BREAKING NEWS:UC-Davis Announces Test for HERDAOTHER NEWS:Britain's Equine Fertility Unit Slated to CloseIt seems likely that the Equine Fertility Unit (EFU) - a horse breeding research facility - in Newmarket England is likely to close at the end of September. It has been in operation for many years and has achieved much useful research and many "firsts" over the last 37 years, with among other things identification of the "capsule" that surrounds the early conceptus; the significance of prostaglandins in producing estrus; early pregnancy recognition ("maternal recognition"); function of the equine placenta; the equine genome; and much more. The cause of the closure is the failure of the Thoroughbred Breeder's Association (TBA) to continue its funding of the EFU. Previously the EFU had received £300,000 (US$595,000) per year from the TBA, but there was a need to increase this figure to £450,000 (US$892,000) for the next 10 years, which it appears was unacceptable to the TBA. In the realms of hard-sought research funding, the total of £4.5 million over the course of 10 years is not great, and the loss of this premier research facility should be considered a major blow to the equine community. It is also worthy of note that there has been recent concern about the funding of the EFU by the TBA as a result of the EFU's involvement in research into advanced reproductive technologies including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, neither of which is permitted by any Thoroughbred registry world wide. If this is a significant cause of the loss of the funding, there can be little doubt that such a decision would be in the classic mode of "cutting off one's nose to spite one's face"! Professor W.R. "Twink" Allen, head of the Equine Fertility Unit who was due to retire at the end of this year, has observed of the potential closure that it "is a nasty blow and I think it is short-sighted and stupid". Equine-Reproduction.com along with many other researchers and individuals involved in horse breeding are distressed at the potential closure, and would be happy to assist in passing on any communication from persons that may be prepared to invest in the funding for the survival of the Equine Fertility Unit and its important research - please contact us. Another Gelding to Breed!
The OIE (Organisation Mondiale de la Santé Animale - World Organisation for Animal Health) yesterday (October 17th 2006) listed an outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) on a farm in Mount Horeb, Dane County, Wisconsin USA, identified on October 4th. The disease has been identified in two Lipizzaner stallions that originated in Eastern Europe, but have been resident on the operation. 16 other susceptible animals have so far been identified as being healthy. CEM is a highly contagious sexually transmissible disease of horses that was last identified in an outbreak in the general equine population of the USA in 1997, although several cases have been identified in quarantine at the time of importation since then. Taylorella equigenitalis - a bacterium - is the causative agent. It is a notifiable disease with potential for significant negative impact in the case of a full-blown outbreak. Such an outbreak occurred in the USA and UK in the late 1970's and cost the Thoroughbred breeding industries there an estimated $60 million. Gelding to Breed!?! Cryozootech, the equine cloning pioneers have announced the birth of E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion, born on 2nd June 2006. This clone is an identical copy of the show jumper ET, who was twice winner of the World Cup, and number one on the World ranking for 3 years in a row - but with one (or rather two) very important differences! ET was a gelding - but this clone is of course an entire colt, and once he reaches sexual maturity he will have the potential to pass on the same genetic ability that ET himself would undoubtedly have done had he not been gelded as a three year-old. It is hoped that a few mares will be bred in 2008, producing long-awaited "ET" foals in 2009! EVA Outbreak in New Mexico There has been an outbreak of Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) at MJ Farms in Veguita, New Mexico, resulting in an estimated loss of 40% of on-farm pregnancies, as well as infection of stallions. EVA is primarily a respiratory disease, but has serious reproductive implications, as it can cause abortion in mares, and remain in the stallion's reproductive tract, being shed into semen at the time of ejaculation. This infected semen, if then introduced into non-protected mares, is likely to result in infection of that mare, with the potential for transmission to other horses, and the possibility of an abortion storm such as MJ Farms has experienced. As this is a virus, it cannot be controlled by the use of antibiotics, nor will it be destroyed by freezing. Consequently infected semen will remain infectious even if shipped cooled or frozen. The best form of control is preventative in the form of vaccination of susceptible animals. It should be noted that while the vaccine Arvac (Fort Dodge) is available in the USA, it may not be available in all countries, and indeed there may be local restrictions as to the use of such a vaccination. EVA in the animal may be asymptomatic, causing more problems as it may not be recognised that there is an active infectious state until serious repercussions such as abortion or pregnancy failures become apparent. As it is primarily a respiratory disease, it can be spread by aerosol transmission rather than sexually, presenting further complications as asymptomatic but infectious animals may be present at shows and other equine gatherings unbeknownst to other attendees - or even the owners themselves. Don't Panic!! It is important to emphasize that EVA is not a disease to be panicked about, but rather a disease to be managed - something achieved easily with the appropriate vaccinations. It is not a new disease and appears to have been around for possibly over 100 years, although it was not specifically identified until more recently in the 1950's. Dr. Peter Timoney of the Gluck Center in Lexington KY, USA is a world-renowned expert on EVA (the virus itself incidentally is known as "equine arteritis virus" or EAV, while the disease is "equine vial arteritis" or EVA), and has prepared a comprehensive article on the disease entitled Equine Viral Arteritis: Is the Disease a Cause for Industry Concern? (available in Adobe .pdf format at that link - but note that at 12 Meg it is a large file). It is certainly an article that is food for thought! Dead heat?
The Tennessee Veterinary Board has decided that the practice of artificial insemination in the equine should be considered a non-veterinary or "exempt" procedure, which is in keeping with most other States and Provinces in North America. Persons who have been fined in the recent round of court cases related to the issue are to have their fines refunded, and any other penalties reversed. We are relieved that common sense has finally prevailed... Clones of '06! The first clone foals of 2006 are starting to arrive! At Royal Visa Southwest in Purcell OK on February 19th, a clone of the AQHA champion cutting horse mare Royal Blue Boon was born. On March 9th a clone of the AQHA mare Tap O Lena was born, and two clones of the quarter horse mare Bet Yer Blue Boons are anticipated any day. ViaGen and Encore Genetics, the companies responsible for the cloning process, reports there are to be a total of seven clone foals to be born this year as a result of their work. In an unconfirmed report, there are believed to have been 5 foal clones of the Quarter Horse Smart Little Lena born in Texas in a cloning project performed at Texas A&M University. [Note - since initially going to press this has now been confirmed]. At this time, the cloned animals will remain unregisterable as a result of the AQHA position on registration of cloned foals outlined below. The Zangersheide Registry in Europe remains the only registry with forward-vision to have actually registered a clone foal. Charges Filed in Tennessee AI Situation Charges have been filed and court dates set for early April (2006) in the ongoing AI situation in Tennessee. Persons previously notified by the Veterinary Board that they have been considered to be in contravention of the Veterinary Practice Act as a result of their performing artificial insemination in mares have now been formerly charged and given a court date for early April. In the Tennessee Legislature, Bills are being submitted and withdrawn, with the currently most favoured Bill considers equine AI to be a veterinary procedure that will require the indirect supervision of a veterinarian - despite the fact that this is in opposition to the recommendations made to the Legislature last week (see below). This is particularly surprising, as this Bill has been authored by Eric Swafford, an MTSU graduate with a degree in Animal Science. The surprising aspect is that as the holder of such a degree, he would in all probability have been taught how to perform equine AI even though he is not a veterinarian, and one would think would understand the ramifications and impact of authoring such a restrictive Bill! The Tennessee Veterinary Board is itself scheduled to meet April 17th for a proposed Rule Making Hearing. During this session there will be further discussion as to the standing of a variety of equine reproductive procedures, including semen collection, which has always been considered to be a non-veterinary procedure even in countries with more restrictive veterinary laws such as the United Kingdom! In an interesting but unfortunate adjunct to these assisted reproductive troubles in Tennessee, we had an attendee at our course held recently in Tennessee who had just - in the last year - moved to Tennessee from New Jersey with their entire warmblood breeding operation. They are now intending to leave Tennessee in the event that these restrictive reproductive veterinary laws are enacted. One cannot help but wonder how many other breeders will follow this lead, and what negative impact this will have on the Tennessee equine agricultural industry, which is currently worth millions of dollars annually to the State. It may well be that the Legislature and many others in Tennessee do not realise that Tennessee has the second highest horse population of any State in the US behind Texas. There are approximately 185,000 horses in Tennessee (National Agricultural Statistics Service, March 2, 2003) and the State motto is "Agriculture and Commerce". It seems that the State motto sadly does not apply to the average horse breeder in the Tennessee. Please visit our archived news page for past news items that have appeared on this index page.
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 Hamilton Research Inc - Home of the Equitainer  Equine A.I. Equipment Supplies  For your veterinary ultrasounding needs  Exodus Breeders Supply  An Industry Leader in Equine Veterinary Products!  Specializing in Artificial Breeding and Embryo Transfer Supplies  Your compounding pharmacy for reproductive needs!  Quality Tanks at Competitive Prices!  Safe, affordable breeding stocks!  International Veterinary Information Service Frozen Semen Non-Reproduction Equine Headline News from: TheHorse.com News Readers Respond: Pain in the Abscess 24 Jul 2008 More than 1,100 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, "What challenges do you face when treating a hoof abscess?" Results were as follows: Repeated soaking required: 50.09% (556) Making a duct tape "boot" and keeping... New EHV-4, Neurologic Disease Tests Introduced 24 Jul 2008 IDEXX Reference Laboratories has introduced two new diagnostic products to help equine veterinarians diagnose equine respiratory disease and neurologic disease. The new tests include an equine herpesvirus type-4 (EHV-4) RealPCR Test and the Equine... Welfare Groups Meet to Discuss At-Risk Horses 24 Jul 2008 Twenty five national and state-based equine-protection, placement, and rescue organizations gathered Tuesday for the second Homes for Horses Coalition Conference to discuss the re-homing of at-risk horses in America. The Humane Society of the United... California Begins Ban on Racehorse Steroids 24 Jul 2008 Effective Aug. 1, the California Horse Racing Board will strictly enforce all regulations concerning anabolic steroids and will no longer issue "unofficial notices" when the test samples reveal unauthorized levels of anabolic steroids. There has been... Special Report: Racehorse Durability 24 Jul 2008 In this exclusive report, The Blood-Horse investigates whether the Thoroughbred racehorse is as tough today as it was 30 to 40 years ago. Editors of The Blood-Horse recently sought the answer to this question by producing a comprehensive review of 34... ACVIM: Causes and Management of Insulin Resistance and Sensitivity 23 Jul 2008 Insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in horses have become increasingly important areas of research in equine medicine over the past several years as evidenced by the timely and popular presentations at this year's American College of Veterinary... Technology Allows Large-Scale Recycling of Horse Bedding Waste 23 Jul 2008 Most horse owners wish they could wave a magic wand and get rid of the "manure mountain" on their property. A couple of Canadian entrepreneurs have developed technology that might erase mounds of used bedding, as well as generate a little green. "Our... California Governor Approves Horse Trust Bill 23 Jul 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) yesterday signed into law a bill aimed at protecting animals after the deaths of their owners. Senate Bill 685, authored by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), is expected to reduce the burden... Hello, Dolly! Category 2 Storm Hits Texas-Mexico Border 23 Jul 2008 Hurricane Dolly churned into a Category 2 storm as its eye neared the Texas-Mexico border Wednesday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains that blew down signs, damaged an apartment complex, and knocked out electricity to thousands. Forecasters warned... More on Jockey Suspension Reduction 23 Jul 2008 Following a three-hour hearing that resulted in the reduction of Eclipse Award-winning jockey Jeremy Rose's suspension from six months to 90 days, attorney Alan Foreman and Bernard Daney, chairman of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, reflected... |
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Horse breeding topics covered in our articles section on this site include artificial insemination (A.I.); information about, and the use of frozen semen; stallion handling articles, including "phantom mare" training, and other semen collection methods; the collecting and processing of cooled transported semen; different equipment and supplies needed for semen collection and processing, and artificial insemination; managing the mare for breeding (including hormonal manipulation and the use of other drugs such as Oxytocin); and some articles relative to foals and foaling.
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