World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Approves Standards during Assemble in Paris - Brooke USA, the fundraising arm of the world’s largest international equine welfare charity, the Brooke, has announced a huge milestone for Brooke’s global animal welfare and advocacy work. Brooke has been supporting the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in developing the standards over the past three years, providing expertise and technical input. 180 countries will commit to undertake the recommendations, which were approved on May 25, 2016 at the World Assembly of OIE Delegates in Paris, during which the OIE for the first time announced the set of welfare standards for working horses, donkey and mules.

University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine launches $1.5 million Calgary Chair in Equine Sports Medicine - High performance equine athletes are like people – they need to be at peak fitness to perform at their maximum. But like any athlete, injuries can occur. How to train horses for top performance while avoiding injury is one issue facing the sport horse industry in Alberta that will be studied further because of a new research chair

Buying a horse is an important decision that usually involves careful planning, consideration, and research. Buying a horse at an auction can remove or reduce the ability to exercise due diligence in the buying process. “Deals” and good quality horses can be found at auctions; however, when attending an auction, buyers may be overcome with excitement for what appears to be a great bargain or sympathy for an obviously mistreated horse, and make a purchase they later regret. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to score a deal or rescue a horse, auction buyers should be aware of the legal obligations imposed upon buyers, consignors, and auction houses so they can protect their legal rights and, to the greatest extent possible, make informed decisions.

Horse-drawn carriages returned to the streets of Old Montreal on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, after Mayor Denis Coderre announced the cancellation of the year-long moratorium he had declared just the previous week. His decision was reversed after a Quebec Superior Court justice granted a temporary injunction to the carriage drivers that would have allowed them to continue working until at least June 3. Calèche drivers, who had been concerned for their livelihoods and those of their horses, are ecstatic with the decision. Drivers had protested with their carriages in front of city hall on May 24, 2016.

A Veteran Looks At Life Through His Horse’s Ears - “I joined the PPCLI cadet corps at the age of 12 and soon realized that a career in the army was what I wanted to do,” says McEachern. “At 17 I enlisted in the reserves and did my first tour overseas as a peacekeeper in Croatia (former republic of Yugoslavia) with 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. After the tour I transferred to the regular force with the same battalion I served with overseas. In 1995 I was sent to Central Africa with the Disaster Assistance Relief team as security for the medics, headquarters, etc.

Sucking air through a straw. Those are the words that many people with asthma use to describe their frightening struggle to breathe during an asthma attack. Now imagine a thousand-pound animal experiencing the same panic-stricken feeling. For a horse, that’s what it’s like during an acute episode of recurrent airway obstruction, or heaves. As the horse’s airways narrow, it increases its breathing effort until it starts to cough.

It is commonly said that if you ask ten riders a question, you will get ten different answers. But there is one thing we should all agree on - you should never ride a horse without a helmet. Horses are inherently dangerous due to their natural flight instinct. Even the quietest lesson horse is capable of spooking at an unusual object, and even the most experienced riders have falls.

When to Watch - When to Act - Ask anyone who has bred horses, and they’ll tell you it’s no easy feat. However, when it is done properly (and everything goes right), having an energetic and healthy foal is an exciting and rewarding experience. Dr. Stephen Manning is a board-certified theriogenologist and an associate professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

When transitioning your horse to new feedstuff – either to a new batch of hay, new pasture or new concentrates – you need to do so slowly to give bacteria in the horse’s digestive tract a chance to adapt to the new feed.Bacterial populations change according to what the horse is eating, and time is required for different bacterial species to colonize the horse’s digestive tract in this new environment. If there is not enough time for the population to adapt, it can cause digestive disturbances, which can lead to colic.