Veterinarians are required to have a great deal of education, but often not a great deal of education related to foot problems.
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| Creating Your Health Care Team |
December/2002 |
You are ultimately responsible for your horse, for all issues from training to health care. In this day and age, you have access to a variety of health care providers and to a great deal of information--and misinformation--from people claiming to be alternative medicine practitioners. Who can help you decipher all this as it relates to your horse's situation? The best person is your regular veterinarian, who knows your horse's health history and should understand your desires and concerns.
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| Advances in Equine Dentistry |
November/2002 |
It often is very difficult to break free from old customs, habits, and traditions. This holds especially true in the horse world. Horsekeeping is steeped in the rich traditions of a long, colorful history. Many of these time-honored customs should be treasured and preserved; but others can impede the development and dissemination of veterinary knowledge.
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| Halternatives |
October/2002 |
The past 15 years, various techniques have resulted in a type of Arabian "halter" presentation that poses the horse in a now-familiar stance. What is missing in this presentation? To me it's the evidence of trust, affection, and mutual esteem cherished by Arabian breeders for over three thousand years. Equine-related activities represent the fastest-growing recreational sport in the United States; when people are seeking relationships with horses, a halter presentation celebrating the Arabian horse's natural affinity for the human is both ethical and essential.
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| Salvation from Slaughter |
September/2002 |
There are numerous horse auctions in the United States. The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) has commissioned a private study of some auction houses to learn: Where are these horses coming from? How many are there? What is their condition? And how many can we absorb into retirement and rehabilitation programs rather than letting them go to slaughter? This is our newest campaign against the ongoing issue of equine auctions and slaughterhouses.
In the fall of 2000, TRF began saving Thoroughbred horses from the New Holland, Penn.
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| Help Limit Laminitis |
August/2002 |
In this issue, you'll find (if you haven't already) a feature article on managing the chronically laminitic horse to regain maximum soundness and comfort (see page 79). Laminitis is a devastating problem that crosses the lines between breeds and disciplines, striking wherever we are unwary.
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| Wanted: Consumer Involvement |
June/2002 |
In recent months, there has been a good deal of discussion regarding the legality of many ingredients that horse and pet owners take for granted in supplements. Much of this discussion has centered on the proposed enforcement action by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for ingredients that have not yet received "ingredient definition.
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| Regulation of Supplements |
June/2002 |
Recently, an alarm was sounded that "the authorities" are trying to take away supplement products sold over-the-counter to horse owners. Some people have portrayed it as if Big Brother were trying to keep useful products away from the animals that might benefit from those products, but here's the straight scoop.
It is a fact that supplement products are coming under scrutiny.
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| Sifting Veterinary Advice |
May/2002 |
Your horse has a problem that your veterinarian is treating. Then you read an article from a reliable source or hear from a friend's veterinarian of a different way (in your mind possibly a better way) to treat your horse's current problem. You are excited and take that information to your veterinarian, but he/she does not agree with using that treatment.
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| Throwaway Horses (Banning Slaughter) |
April/2002 |
Habitat for Horses is an equine rescue and sanctuary located near Houston, Texas. We are involved in helping law enforcement handle abuse cases and rehabilitating abused, neglected horses. Over 200 horses have passed through the gates of Habitat for Horses in the past year--horses that otherwise would be headed for the slaughterhouse.
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| Vet's Role in Purchase Exams |
March/2002 |
The purchase examination can be one of the most confusing aspects of buying a horse. It might take weeks, or even months, of searching to find the most suitable horse. Then your efforts are held under the discretion of the examining veterinarian, who seems to spend an immeasurable amount of time examining the horse that you deemed "perfect.
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| Managing Barren Mares |
February/2002 |
Not every mare that is mated during a breeding season becomes pregnant, nor does every mare that conceives carry a foal to term. Failure of conception, early embryonic losses, and abortions are a fact of life in equine reproduction, and problem mares must be managed properly for the following breeding season.
In 2001, Kentucky and several other areas had an added problem with mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS), in which many early- and late-term pregnancies (stillborn and weak foals) were lost.
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| Legislation Begins With You |
December/2001 |
Often I am asked, "How does a law originate?" That’s a good question. Recently in Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to author a bill that became law in June of 2001. The law (Act 64 of 2001) prohibits tranportation of horses in multi-level vehicles (The Horse of September 2001, article
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| The Impact of West Nile Virus |
November/2001 |
Before the late summer of 1999, most veterinarians in the United States could not have told you much about West Nile virus (WNV). Most regulatory veterinarians, like myself, only knew that WNV didn't exist in the Western Hemisphere, and it wasn't one of the pathogens we most worried about seeing here in the United States. Foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, and African horse sickness were some of the diseases of greatest concern.
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| Get Involved: Terrorism and Horse Ownership |
November/2001 |
Equids have lived their whole historic, genetic lives with terror as a part of their natural existance. Horses have a normal, immediate reaction to danger that manifests itself as "flight or fight." In their world, safety is being out of the area of danger; either alone or as a herd they avoided serious injury or death by moving.
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| The View From The NICU |
October/2001 |
At the end of April in Kentucky, we suddenly started seeing a large number of foals with an unusual combination of signs admitted to the Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Most were slightly premature--maybe a week or two before due dates--and had a history of a "red bag" delivery or apparent premature separation of the placenta.
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| Where Are We Now? |
October/2001 |
The foot and mouth (FMD) outbreak in Great Britain started on Feb. 21, 2001. Immediately, virtually all equestrian enterprises stopped in sympathy for the farming community. This affected all sporting and recreational activity including, for the first week, racing.
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| Wild Horse Overpopulation |
October/2001 |
The wild horse is an animal most of us see as a beautiful, capable, defiant creature, comfortable in his environment and not needing human intervention to survive. However, this is not always the case, at least not in the United States.
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| Training Young Horses |
September/2001 |
Dr. E.E. Watson was a veterinarian of some repute for many years in the Midwest during the middle decades of the 20th Century. He not only treated racehorses, but he bred them, owned them, and trained them. One year in the late 1950s, he had a barn full of coughing, snotting, bucking 2-year-olds.
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| Shock Wave Therapy: Use it Logically |
June/2001 |
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is an established medical treatment (see The Horse of May 2001). Originally utilized to treat human kidney stones non-invasively, additional applications for this technology have been discovered. ESWT has been used to treat musculoskeletal disease for a number of years in Europe.
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| The Foundation of Health |
May/2001 |
Secretariat, one of the most admired horses in recent years, was humanely destroyed in 1989 because of intractable laminitis. This devastating inflammation between the bone and hoof has been the finish of many horses, ever since the horse was domesticated. Secretariat's condition evoked an outcry from horsemen and sportsmen that demanded some new approaches to the management of laminitis.
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| Thoughts on Equine Dentistry |
January/2001 |
I believe very few aspects of equine health care have attracted as much attention and advanced as rapidly in the past five years as the practice of equine dentistry. There have been rapid technological developments in the equipment and methodology of floating teeth, and a renewed understanding and interest in maintaining proper dental alignment for your horse's comfort, health, and performance.
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| EPM: A Vet's View |
January/2001 |
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious neurological disease and a common cause of ataxia (lack of coordinated movements) and weakness in horses. The causative agent of EPM is Sarcocystis neurona, a protozoan parasite that infects the central nervous system of horses.
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| Comments on Joint Supplements |
January/2001 |
In the November 2000 issue of The Horse, an thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=100&dpt=14" target=_blank>article discusses equine joint supplements and the "most controversial areas of supplementation." The article unfortunately further clouds a very complicated situation.
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| Welfare of Rodeo Horses: Advances in Care |
January/2001 |
As I sit in my family room by a fire thinking about professional rodeo and the great strides made in welfare over the years, I realize I'm quite proud of the sport. I am aware that not all people will agree with the sport of rodeo, but my wish is that none will say that the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) has not gone the "extra mile" to ensure the safety of rodeo animal athletes.
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