3D printing future for therapeutic shoes?

Equinescienceupdate.com - Full article

Australian vets and scientists from CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) have given a surprise Christmas gift to ten-year old mare, Holly, who suffers from chronic laminitis.
She recently took the first steps in her new 3D printed titanium shoes that were custom designed to fit her foot.

The team of 3D printing experts worked with horse podiatrists to scan Holly's feet and design the “horse-thotic” which aims to support the foot and encourage it to heal, whilst making Holly comfortable...

Read more and see video here:
http://www.equinescienceupdate.com/articles/3fpts.html?utm_source=Equine+Science+Update+enews+Dec+2013+%28FREE%29&utm_campaign=CCDec13FREE&utm_medium=email

Steaming's Effect Horse Hay Studied

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM
Dec 17, 2013

Soaking hay in water is a common practice used to reduce dust and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels for horses with respiratory or metabolic conditions. But soaking can leach essential nutrients, such as phosphorus and magnesium, from hay and be labor-intensive.

In the last few years hay steaming has gained popularity as a soaking alternative, but how does it compare to soaking? University of Minnesota researchers, who recently studied soaking’s effect on hay, set out to answer that question...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/33054/steamings-effect-horse-hay-studied?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=12-23-2013

Study: Underrun Heels Impair Horses' Hoof Loading Ability

Photo: Renate Weller, DrMedVet., PhD, MRCVS, MScVetEd, FHEA
Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Alexandra Beckstett, The Horse Managing Editor
Nov 28, 2013

Collapsed heels are a common problem in horses, particularly Thoroughbred racehorses, and can cause decreased performance and lameness. Because little is known about the mechanism behind this condition, a group of researchers from The Royal Veterinary College, in London, U.K., recently examined the relationship between collapsed heels and hoof deformation. Farrier Peter Day, Dipl. WCF, presented their findings at the 2013 International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, held Nov. 1-3 in West Palm Beach, Fla...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32942/study-underrun-heels-impair-horses-hoof-loading-ability?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=12-04-2013

State-of-the-Art Animal Care Facility Planned at JFK Airport

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Diane E. Rice
Nov 27, 2013

By early 2015, horses and other animals will enjoy a new $32 million state-of-the-art facility at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. Port Authority officials said the center will set new national airport standards for comprehensive veterinary, stalling/kenneling, and quarantine services, and create more efficient ways to transport animals worldwide. JFK officials project the number of animals served at 70,000 each year...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32955/state-of-the-art-animal-care-facility-planned-at-jfk-airport?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=welfare-industry&utm_campaign=12-05-2013

Immediate Effects of Shoeing on Horses' Movement

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Erica Larson, News Editor
Dec 11, 2013

Do you think your horse moves a bit unevenly after a trim? You might be right. Researchers recently showed that while routine farriery care had little influence overall on horses' movement, horses do show some movement asymmetry after being trimmed.

Thilo Pfau, PhD, a lecturer in the Royal Veterinary College Department of Clinical Science and Services, presented recent research on the topic at the 2013 International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, held Nov. 1-3 in West Palm Beach, Fla...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32986/immediate-effects-of-shoeing-on-horses-movement?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=health-news&utm_campaign=12-17-2013

Study: Some Horses, Riders have 'Co-Being' Relationship

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre
Nov 21, 2013

If you’ve ever considered your horse to be your “better half,” you’re not alone. Norwegian and American researchers recently found that riders and horses can enter into a unique state of interspecies “co-being” with one other.

Co-being refers to a state of relationship in which each partner evolves to “fit” better with each other, both physically and mentally...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32915/study-some-horses-riders-have-co-being-relationship?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=health-news&utm_campaign=12-03-2013

Stem Cells to Treat Chronic Laminitis: The Sooner the Better

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Alexandra Beckstett, The Horse Managing Editor
Dec 18, 2013

For years, the veterinarians and podiatrists at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Ky., have been testing stem cell therapy's efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for the hoof disease laminitis. Their access to a large stem cell bank combined with a high caseload has created the ideal scenario for studying this cutting-edge treatment.

Most recently, the Rood & Riddle team investigated whether stem cell therapy could help stabilize chronic laminitis cases and during what time period stem cell administration is most effective. Vernon Dryden, DVM, CJF, APF, presented their results at the 2013 International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, held Nov. 1-3 in West Palm Beach, Fla...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/33060/stem-cells-to-treat-chronic-laminitis-the-sooner-the-better

Racehorse Drug Testing Not Without Its Challenges

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Tom LaMarra
Dec 14, 2013

Out-of-competition testing is designed to detect the use of substances such as blood-doping agents and "emerging drugs," such as peptide venoms that can have pain-killing effects, Foreman said.

Out-of-competition testing of racehorses has broad support, but important issues, such as the constitutional rights of licensees, have made use and enforcement difficult for regulators, panelists said Dec. 11 during the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming.

Alan Foreman, chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) and an attorney, said out-of-competition testing rules are in place for 24 racetracks, most of them the larger operations in North America. But many industry stakeholders don't understand how it works or the restrictions that go along with it...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/33045/racehorse-drug-testing-not-without-its-challenges

Nutritional Support of the Immune System in Horses

KER.Equinews.com - Full Article

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · November 15, 2013

Mature, idle horses on a sound nutritional program are likely to be getting everything they need to keep their immune status strong enough to protect them against disease. However, some groups of horses are at increased risk of illness because of challenges to their immune systems. Young horses, weanlings, senior horses, undernourished or starved equines, horses in heavy training, those that travel frequently, and those that are exposed to various other types of stress may need some help in avoiding infections. For these horses, certain nutrients can give the immune system a boost. Among well-known supporters of immunity are zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids...

Read more here:
http://ker.equinews.com/article/nutritional-support-immune-system-horses?utm_source=KER+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6555395b39-KER_Newsletter_11_27_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0d95781dfc-6555395b39-11166

Drinking Water Temperature

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Sue McDonnell, PhD, Certified AAB
Nov 28, 2013

Q. A few years ago I read an article describing research done at New Bolton Center on drinking behavior. It said that the research showed that in winter, horses prefer to drink warm water rather than ice cold water, and, as a result, veterinarians recommend giving horses warm water during the winter to be sure that they drink enough.

So, that winter we hung buckets of water along the fence every morning and evening at feeding time. It seemed our horses drank very little warm water from the buckets. Instead, they kept going to the stream even when it was partially frozen over. On days that the stream was completely frozen, they would drink from the buckets. We thought they might not like something about the hanging buckets, which were quite a distance from their hay racks...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/15582/drinking-water-temperature?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=12-02-2013

Urgent Alert: Key Land Conservation Incentive Set to Expire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
For additional information, contact:
Holley Groshek, Acting Executive Director
Equine Land Conservation Resource
Phone: 859-455-8383
Email: hgroshek@elcr.org
www.elcr.org

 
Lexington, KY – December 9, 2013 – At Equine Land Conservation Resource we often ask the question where will we ride, drive, race, compete, raise foals and grow hay tomorrow? The expiration of a key land conservation incentive will greatly impact the answer to that question.
 
There is a general consensus in the equine community that saving land for horses and horse-related activities is a top priority.  Open space is at a premium these days and conservation has become an increasingly important issue in the equine world.   For this reason, Equine Land Conservation Resource supports federal legislation that prevents the loss of open space.  One of the strongest and most cost effective tools to accomplish this is the enhanced tax incentive for landowners who permanently retire development rights on their land. 
 
This incentive allows farmers and ranchers, horse people, and family land businesses to remain prosperous and viable, when they might otherwise not be able to continue to keep their land open for farming, pastureland, breeding, trails, horse shows, competition venues, hay and grain production or any of the other uses of open space which impact the horse community.
 
For example, Fauquier County, Virginia landowner Marion Poynter recognizing the importance of conserving horse lands permanently protected her historic 47-acre farm this year by donating a conservation easement to the Piedmont Environmental Council.  Mrs. Poynter and her farm, known as “The Meadows,” are known in equine circles for their warmblood sport horse breeding program, which is largely based on the now protected property.   However, we are in danger of losing this enhanced incentive which is set to expire at the end of the month.
 
Unless Congress acts, some of the farms and open fields, essential to our industry and sport, will be lost forever. H.R. 2807 and S. 526 would make the enhanced incentive permanent, and both bills have strong bi-partisan support.  
 
We are asking the media to help us inform the equine community and urge them to take immediate action by contacting their senators and representative (202-224-3121) and asking them to co-sponsor S. 526 or H.R. 2807.  If their representative is already a co-sponsor, they can still call and let them know how important it is to move this legislation before the end of the year.  To learn more about the enhanced tax incentive program please visit www.lta.org/easementincentive.
 
Working together we can conserve and protect our cherished equine places and spaces!!
 
About the Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR): The Equine Land Conservation Resource builds awareness of the loss of lands available for horse-related activities and facilitates the protection and preservation of those lands. We work to ensure America’s equine heritage lives on and the emotional, physical and economic benefits of the horse-human relationship remains accessible. ELCR serves as an information resource and clearinghouse on issues related to conserving horse properties, land use planning, land stewardship/best management practices, trails, liability and equine economic development. For more information about the ELCR visit our website at www.elcr.org or call (859) 455-8383.

Mucho Macho Man Wins $5,000,000 in Revolutionary Burns Polyflex Shoe

Easycare Blog - Full Story

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 by Kevin Myers

Did you know there is a significant connection between the Burns Polyflex Shoe and the soon-to-be-released EasyShoe?

Curtis Burns of No Anvil, LLC, has been working closely with Garrett Ford for more than two years to help guide the evolution of the new EasyShoe and to provide feedback on the numerous design elements. There have been some fascinating conversations back and forth over that time, and the trust and respect between these two thought leaders is palpable...

Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/bootlegging/mucho-macho-man-wins-5000000#sthash.00w9TKDX.dpuf

Isabella Bird, Rocky Mountain Explorer

Stargazermercantile.com - Full Article

If I asked you to name some explorers, how many could you name? Now, let’s say you’re on a game show trying to win a trip around the world and a lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni. Get to it! It’s the “Lightening Round” and the clock is ticking. There’s Magellan, da Gama, Columbus, Ponce de Leon, Lewis and Clark . . .now, quick, name female explorers! If the only name on your list is Dora the Explorer, you’re never going to make it to Rice-A-Roni territory. For that, you’re going to have to offer up a more unexpected name. Howzabout Isabella Bird?

The Early Bird

Isabella Bird was born in England, in 1831. She was as sickly as a character from a Dickens novel, but she had a hankering to see the world. When she was 22-years-old, her doctor suggested that to help her health, she should take an ocean voyage. Hmm… Allrighty then. I confess that I got a little hung up on this point because it was 1854 and we weren’t exactly talking about taking a cruise on The Love Boat, sipping drinks with little umbrellas in them on the Lido Deck. It was a good deal more “rustic” back then! But, hey, I’m not a 19th century doctor, so perhaps that was a perfectly logical suggestion. Isabella’s father presented her with £100 and quite literally shipped her off to stay with relatives in America, for as long as her money lasted...

Read more here:
http://stargazermercantile.com/isabella-bird-rocky-mountain-explorer/

French horse riders take tax protest on to streets of Paris

Theguardian.com - Full Article

François Hollande's plan to treble VAT on equestrian centres will 'send 80,000 horses to the abattoir', warns industry

Kim Willsher in Paris
theguardian.com, Sunday 24 November 2013

A French mood of mutiny that has rippled through Brittany and infected teachers, farmers and shopkeepers, skipped species on Sunday when horses took to the streets of Paris to complain about tax rises.

Thousands of disgruntled horse and pony riders rode through the French capital to complain about tax increases they say will put many of them out of business and send 80,000 animals to the abattoir.

The "cavaliers" blocked roads from the symbolic Paris squares, Place d'Italie, Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, in protest at government plans to almost treble VAT on equestrian centres...

Read more here:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/24/france-equestrian-tax-protest-paris

A Personal Rant About What’s Become of FEI Endurance - Patti Stedman

Enduranceintrospection.com

by Patti Stedman
December 7 2013

[The first thing I have to do is officially divorce my personal opinions, comments and this entire rant from what is my official role on the AERC Board of Directors. I have certainly expressed my thoughts and feelings and ideas to that group of twenty-six, and am open to discussing that if anyone has questions on what is going with regard to doing BoD business, but not here, and not today.]

Here, this morning, I am going to have a temper tantrum of massive proportion to express my disgust and frustration.

I am furious that international competition, which left me cheering and proud in the late 1990s when I was just starting the sport, has become a shamefully divisive topic of discussion.

I am disgusted that a sport that I think of as “one horse, one rider and 100 miles” and “to finish is to win” with a full 24 hours to complete a challenging course has become, for some, a massive stable of disposable equines and a 100 mile flat track race complete with hazing vehicles and VIP tents and faster and faster ride times and a mentality that is not only “to win is to win” but “win at all costs” with money a massive motivating factor, up, down and across the organization. Openly as well as pervasively and deeply ingrained in every facet of its existence.

I am saddened, deeply, that riders in my country have been so tempted by life-altering money, that they have sold their partners in that “one horse, one rider” scenario to be assimilated into one of those stables of disposable equines. It reminds me, once again, that in this sport as in all horse sports, big money and big egos rarely means much of anything good for the horses involved.

I am horrified and sickened by stories of fractures and exhausted horses and injections and hazing and drugging of disposable horses and positive drug tests resulting in a slap on the wrist and no discernible change in the conduct of certain riders’ and owners’ and trainers’ behavior.

I am ashamed that the sport of endurance, as I see it, is and will continue to be tarnished by its association with what is going on, and that that ship has already sailed on a course that I am convinced is unalterable.

I am dismayed that I will be called upon to defend a sport which for me is, at its very heart, a test of horsemanship and preparation and athleticism DRIVEN by concern for the well-being of the horse.

I am angry that riders in my country and in Canada and in dozens of other countries, many duct-taping their dream together on a shoestring budget, compete against others on such a wildly un-level playing field, attempting to be honest and rule-abiding, while their competition is anything but.

I am stymied as to why they would want to continue to do so.

In Anticipation of AAEP - Nancy Loving

Thehorse.com Blogs - Full Article

7 December 2013

My grandmother always thought there was something wrong with the pre-teen me as I raced around the house with hands held in front like I was holding reins and the rounded part of a pretzel lodged in my mouth like a bit, while I made neighing sounds. (Getting those neighs just right does take a bit of practice, by the way.) As I think back on this, well, there is something wrong with this image--kind of like the cart going before the horse. I mean, if I was steering myself ... hmmm, you get the idea. I am digressing. My mom thought I’d be okay and really didn’t need any professional help. My grandmother wasn’t so sure. Well, I suppose they were both right--I didn’t persist in acting like a horse but my horsey passion kind of took over my life as I went on to surround myself with “all things horse” by becoming a horse doctor.

So, is it any wonder that even in my travels, I end up going where everyone talks all day long about horses? If I ever wanted to network with people from all over the world who have the same focused passion, well, there’s one place where horse vets go--the annual AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) Convention. Each year, nearly 6000 (count 'em!) horse doctors, veterinary students and trade show exhibitors from various parts of Planet Earth descend upon a different U.S. city...

Read more here:
http://cs.thehorse.com/blogs/aaep-convention/archive/2013/12/07/in-anticipation-of-AAEP.aspx

Stress on endurance horses probed in study

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Dec 04, 2013

Endurance horses generally cope well with the stresses of racing, a study suggests.

The conclusion was based on the assessments, including electrocardiograms and blood chemistry analysis, of horses who competed in two endurance events – one in Norway and one in Denmark.

“This study would indicate that, based on the analyzed parameters, endurance horses cope well with the stress and physical demands of endurance racing,” the Scandinavian researchers concluded...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/12/04/stress-endurance-horses-probed-study/#axzz2moENEaOD

Tips for Managing Horses in Winter to Avoid Colic

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Edited Press Release
Nov 21, 2012

By Eleanor Kellon, VMD, staff veterinary specialist for Uckele Health & Nutrition

Colic can strike at any time and has many known--and some not-so-well-understood--risk factors. The fall and winter seasons themselves are known risk factors and there are several things you can do to decrease your horse's likelihood of developing colic. As pastures dwindle in the fall and the horse must switch to a different diet, two major factors are at play. One is the fact there is a different diet. The other is change in moisture level of the diet.

Most owners know they should transition slowly when adding or changing grains and other concentrates. However, it is important to realize that a change in forage, including hay types, should also be made gradually. This is because the protein, sugar, and starch components of hay are digested in the small intestine and--while digestive enzymes there can successfully adjust to changes--it doesn't happen overnight...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/30900/tips-for-managing-horses-in-winter-to-avoid-colic?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=health-news&utm_campaign=11-26-2013