News.
It's always fun to share horsey news with fellow horse folks. Please send us your news, wrap up of events and clinics, comings and goings at your barn and don't forget to add a photo or two. We'll share it on our facebook page. If you'd like us to give you press coverage of an event please email us the details as far in advance as possible.
What do we Know about Colitis in Horses?
The short answer is not enough is known about this all-too-common veterinary emergency. There are no clearly defined criteria to categorize acute colitis. “Colitis in horses is very complex and can be affected by several factors,” says Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Luis Arroyo. There is a need to improve diagnostic protocol. Together with newly recruited faculty member Dr. Luiza Zakia, a global study is about to commence to develop a core outcome set (COS) for acute colitis in horses. Read the full article...
American Horse Council rolls out Member Loyalty Rewards Program
The American Horse Council (AHC) is excited to offer a new Member Loyalty Rewards Program that will thank and reward our members for their continued patronage. Members will receive points for their engagement, participation and actions which they can redeem for free products and discounts. Read the full article...
2025 Thoroughbred Makeover Vendor Fair Applications Now Open
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today that Vendor Fair applications are now open for the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the largest retraining competition in North America for recently-retired racehorses and former broodmares. The Vendor Fair runs throughout the competition, October 8-11, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Read the full article...
Sponsorships Available for 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) announced today that sponsorships are now available for the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 8-11. Sponsorships put brands in front of an audience at the largest retraining competition in North America for recently-retired racehorses and former broodmares. Read the full article...
Todd Crawford Crosses Three Million in NRCHA Lifetime Earnings
Pilot Point, Texas—The National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) officially announces that NRCHA Professional Todd Crawford has crossed three million dollars in NRCHA lifetime earnings. He reached the milestone after taking the reserve champion title at the 2025 Western Bloodstock Ray Shell Ranch NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman® finals, held in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 1. He’s just the third NRCHA professional to achieve this honor. Read the full article...
Save the Date: Mustang Classic 2025 – The Richest English Discipline Mustang Competition Returns to Rolex Stadium
Mustang Classic 2025, the richest English discipline mustang competition, is set to return to Rolex Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky! This highly anticipated event brings together top trainers, skilled competitors, and passionate horse enthusiasts to celebrate the incredible versatility, athleticism, and spirit of America’s mustangs. Read the full article...
New Online Course for Youth Interested in Careers in the Horse Industry
Equine Guelph is excited to announce the launch of a new online course designed specifically for youth aged 13-17 who are passionate about horses and interested in exploring careers in the horse industry. The self-paced course, Careers in the Horse World is now available for free for a limited time on TheHorsePortal.ca. Read the full article...
AHC submits formal request to USDA on Horse Protection Act regulations
Following the public release of the proposed new regulation for the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in August 2023, the American Horse Council (AHC) has actively engaged with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convey our concerns. In December 2024, we formally requested a postponement due to regulatory ambiguities. This request was granted, moving the implementation date from February 2, 2025, to April 2, 2025.
Since the Final Rule was published, AHC and many members of the horse industry have requested clarifications on the interpretation of the regulation including a perceived “mission creep” of applying the definition of soring beyond what was intended by Congress. Our focus has been to curtail unintended consequences not related to ending intentional soring. For example, did Congress intend to ban the use of fly spray? Read the full article...
AQHA Announces 2025 Dates
Mark your calendar with the tentative dates for these 2025 AQHA events.
The American Quarter Horse Association has an exciting line-up of events planned for 2025. Mark your calendars and set your reminders today with these dates, organized by category. Dates are tentative and subject to change. Read the full article...
Study Looks at Welfare of Lesson Horses
University of Guelph researchers share preliminary results of a study suggesting bigger may not necessarily be better when it comes to riding school programs and equine welfare. Other researchers have shown that riding lesson horses have poorer welfare compared to pleasure horses, when comparing incidences of abnormal behaviors, physical injuries, health issues, aggression towards humans, and “depressed-like” postures. The variability in injury and death rates among lesson horses across different barns suggests that management practices play a significant role in their health and longevity; with larger lesson facilities reporting higher incidences. Read the full article...
Revisions to Horse Protection Act Effective February 1, 2025
The American Horse Council (AHC) is releasing this advisory to inform the industry of important changes to the Horse Protection Act (HPA). Background on the HPA can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/hpa.
As ageneral reminder, the HPA covers all equine breeds and disciplines to eliminate the practice of soring horses. The AHC and other industry stakeholders have engaged in numerous meetings with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) to obtain clarifications and details on the new revisions to the HPA Rule.
New requirements Effective February 1, 2025: Horse show and event managers will be required to:
Provide notice to APHIS at least 30 days in advance of the event via mail or email.
Provide any event updates 15 days in advance of the event
Report any violations of the horse protection act within 5 days post event
Note, the new rule defines horse show as a public display of any horses in competition except where speed is the prime factor, rodeo events, parades, or trail rides.
One of the key changes to the rule is that USDA will be responsible for training Horse Protection Inspectors which will be licensed veterinarians or individuals with extensive equine experience with a governmental agency. These will be the individuals performing inspections at events. A video of the inspection process is on the website. Historically, USDA has inspected fewer than 50 events nationally per year. Read the full article...
Understanding Reportable Diseases
For a horse owner, receiving a positive test result from your veterinarian for an equine infectious disease can be scary and overwhelming. What is the disease? How did my horse contract it? What happens now? What is the role for state and federal animal health officials in disease control management?
Because some infectious diseases can cause significant number of sick horses and deaths and are easily spread, individual states and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) act on reportable diseases to prevent disease spread. Read the full article...
A New Approach for Treating Kissing Spine
Overriding Spinous Process, otherwise known as Kissing Spine can cause back pain and poor performance, especially when two or more vertebrae touch or overlap. Assistant Professor Dr. Nathalie Cote in the department of Large Animal Surgery at Ontario Veterinary College recently presented a new less invasive surgical approach to treat this issue that is showing great preliminary results. Read the full article...
MMP Enzymes and Laminitis
Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD
MMPs are matrix metalloproteinases – enzymes that break down connective tissue protein/collagen in the body. If you follow news releases and articles about equine laminitis, you have surely seen mention of MMP enzymes since the late 1990s. Turns out they are not the major players as was originally thought.
The basement membrane (BM) in the hoof is a thin layer of connective tissue lining the junction between the dead laminae of the hoof wall, and the live laminae of the inner hoof. This system locks the hoof wall to the tissues inside like Velcro.
In laminitis caused by things like colic/gut infections, black walnut shavings, grain, or experimental fructan overload, it was noted the basement membrane is damaged or destroyed and that the level of MMP enzymes is increased. This led to the theory that the activation of MMP is what causes laminitis. Read the full article...