Karen Briggs
Karen Briggs is the author of six books, including the recently updated Understanding Equine Nutrition as well as Understanding The Pony, both published by Eclipse Press. She's written a few thousand articles on subjects ranging from guttural pouch infections to how to compost your manure. She is also a Canadian certified riding coach, an equine nutritionist, and works in media relations for the harness racing industry. She lives with her band of off-the-track Thoroughbreds on a farm near Guelph, Ontario, and dabbles in eventing.
Articles by Karen Briggs
Toronto Police Horse Killed On Duty
April 01, 2006
The city of Toronto is mourning the death of 9-year-old "Brigadier," a member of the Metro Police Mounted Unit. The horse had both front legs broken in what is being described as the deliberate impact of a minivan on Friday, Feb. 24. Read More
Citizens Push for "Brigadier's Law"
March 27, 2006
A deliberate hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of a Metro Toronto police horse on Feb. 24 has galvanized Canadians to amend the Criminal Code to better protect law enforcement service animals.
After attending Brigadier's Read More
Memorial Service for Police Horse Touches Toronto
March 08, 2006
More than 1,500 people honored the memory of Brigadier, an equine member of the Metro Toronto Police mounted unit who was tragically killed in the line of duty, by attending a special memorial service in downtown Toronto on Monday, March Read More
Toronto Police Horse Killed On Duty
March 01, 2006
The city of Toronto is mourning the death of 9-year-old "Brigadier," a member of the Metro Police Mounted Unit. The horse had both front legs broken in what is being described as the deliberate impact of a minivan on Friday, Feb. 24. Read More
The Ever-Present Threat
April 01, 2005
Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a 12-part series of articles on vaccinations for horses.
West Nile virus (WNV) might be the new kid on the block, the one gaining all the media attention, but unfortunately, it is not the only Read More
Hoof Boots: Protection Without Permanence
March 03, 2005
We all need protection from the elements. That goes for your horse's hooves as well. Millennia ago, when humans first vaulted aboard equine backs and guided them over terrain they probably would not otherwise have traversed, the value of Read More
West Nile Virus: Threat and Response
March 01, 2005
Editor's Note: This is the third in a 12-part series of articles on vaccinations for horses.
For a graphic demonstration of the value of vaccination, look no further than West Nile virus (WNV). When it roared onto the Eastern shore Read More
Vaccination Essentials: Rabies, Tetanus, and Botulism
February 01, 2005
Editor's Note: This is the second in a 12-part series of articles on vaccinations for horses.
Ask veterinarians anywhere in North America and they'll likely agree: If you vaccinate for nothing else, at the very least vaccinate Read More
Defending Against Disease
January 01, 2005
Editor's Note: This is the first installment in a 12-part series of articles on vaccinations of horses.
Of all the medical advances in the past couple of centuries, the one that might be the most remarkable is also the one Read More
Parasite Control Programs for Mature Horses
December 01, 2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the final installment in a 12-part series on internal parasites of horses.
In last month's article, we discussed certain parasites that are found almost exclusively in horses less than two years of Read More
With Every Fiber of Their Being
December 01, 2004
With the recent Athens Olympics as our inspiration, we might all be pondering what it takes to go "faster, higher, and stronger." Whether you're a human, a hamster, or a horse, the answer, at least in part, is muscle fibers--each of which holds Read More
New Equine Performance Centre
November 01, 2004
The University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, has unveiled plans to build a new multi-million-dollar Equine Performance Centre for diagnosing and treating problems in performance horses. The facility is Read More
Age-Related Parasites: Scourges of Foals and Young Horses
November 01, 2004
Editor's Note: This is part eleven of a 12-part series on internal parasites of horses.
BY KAREN BRIGGS, WITH CRAIG REINEMEYER, DVM, PHD; DENNIS FRENCH, DVM, MS, DIPL. ABVP; AND RAY KAPLAN, DVM, PHD Read More
EPO Testing Making a Difference at the Track
October 04, 2004
One of the most potentially damaging drugs to hit the racetrack in recent years is erythropoietin, or EPO. A synthetic version of a naturally-occurring hormone which stimulates the bone marrow to make more red blood cells, EPO was designed to Read More
Parasite Control Without--or Along With--Chemicals
October 01, 2004
EDITOR'S NOTE
This is part ten of a 12-part series on internal parasites of horses.
Our horses are lucky to live in an age when modern deworming drugs can pretty much rid them of parasites. They're living longer an Read More
New Equine Performance Centre for Guelph
September 23, 2004
The University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, has unveiled plans to build a new multi-million-dollar Equine Performance Centre, dedicated to diagnosing and treating problems in performance horses. The Read More
Vaccinating Strategically
September 01, 2004
Every spring, you ask your veterinarian to vaccinate your horse to protect her from disease while she's showing, racing, carrying a foal, or hanging around your pasture. But is this yearly routine the best way to confer immunity with the vaccine Read More
Resistant Worms: Do Your Horses Have Them?
September 01, 2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part nine of a 12-part series on internal parasites of horses.
Most people assume that when they administer a tube of dewormer to a horse, the drug is effectively killing worms. The drug must Read More
Drugs for the Deworming War
August 01, 2004
How do you choose a dewormer when you're presented with a bewildering array of product types? Read More
Ulcer Diagnosis Simplified With Sucrose
July 22, 2004
Diagnosing equine gastric ulcers might soon be a procedure that's short and sweet. Until recently, ulcer detection depended on using an endoscope to peer at the stomach lining. Now, a team of researchers at Texas A&M University, led by Noah Read More
Parasite Primer Part 7: Parasites in the Environment
July 01, 2004
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part seven of a 12-part series on internal parasites of horses.
Back in January, in our first installment of this series, we described what makes a parasite different from other kinds of infectiou Read More
Beasts of Burden
June 01, 2004
Any horse owner who tours the medieval gallery at a museum must stop at the displays of suits of armor and marvel. Imagine the sheer weight of such an outfit--then imagine trying to maneuver oneself into the saddle wearing it! Visions of Read More
Mud Management
June 01, 2004
Flanders and Swann, a singing comedy team from the United Kingdom, once penned a song that went like this:
"Mud, mud, glorious mud,
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.
So follow me, follow,
Down to the hollow,
And Read More
Parasite Primer: Examining the Evidence
June 01, 2004
How do you really know if your worm control program is working? If your horses are looking good, are they doin Read More
Lameness Diagnostics
June 01, 2004
Quite often, the diagnostic tools and techniques at the disposal of your mobile veterinary service are all that are needed to solve the mystery. Some horse owners have been through this routine a time or two: Your vet will ask to see your horse Read More
