Gene therapy: Second stage of research documents further success for rehabilitation of tendon injuries in lame horses

Equine surgeon Milomir Kovac performs an ultrasound on a horse; ultrasound was used to monitor healing in tendon injuries in a group of race and sport horses treated with an experimental gene therapy designed to both speed healing and improve the quality of the healed injury site to prevent recurrence. (Image courtesy of University of Nottingham)

In October 2017, The Hoof Blog reported on experimental research looking into direct-injection gene therapy for soft tissue lameness injuries in horses. The authors of the 2017 paper had successfully cured lameness in two horses and published their results in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Dyson: Equine performance assessment tests veterinarians' ability to recognize pain-related behavior

Before the study horses were ridden, Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) physiotherapist Jo Spear assessed each one. (Saddle Research Trust photo)

Will veterinarians succeed in using Dr Sue Dyson's new "equine ethogram" system to identify behavioral signs of musculoskeletal pain in horses?

Transitions: Hoof research innovator Renate Weller makes career move to corporate veterinary education

Professor Renate Weller (center) of the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom announced this week that she is leaving academia for a career in corporate veterinary education. Weller has been a magnet in the equine industry for her inclusive and inspiring dialogues with students, horse owners, farriers and the public. She is shown here during a demonstration for an equestrian group touring the RVC's Structure and Motion Laboratory where she conducts research. (RVC publicity photo)

Professor Renate Weller, Drvetmed, PhD, MScVetEd, ACVSMR, FHEA, NTF, ECVSMR, MRCVS, has announced her decision to leave her academic teaching role at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), University of London in the United Kingdom.

HANDS OFF Safety Alert: US Food and Drug Administration reports potential health risks to people exposed to altrenogest products for horses

The following warning was issued today by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine in Rockville, Maryland:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting veterinary medical professionals, as well as those who work with horses, that a synthetic progesterone product commonly used in these animals may cause reproductive system disorders and other adverse effects in people who become exposed to the drug. The FDA is providing this alert because of the nature of the adverse events, some of which have occurred in teenage girls.

Research overview: Preventing laminitis by studying insulin dynamics in older horses

Laminitis research comes in many forms. Recently, the emphasis has been on understanding the cause of the disease, and developing ways to prevent horses from ever knowing laminitic pain. The emphasis is on understanding how horse management and feeding can effect hormonal balances in older horses, and what recommendations might help horses live longer and healthier lives.

Australian research analyzes hoof nail holes after shoeing with steel or copper-coated horseshoe nails

The complexity of studying horse nail hole morphology and pathology is well illustrated by this foot from the study. In one foot, nail holes with a range of pathology were documented. The study documented the front feet of 11 sport horses over several shoeing cycles. (Photo © Brian Hampson and John Wilson)

Copper-coated horseshoe nails took the farrier profession by storm in 2015 when “Liberty Cu” nails were introduced by Royal Kerckhaert in Europe. A novelty at first, the new nails gained favor with many farriers who claimed they observed an improvement in the quality of the nail hole or the hoof wall itself. The nails spread to farriers in many parts of the world.