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4th Annual REINS Conference                             

February 16th -17th at The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital

CLICK HERE FOR THE REGISTRATION FORM

Tentative Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 16th          

Equine Infectious Anemia & the Coggins Test

EPM: What You Need to Know

Tour of the OSU Veterinary Hospital & Galbreath Equine Center

Foaling 101: Preparing for the New Arrival

Stretching Your Horse's Hay Supply

Care and Feeding of the Starved Horse

Toxic Plants and Trees

Sunday, February 17th  

OSU Equine Research Update

Tumors & Treatments

Navicular Disease

Therapeutic Shoeing: Why and When

Bedding Considerations

Colic in 3D

Cost for the conference: $70 for both days (including lunch). 

Nutrena to Host an Equine S.A.F.E. (Safety and Feed Education) Day

Location:  Nutrena Feed Plant (Wooster, Ohio)

When: Saturday, March 23 from 10am - 2pm

Click HERE for the flyer and more information...

6th Annual Buckeye Bonanza Horse & Tack Sale

Mark your calendars for the 6th annual Buckeye Bonanza Horese & Tack Sale on Saturday, April 20th in Delaware, Ohio (due to construction at the OSU Equine Facility).  This year's sale will include 16 riding horses suitable for a variety of disciplines.  For more information, visit http://buckeyebonanza.osu.edu.

Horse Slaughter Suit Hits USDA, Humane Society

Southwest Farm Press

A Roswell, New Mexico, meat company has filed suit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) over a lack of action on a request for inspections that would clear the way for the company to resume domestic horse slaughterhouse operations in an effort to revitalize horse meat food services to foreign buyers.

Company owner Rick del los Santos says the company is still waiting for federal action though the lawsuit was filed last October. Federal court officials say the USDA has until January to respond to the request but confirm they will continue to process the lawsuit in the interim.

Valley Meat Company is suing the federal government, alleging USDA inaction on its application has cost the company “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in recent months. The company has also filed suit against advocates for the humane treatment of animals, who Santos claims defamed his business during what he termed “an expensive, yearlong fight” over his proposal. That suit names the Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue, and Animal Protection of New Mexico as plaintiffs.  Read more...

EHV-1 Confirmed in Horse at National Western Stock Show Rodeo

Courtesy of The Horse

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is investigating one confirmed case of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) within the state. A quarantine has been placed on seven horses, including the index case, and a hold order has been placed on six additional horses who might have had direct contact.

The affected horse, a 6-year-old gelding from Texas, is part of a team of Quarter Horses used during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) rodeo (which took place Jan. 12-27 in Denver) to pull a stagecoach during rodeo performances. The horse began showing clinical signs of disease Jan. 27 and was transported to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. The EHV-1 diagnosis was confirmed Jan. 28.  Read more...

Feeding and Management Practices After a Period Out of Work

Kentucky Equine Research

Many performance horses in various disciplines are given some time out of training in the off season and put out to pasture for a well-deserved holiday. Turning out, or spelling, has multiple physical as well as psychological benefits for horses and they often return with increased energy and renewed enthusiasm for their work. Time off can also give any niggling injuries and digestive conditions such as gastric ulcers and hindgut acidosis time to abate, therefore also improving physical health and soundness.

When bringing a horse back into work, correct feeding and management practices are essential. It is important that the right levels of energy are supplied to achieve optimum body condition, nutrient levels are met, and that the horse’s exercise program is designed to avoid injuries and promote a long and successful season ahead. Read more...

Single Mutation Affects Horse Gaits

Equine Science Update

Scientists in Sweden have  announced an important discovery that helps explain how some horses are limited to “natural” gaits, while others are capable of additional  gaits.

Nearly all horses  use  “natural” gaits (walk, trot, canter and gallop) without special training. Additional “ambling” gaits may occur naturally in some individuals, but usually only in certain breeds.

Researchers have identified a single gene mutation that enables horses to perform gaits such as running walk and pacing. The pace is a lateral two-beat gait; the two legs on the same side of the horse move forward together, unlike the trot, in which the two legs diagonally opposite each other move forward together. Not only does the mutation play a crucial role in the horse's ability to perform “ambling” gaits, it also affects performance in harness racing. A report of the work has been published in the journal “Nature”.  Read more...

Vitamin E and Selenium Status in Horses

Kentucky Equine Research

Vitamin E and selenium both function as antioxidants in the cell. Selenium is part of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which breaks down peroxides. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that inserts itself into the cell membrane and neutralizes free radicals. Both selenium and vitamin E can offset a deficiency of the other, as long as both are not deficient.

Selenium deficiency or selenium-responsive conditions have been associated with several problems in horses, including white muscle disease, sporadic tying-up, retained placenta, reduced fertility, masseter (jaw) muscle myopathy, and heart failure or difficulty swallowing in foals. Read more...

Unwanted Horse Coalition's Operation Gelding Gelds 208 Horses in 2012

Unwanted Horse Coalition

WASHINGTON, DC – January 3, 2013 The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s [UHC] Operation Gelding program finishes 2012 with a total of 208 stallions castrated just this year. Almost 600 stallions have been castrated since the first Operation Gelding clinic in September 2010.

The program, which was first launched in late August 2010, is able to continue aiding in the castration of stallions thanks to the support and seed money provided by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, Pfizer, and the UHC. Operation Gelding is designed to offer funding assistance to organizations, associations, and events that wish to conduct a public gelding clinic under the name and guidelines of Operation Gelding. An organization that has completed an Operation Gelding clinic will receive funding of $50 per horse, $1,000 maximum, to aid in the costs associated with the clinic.

In 2012 alone, Operation Gelding aided in the castration of stallions from 14 different states: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.  Read more...

Colic Medication Helps Heaves   

Equine Science Update

N-butylscopolammonium bromide, a drug commonly used to treat spasmodic colic, has been shown to relieve bronchospasm in horses with recurrent airway obstruction.

Recurrent airway obstruction, (RAO) also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heaves, is a common problem of stabled horses. It is initiated by inhaled stable dust, which contains agents that cause lung inflammation - including fungal spores, bacteria and endotoxin.  Read more...

Mobile Light Therapy

Equine Science Update

A new way to advance the breeding season in mares is being developed following research into the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to inhibit melatonin secretion.

Thoroughbred breeders aim to have foals born as soon as possible after the official birthday of January 1st  (in the northern hemisphere.)  This gives them a head start  in size and maturity when competing against other horses in the same age group, both at sales and subsequently at the race track.

However,  breeding early in the year is at odds with the horse's natural breeding season, which occurs some months later.  Read more...