What a year it was! Researchers unlocked the secrets of the equine genome, an outbreak of equine influenza stopped Australia’s horse industry in its tracks, state actions resulted in the closure of U.S. horse slaughter plants, and the death of a Kentucky Derby winner brought about a surge of interest in and support of laminitis research.

Here are the most newsworthy events and advances in equine health care as featured in the print edition of The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care in 2007:

January: EHV-1 Outbreak at Colorado State

Hospital admitted only emergency patients in November

In the fall of 2006, equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) spread among patients in the veterinary hospital at Colorado State University (CSU), despite the fact the school runs one of the nation’s top veterinary biosecurity programs. The finding forced 20 hospitalized horses into a quarantine, which was set to be lifted Nov. 17, 2006.

February: EIA: Transmissible Through the Air?  

Deadly Irish outbreak presents alarming new evidence of disease spread

An outbreak of equine infectious anemia (EIA) at a veterinary hospital in Ireland led some researchers and veterinarians to postulate the virus might be transmissible through the air in some exceptional circumstances. This was the first time scientists have observed a situation that points to aerosol transmission of the virus.

In summer 2006, the virus spread from one mare to all the other adult horses sharing one barn at Troytown Equine Hospital in County Kildare, Ireland. All of those adults became ill and were euthanatized over the following five months.

March: Barbaro’s Euthanasia Peaceful:

Hoof problems end eight-month battle for survival

After eight months in the intensive care unit and dozens of procedures, Barbaro’s struggle to survive came to an end Jan. 29 when compounding hoof problems jeopardized the colt’s comfort level.

April: Horse Genome Sequenced

Research has broad applications for equine health, management

The first genome map of a horse is complete, providing scientists with a new set of tools for investigating equine disease, scientists at the Broad Institute, a part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the National Human Genome Research Institute announced Feb. 7.

May: Equine Herpesvirus: Anatomy of an Outbreak

Age, clinical signs correlated to development of neurological disease

Researchers connected to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in Ohio at the University of Findlay’s English riding facility several years ago published a report correlating age and specific clinical signs to horses’ incidence of neurologic disease and chance of survival. These findings could serve as guidelines for predicting which horses are at risk during future outbreaks and enable veterinarians to take prophylactic action.

June: Changing Carbohydrate Evaluations in Animal Diets

Nutritionists are doing away with “nonstructural carbohydrates”

If you own a horse with laminitis or a metabolic problem such as insulin resistance or Cushing’s disease, chances are you’ve heard recommendations to minimize his intake of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC). However, many nutritionists and feed analysts are now saying that NSC isn’t the best measure to evaluate when you’re counting a horse’s carbs.

July: Tests Identify HERDA Carriers

Two DNA tests available for disfiguring skin disease

Scientific research has scored another significant victory in the equine world. Two DNA tests are now available to detect carrier status for hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA), also known as hyperelastosis cutis (HC).

Today horse owners desiring to know whether they own a carrier mare, stallion, or foal can have it tested at either the University of California Davis or Cornell University in New York, where tests have been developed independent of each other. The cost per individual horse at each institution is $50. Hair follicles provide DNA for the respective tests.

August: Beyond Bute and Banamine

New NSAID option for horses approved

A new option in equine pain relief marks progress in the development of safer non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for horses. Firocoxib (trade name Equioxx), manufactured by Merial, is the first equine NSAID specifically targeting the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme to be approved by the FDA, and it is the first new equine NSAID option for systemic administration since 1990. The drug was released June 11.

September: New Respiratory Ailment Identified

Progressive disease might have link to EHV-5

Researchers identified a new equine respiratory ailment that presents clinical signs similar to heaves, but that is progressive and has a poor prognosis for affected horses. The researchers have postulated that the disease, dubbed equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis, might be linked to equine herpesvirus-5, a common virus that has been considered to be nonpathogenic (not causing disease). A peer-reviewed paper on the pathology of the disease (structural changes to the organs of the horse) was to be published in an upcoming issue of Veterinary Pathology.

October: Ethanol to Take a Bite out of Equine Food Supplies?

With corn prices up and hay production down, horse owners are in a pinch

When the time came for Jamie Clifton to stockpile horse feed for the winter at Volunteer Equine Advocates, she found grain prices up and hay expensive and in tight supply. Now, she said, she’s wondering how high horse feed commodity prices can go, and how her organization can meet the resulting demands on financial resources. Clifton is not alone. Horse keepers across the country are feeling the pinch as more bushels of corn are funneling into biofuel than feed troughs, and farmers are abandoning hay production to take advantage of high corn prices.

November: Researchers: African Horse Sickness Could Shift North

Climate change might allow deadly disease to survive in Europe, Americas

As the global climate changes gradually, an equine disease that was once limited to sub-Saharan Africa could reach as far north as England in the near future, according to several European animal health networks.

December: Wildfires Slam California

Veterinarians credit prompt evacuation for reducing equine injuries

Drought conditions and fierce Santa Ana winds combined in late October to produce a string of wildfires that devastated Southern California. The situation was similar to the fires that raced through the area in 2003 and killed or injured many horses. The key difference this time was that while nearly a million people were evacuated, countless buildings destroyed, and a half-million acres burned, veterinarians reported few horse injuries resulting from the fires.

And personal favorites:

Editor-in-Chief Kimberly S