Strangles Conference Will Be Held in Scotalnd

On May 28th, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland will host a meeting of veterinary specialists from all over the world to discuss recent scientific advances in the development of preventative measures for Strangles.

Strangles is the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide. However, the end may be in sight, as Great Britain's Animal Health Trust has teamed up with the British Horse Society to develop a blood test and vaccine, to test for and prevent the disease.

Full information is available by following this link:

http://www.aht.org.uk/pdf/strangles_conference1.pdf

You can also follow the links from the Science section of the AHT website for more information on the disease itself and the work being done towards the development of the vaccine.

Equine Charity Knows that Kids Love to Draw Horses

What does a horse look like in a child's drawing? The sketches of children around the world are quite different and The Brooke Hospital for Animals wants to show you.

Each year the Brooke’s network of clinics and 72 mobile vet units reach over 650,000 animals in need in poor nations. Brooke vets and community workers treat illness and injury and pass on welfare knowledge to children and adults alike in entire communities. Their veterinary units are often first into natural disaster and war triage zones, working on the belief that horses are needed to help with recovery.

The Brooke recently partnered with National Geographic Kids magazine to award children for their artistic renderings of their favorite horses. The image above of a well-kept pony in England was one of the winners. How different might an image from a child in Ethiopia or Bengladesh be?

There's a chance that more Americans might soon get a glimpse into the spirit of The Brooke and the events that led to its establishment. A highly-praised new novel that has been very popular in Europe will be published in the USA this spring. Our Horses in Egypt by Rosalind Belben is the story of a beloved horse donated to the military by a wealthy woman in England at the beginning of World War I.

At the war's end, the British, American and Australian armies abandoned tens of thousands of hard-working military horses in the Middle East that had been farm horses, hunters, polo ponies and pets at home.

When the soldiers who survived returned to the little villages they had left, the horses who had volunteered did not return. In this novel, a heart-broken horse owner sets out to rescue her horse and bring her home. Our Horses in Egypt tells what she would find as she searches for her horse.

Read a review of the book here.

Horse Fighting in the Philippines

Once again, horse fighting festivals in the Philippines are making the news. If you think you can stand it, please read this article from a British reporter.

Many people in America are not aware of this gruesome "sport" in which (according to reporters) the defeated horses end up on the barbecue for the crowd's dining pleasure and the tethered teaser mare is bred (repeatedly, to the crowd's delight, according to this reporter) by the victorious stallions in each round of fighting.

This article may be too graphic, gruesome and horrifying for many readers. For others, it may be a wake-up call. Do you think that any of these Filipino fight horses would care to trade places with an "abused" carriage horse on New York's Central Park?

RIP: Olympic Dressage Veteran Euthanized After Paddock Accident in Germany

British Dressage is reporting today that, in spite of boots and bandages and a relatively small sand paddock, international dressage star Mr G de Lully broke his lower leg in seven places on Sunday and was humanely destroyed. The accident happened at a training center in Germany.

“We tragically had to have ‘G’ put down today despite all efforts to save his leg. What he had done we will never know. He was turned out in a 20x20-meter sand school with every boot and bandage on, but he had seven fractures between the hoof and fetlock, so there was nothing we could do,” owner Fiona Bigwood told British Dressage.

Currently owned and trained by Great Britain's Fiona Bigwood, Mr G de Lully was truly an international horse: The 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding competed for Switzerland at the Athens Olympics. With Fiona riding, he represented Great Britain in the 2005 and 2007 European dressage championships. In 2006, while Fiona was pregnant, the horse was ridden by her partner, the leading European rider Anders Dahl of Denmark, who in turn trained with the German Rudolf Zeilinger. Small world!

Bigwood and Mr G de Lully were preparing for selection trials to represent Great Britain in the Beijing 2008 Olympics equestrian events in Hong Kong this August.

To learn more: Read performance-horse expert veterinarian Midge Leitch's recommendation on turnout safety for dressage horses on equisearch.com; Leitch explained in Dressage Today magazine that European horses are not accustomed to turnout and recommends that they be sedated before being let loose in paddocks. Leitch highly recommends slowly acclimating European horses to the freedom of turnout but that the longterm behavior and health benefits would help many horses. Alternatives to turnout for dressage horses are usually hot walkers or lunge work, often under tack.

British Team Trains Grooms for Hong Kong Olympic Events

In January nearly 50 grooms of potential Olympic and Paralympic horses for the 2008 Beijing Games received training and advice from Great Britain's World Class Programme. It was also an opportunity for the grooms to give their opinions on a number of challenges that will be faced in Hong Kong.

Two separate conferences were held in order to share information and give guidance on preparing horses for the coming Games. The grooms of the horses in contention for selection to the Olympic and Paralympic Games will play a vital role in both preparing that horse in the run up to the Games and also during the competition, if selected. They were given an insight into the test event to which Britain took three horses to last August, including the lessons that were learned from that experience. They were also given advice on specific preparation steps planned for the potential horses, including monitoring, travel plans and climate issues.

There were presentations from experienced grooms, Jenny Ellis and Jackie Potts, who shared their views and experiences gained first hand from grooming at past Olympic events. Team Vets John McEwen and Jenny Hall spoke about veterinary information that grooms need to be aware of. The day also included presentations from Performance Director, Will Connell and Eventing Performance Manager Yogi Briesner.

The events were a great opportunity to share useful information with the grooms and also a chance for them to meet each other and share ideas and experiences. This is the first time World Class has organized an event such as this one; the positive feedback received indicates that they will definitely consider this approach in the future.

(news provided by British Equestrian Federation)

Note: The 2008 Olympic Games are especially important to Great Britain, since London will be hosting the next Olympics, in 2012.

Texas A&M's Noah Cohen Wins WEVA's Equine Research Award

Noah Cohen VMD, MPH, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of large animal clinical sciences at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, won the 2008 Schering-Plough Animal Health Applied Equine Research Award at the 10th World Equine Veterinary Association (WEVA) Congress in Moscow at the end of January.

Dr. Cohen was awarded in recognition of his extensive research in the field of equine neonatology and perinatology. Most recently, he has focused his efforts in collaboration with others to study Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia, which is a major cause of disease and death in foals.

Dr. Cohen is a dedicated researcher and a prolific author. In 2005, Sciencewatch ranked him #19 on the international list of "Highly Cited Authors in Veterinary Medicine, 1994-2004"; his name seemed to be the only equine researcher's on the list.

Troubles in Romania: Will a Nation's Horses Become a By-Product of EU Member Nation Status?

The 21st Century is not turning out to be a great time to be a horse. Economic fears, crazy weather, high hay prices, neglectful (for whatever reason) owners and the specter of vast herds of marauding "unwanted horses" probably have some horses here in the USA lying awake at night, if they read the newspapers.

But what if horses were simply banned? That's the problem in Romania, an eastern European nation with a strong desire to play by the rules set up by the European Union. Romania was granted EU membership this year, and with the privilege of all the EU economic benefits comes pressure to comply with rules, one of which is that horses are banned from major roads.

Surely the law was made to protect horses. The problem is that Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe and horses are the tractors, trucks and sports cars of the nation's rural classes. According to this video, horses are being abandoned, since horsemen face stiff fines if they are caught on the road.

Romania's situation is truly unique. During the Communist years, horses were replaced by tractors. But when the fuel ran out after the country switched governments, the people had no means of transport or farming power. People left the economically-strapped cities and moved to the country. And they turned to horses. Unfortunately, the country's horse knowledge had been erased by decades of factory-scale farming with machines.

Recently the International League for the Protections of Horses (ILPH) has sent teams of farrier and saddler (harnessmakers) to Romania to assist with upgrading local skills to insure that horse welfare standards are up to the EU required levels. ILPH estimates that one million horses are working for their supper in Romania. That's one horse for every 27 Romanians. And the country's vehicle registration counts 750,000 horse carts with license plates. And those are just the registered ones.

Heifer International (a.k.a. "The Heifer Project") has been supporting a project in Romania's Transylvania region to preserve one of the world's most endangered horse breeds, the Furioso North-Star horse. Only 600 Furiosos remain in Romania and Heifer is working to place mares who will be bred by project-owned stallions on family-owned farms.

One of the new industries in Romania is tourism, which relies heavily on horseback trek adventures in the mountains. Maybe someday they will be trekking on native-bred Furiosos.

Romania's horses are not unwanted. In fact, they would probably gladly take a few shiploads of our unwanted horses. In fact, the half-draft PMU offspring would be perfect, as long as we sent horse missionaries to help with education. What they need is a highway management program that gives everyone a share of the road, and some support for the programs that are helping the horses there.

Critics say that horses are a symbol of poverty, a stigma that Romania is trying to erase. But if people can't afford cars, trucks, tractors and the fuel to keep them going, Romania might become a model for a horse-drawn transitional rural economy that both cares for its horses and its people.

To learn more: the BBC has a good article by Nick Thorpe about the horse ban in Romania and its effects on horses and people.

A Romanian woman and her relatively well-cared for Furioso North-Star horse. Notice that this woman's wagon is loaded with what looks like fresh-cut willow switches. Photo by Heifer International.

On to Hong Kong: Detailed Report Download for TJR Readers

The FEI has kindly supplied a detailed synopsis of today's "On to Hong Kong" Pre-Olympic Workshop on Heat and Humidity. Included in the report are details about the predicted conditions in Hong Kong for August 2008, when the Olympic equestrian events will be held there. Transport, physiology, and stress are discussed in the report.

The synopsis is an 18-page PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file which can be downloaded by clicking here: FEIOntoHongKong.pdf.

Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat will be required to open and read the document.

Vets to Olympic Riders: The Road to Hong Kong Is Paved with Reassurances

Dutch dressage rider Anky van Grusvnen (in white) in the air-conditioned stables in Hong Kong; photo taken at the 2007 "test event"; photo courtesy of www.anky.nl.

Here's the official wrap-up of the "On to Hong Kong Pre-Olympic Workshop" held in Lausanne, Switzerland earlier today:

"Horses will be better cared for than the human athletes at the equestrian Olympic Games in Hong Kong this summer!" said IOC Medical Director Dr. Patrick Schamasch at the end of today's historic Workshop on Heat & Humidity in Lausanne, Switzerland attended by 160 delegates from 25 National Federations.

And the message going out from the floor of the meeting was one of unanimous agreement that everything possible is being done to protect the equine members of the equestrian partnerships.

Martin Atock, from the official horse transportation agent, Peden Bloodstock, believes that horses should arrive in Hong Kong in great shape. "When we flew horses to Sydney, we had two technical stops but they flew well. They were relaxed before travelling, having spent 14 days in quarantine, and there is no reason why they won't travel to Hong Kong just as easily. If you stick to the rules and take the advice you are being given they should arrive safely and comfortably," he pointed out.

The series of presentations allayed fears about the challenge presented by Hong Kong's sub-tropical climate. Dr. Andrew Higgins, Chairman of the FEI's Welfare Sub-Committee, said "information is available and documented and if there is anything you don't understand or can't find, then you only have to ask and the FEI will be more than happy to answer your questions. Follow regulations, and when in Hong Kong follow the bio-security measures - we are importing healthy horses so let's keep them healthy!" he added.

Professor Leo Jeffcott, Veterinary Delegate to the 2008 Games, warned: "We don't want to make you complacent. This is a great venue but we also need a great effort to ensure success and that includes RESPONSIBLE RIDING in these conditions. Horses must not be over-stretched and should be really fit - if we don't have responsible riding then everything we have put in place will come to nothing....."

Veterinary expert Dr. Catherine Kohn of the USA said that today's speakers were "advocates for the welfare of your horses. Please make use of all the resources being made available to you. Our goal is safe and excellent competition".

Equine physiologist Dr. David Marlin pointed out that the state-of-the-art air-conditioning and cooling facilities "should be a major contribution to the welfare and safety of your horses" while Dr Chris Riggs, Head of Veterinary Clinical Services at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, emphasised that "between now and the Games, phone us, contact us by email, keep in touch with us - there is only so much we can guess about what you need in terms of supplies and facilities - let us know what your particular requirements are and we will do our best to help. There is no point in turning up to find that there are things you need which we don't have - we can't give you everything but we don't want to disappoint you".

Dr. Keith Watkins from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Equestrian Company once again emphasised the need for vigilance in order to safeguard horse health, and FEI Veterinary Director Frits Sluyter recommended that all horses should be vaccinated against Japanese Encephalitis, a disease endemic in the region.

John McEwen, Chairman of the FEI Veterinary Commission, said "the FEI is listening and we want to get it right. Between now and the Olympic Games we want to hear from you, if you feel we are missing something. The climate will be challenging but we have the data and the expertise and there is no need for the health and safety of any horse to be compromised. All the work produced for this Workshop has been done in the name of "Best Practice" and today's event was staged to increase debate and the flow of information. Now we want you to go away and spread the news".

"We are very happy to have provided so much good research for the Workshop" said the FEI's Deputy Secretary General Alex McLin, "now it is up to the Federations to look at it carefully and to act on it" and the FEI President HRH Princess Haya concluded that the honors this summer will go "to the horse and rider partnerships who have done their homework best".

"We are unique in our sport because horses and riders are equal partners but the horses cannot speak for themselves and therefore we must protect them in every way we can," she pointed out. "Today's Workshop has been very important because it is about communicating what we have learned over a number of years - information that can help all of those coming to Hong Kong this summer to be fully informed so that they can be prepared and give their very best".

Spanish Riding School: Enjoy the New Commercial!

This little video pretty much personifies the way I felt when, after a lifetime of yearning, I finally set foot inside Vienna's Winter Riding Hall. I am sure I was giggling just like the girls in the video.

Not a word is spoken in this one-minute commercial for Europe's horsiest tourist destination. Enjoy some very elegant footage and rare closeups of the dashing Oberbereiters ("head riders") Hans Riegler and Klaus Kriszch. It was filmed on location in the stable, saddle room and riding hall that I remember so well.

If you ever have a chance to go to the Riding School in Vienna: do! This is the real thing, and it will be an unforgettable experience.

Credits:
Production by Faudon Movies, New York
Director & Writer: Curt Faudon
Copyright: WienTourismus.

"On to Hong Kong" Pre-Olympic Workshop on Heat and Humidity Opens in Switzerland

A delegation of experts and officials representing Hong Kong will attend an equestrian workshop at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland tomorrow, February 17. They will update chefs d'equipe, riders and veterinarians on Hong Kong's preparations for the equestrian events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Tonight, the delegates are dining with HRH Princess Haya at the Lausanne Palace Hotel.

The meeting will focus on the heat and humidity in Hong Kong. It will also cover equine health and welfare and give overviews of facilities, local arrangements and horse importation requirements.

HK organizers' Equestrian Company chief executive officer Lam Woon-kwong, the company's veterinary services manager Dr. Chris Riggs and quarantine manager Dr. Keith Watkins will participate.

The agenda for the meeting will be:
• Welcome: Dr Andrew Higgins, Chairman of the FEI Welfare Sub-Committee
• Setting the scene: John McEwen, Chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee
• Hong Kong is Getting Ready: Mr WK Lam, CEO BOCOG/ Equestrian Company
• Overview of facilities and local arrangements: Dr Chris Riggs, Head of Veterinary Clinical Services, Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Horse importation requirements: Dr Keith Watkins, HKG
• Horse transportation logistics: Martin H. Atock, Managing Director, Peden Bloodstock, Leyenburg, Rheurdt, Germany
• Understanding the weather situation in Hong Kong for the Olympic Games; the results of a two-year study with the Hong Kong Observatory: Professor Leo Jeffcott, VetMedDr, University of Sydney, Australia, Veterinary Delegate for the 2008 Olympic Games
• Air conditioned facilities and cooling stations: Dr David Marlin, David Marlin Consulting Ltd, Newmarket, UK
• Results of horse monitoring: Dr Catherine W. Kohn, Professor, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences Ohio State University, USA
• Conclusion: Dr Catherine W. Kohn

Equine Multinodular Pulmonary Fibrosis: Researchers Identify a New Equine Pulmonary Disease

Kurt Williams DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVP of Michigan State University

Collaborating veterinarians in Ohio, Georgia and Iowa, working with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Michigan State University have identified a new equine respiratory ailment that is similar clinically to heaves, but is far more serious.

The newly identified lesion has been named “equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis.” Dr. Kurt Williams, assistant professor in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, saw his first case of what became this newly identified fibrosis a few years ago.

“I looked at the pathology and I was pretty perplexed at what it was,” he said. “It is progressive and horses with it have a poor prognosis, though they generally do not die.”

More cases came from Dr. Cindy Jackson, formerly of MSU, and other sources. “It was pure serendipity to identify the viral connection,” Williams says. Working with Dr. Steve Bolin and Dr. Roger Maes at MSU’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, he added, “we determined it was an equine gamma herpes, and it was linked to equine herpes virus-5,” a common virus that had not formerly been considered disease-causing.

Williams began collaborating with Dr. Pam Wilkins, Chief of the Section of Emergency/Critical Care and Anesthesia and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She had run across several cases. “She is working on characterizing the clinical presentation of these animals; I identified the disease and pointed out the virus,” Williams said.

“From a veterinary medical standpoint,” Williams says, “it’s very important. (This research) opens up the possibility of therapeutically intervening and maybe preventing this disease. Long term, that’s where we’d like to go with this.”

Thanks to Michigan State University for source material used in this post.

Transport to Slaughter: The European Perspective

A new video has been released by a coalition of European equine welfare organizations, including the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). This video is posted to give American blog-readers some perspective on pending US legislation outlawing horse slaughter, with the caveat that legislation is great...but without enforcement funds and effort, suffering will go on. And does. The EU has precise regulations about horse transport which, as you will see, are not being enforced.

This video makes the excellent point that local slaughter plants are a possible solution so that meat is transported, not horses. It is almost ten minutes long, so settle in.

The content may not be appropriate for children.

"Everybody was Kung-Fu Riiiii-ding..."

While international riders and national equestrian governing organizations obsess about stress that their horses may or may not experience in the transport to and heat/humidity index of Hong Kong this August for the horse sports portion of the 2008 Olympics, the host city is busy preparing for the big event, Reuters News Agency reports. Who better to be making promos for the Olympic riding events than Hong Kong's own martial arts superstar (and Olympics good will envoy) Jackie Chan? Nice turnout, Jackie.

Travel-related Health Fears at Root of US Olympic Dressage Selection Trials Decisions and Schedule

Steffen Peters and Floriano competed for the USA at the 2004 Olympics. Photo courtesy of Professionals Choice boots.

How far should a horse fly? Does it make a difference if it's in a westerly or easterly direction? How many flights in how many weeks can a super-fit horse endure?

Internationally-placed Grand Prix dressage rider Catherine Haddad of the United States is based in Europe, where she is aware of controversy; the Swiss dressage team has pulled out of the Olympics entirely out of fear for the effects of transport and stress on their top horses. She knows that US horses will have even farther to travel and that her own qualification to ride in Hong Kong this August would demand that she first take her horse from Europe to Los Angeles for the June selection trials.

After two weeks of competition in California, the team will be selected and pack up for a move to Aachen, Germany, where they will enter quarantine and train in July before packing up again and flying to Hong Kong in August. Advisers to the US team devised this plan based on schedules and health concerns.

Haddad does not agree and has written an open letter criticizing the US Equestrian Team’s selection procedure, saying that she will not subject her horse to as many flights and as much stress as would be required to make the team and then continue on to Hong Kong.

She noted that the Netherlands and Germany have already selected dressage squads that are training toward Hong Kong.

Today, US Equestrian Federation President David O’Connor responded to Haddad’s letter, but upheld the decisions made to schedule the selection process for California in late June. Among O'Connor's concerns were that it was safer to fly the horses to Hong Kong via Aachen than to train in the USA and fly westward to Hong Kong. He said that stopping for fuel or repair in Alaska endangered the horses, since quarantine and veterinary facilities were not available there. The route from Aachen to Hong Kong would mandate fuel or repair in Dubai, where first-class horse services are available.

Both Haddad’s and O’Connor’s letters with horse health concerns raised or answered are published on the Dressage Daily web site today.

© 2008 The Jurga Report: Horse Health Headlines. All rights reserved.
http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsehealth/index.html

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Strangles Outbreak at Ohio Harness Track

The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) and Nicole Kraft of the the United States Trotting Association have issued a bulletin on an outbreak of the highly-contagious horse disease known as “strangles” at Northfield Park near Cleveland, Ohio. Strangles is the symptomatic name given to horses infected with the bacteria Streptococcus equi.

The initial outbreak affected horses in six different barns at the filled-to-capacity stable area, making quarantine difficult.

The attending veterinarian, Dr. Dan Wilson. took immediate steps to quarantine the affected horses in their stalls and instituted biohazard procedures that included sterile shoe and body coverings, and disinfectant washes for those who handle the horses.

Ohio State University responded to the emergency by dispatching, at no charge, Dr Phoebe Smith, a recent arrival from California with expertise in treating large-scale strangles outbreaks, who commented "With a case like this, in a high-density population, we are most concerned with biosecurity and containment. It's actually not an extreme number of horses affected, so in that sense it was not as bad as it could be. But they do have many horses co-mingled and a fair amount of traffic -- horses arriving and leaving. They very appropriately recognized that the potential is really bad."

Legally, the track cannot contain the horses stabled there. A horse sale held yesterday announced that it was withdrawing all horses from Northfield Park.

The racetrack’s management agreed to pay half the cost of diagnostic tests for horses at the track.

Barring further outbreaks, the track should be “clean” in late March.

In horses, strangles causes swollen lymph nodes and a nasal discharge that may resemble pus. The lymph nodes may swell and burst, thus spreading more bacteria. The horse may be lethargic and anorectic.

The disease is spread through objects such as water troughs, feed buckets, brushes, reins, and other equipment if contaminated with infected pus. Recovered horses can spread the disease for up to 8 to 10 months even though they can appear clinically healthy and normal. Researchers in Great Britain are investigating the role that asymptomatic carrier horses play in spreading the disease.

Strangles research was the beneficiary of a personal Christmas donation from Queen Elizabeth of England in 2007.

Thanks to HarnessLink, the USTA, and ISID for help with this blog post.

Anti-Slaughter Advocates Will March on Washington Next Month

Get ready for a news blitz. The group Americans Against Horse Slaughter has organized a two-day invasion of Washington DC by anti-slaughter advocates and celebrities from across the country. Parties and protests and grassroots lobbying sessions are planned for March 4-5, 2008.

Learn more about the events planned for Washington.

On the federal level, the U.S. Senate's Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 15-7 last month in favor of sending the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act to be considered before the full Senate. In 2006, the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 263-146, but was not acted upon by the Senate before it adjourned for the year.

The slaughter issue has not been in the press much in the past few weeks, but it continues to trouble many horse owners, who realize the complexity of the issue.

As with so many political issues, the two sides continue to turn up the volume of rhetoric whenever the media offers a mouthpiece, but either no one is coming forward on a national level with ideas for a workable middle ground...or that microphone is not turned up.

Thinking of Moving? "Best Places to Live in Rural America" Announced

(Received via press release)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb. 4 / -- Kent County, Maryland, was awarded top honors in the fourth annual edition of the "Best Places to Live in Rural America" rankings by The Progressive Farmer magazine, released today. Each year, the rankings name the top 10 rural counties in the nation, according to several quality-of-life indicators and statistics; all 10 counties are profiled in the February 2008 issue of The Progressive Farmer, and the top 500 rural counties are listed on the magazine's web site (http://www.progressivefarmer.com/).

The top 10 rural counties are ranked based on rural quality-of-life indicators such as great schools, access to health care, low crime and affordable farmland. In 2008, the editors of The Progressive Farmer added extra criteria by focusing on counties that have been able to protect farmland, control growth pressure from urban and suburban areas, and strike a good balance between agriculture, manufacturing and modern conveniences.

The Top 10 List of "Best Places to Live in Rural America" are:

1. Kent County, Maryland was selected as the best place to live in rural America this year. The county of 20,000 residents was chosen in part because of its commitment to preserving the county's rural roots, despite being within driving distance to Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. A testament to this long-term planning is the stately farmhouses--many dating pre-Civil War--that dot the countryside and the average local who can trace his or her ancestry to the Revolutionary War. Many local farmers have sold development rights of their land to the state to keep sprawl at bay.

In order, the other counties selected among the top 10 "Best Places to Live in Rural America" are:

2. Ellis County, Kansas -- Located between Kansas City and Denver, this county is known for its frontier spirit, with agriculture and oil sustaining its economy. Like many agricultural areas, Ellis County saw hard times in the 1980s, but has since revitalized the area by forming a coalition to ensure economic vitality.

3. Livingston County, Missouri -- In the heart of this top-ranked county is Chillicothe, an inventive and industrious town known as the "Home of Sliced Bread." This can-do attitude extends past the town's city limits and can be seen through a regional marketing plan that attracted employers and residents to the county through services that make the area more livable as a whole.

4. Obion County, Tennessee -- This sprawling rural county is a place where agriculture and industry go hand in hand, forming a strong economy despite little or no population growth. The county also features great schools, great farmland and legendary wildlife populations.

5. Columbia County, Pennsylvania -- Located near New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Columbia County is certainly facing development pressures. But conservation easements and agricultural security areas are helping preserve farming for future generations.

And rounding out the Top Ten:

6. Wexford County, Michigan

7. Fayette County, Texas

8. Coffee County, Alabama

9. Gilchrist County, Florida

10. La Plata County, Colorado

Delaware Farms Quarantined as EHV Monitoring Continues

Six farms in the state of Delaware are in quarantine until February 7 as state officials monitor horses for clinical signs of Equine Herpes Virus, Type 1 (EHV-1).
Most of the farms are located in Kent County.

While several horses on the farms tested positive for EHV, the investigators are looking for horses showing signs of elevated temperature and other signs of the disease.

An update from the state dated 31 January clarifies: "Merely finding the neuropathogenic form of EHV-1 on a nasal swab does not constitute a 'case'. A case is defined as clinically infected (neurologic disease) with positive EHV-1 PCR test results. The original 21-day quarantine was a result of the index case showing signs of disease (down, unable to get up, requiring euthanasia) and a positive nasal swab test result. Since the original index case, there have been no new cases, hence the original 21-day quarantine will stand."

Anne Fitzgerald, Chief of Community Relations for the Delaware Department of Agriculture confirmed today that no additional cases or quarantines have been added to the state's list.

For foreign readers: Delaware is a small state on the east coast of the United States near the cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. Both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing are active in the state, along with show and pleasure horses of all types. Delaware is in the middle of the north-south corridor of horse transport. Horses ship into, out of, and through Delaware constantly.

PETA vs. Bin Laden: News Stranger Than Fiction

Omar Osama bin Laden (left) and his British wife Jane Felix-Browne, who has taken the Muslim name Zaina Alsabah, live in Cairo, Egypt.

Two unlikely newsmakers share a story this week. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has spoken out against a proposed endurance horse race across North Africa that would replace this year's Paris-to-Dakar car race.

The famous off-road car race was canceled for security reasons, fearing terrorist intervention.

Enter Omar Osama bin Laden, the 26-year-old estranged son of Al Queda leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden the Younger has proposed a horse race to replace the car race, and is serving as spokesman and organizer, with his British wife. The race would cover 4800 km (roughly 3000 miles) and the horses would "race" 30 miles per day.

Bin Laden refers to the project in the international press as a "peace mission".

PETA calls it cruelty.

"Horses are flesh and blood. Such a gruelling race will mean fatalities, not peace. Animals have not declared war on us-they should be truly left in peace," wrote PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk in an open letter to bin Laden.

The original article that provoked Newkirk to protest was published in an Australian newspaper, The Sun Herald on January 19. News agencies around the world picked up the bin Laden the Younger story yesterday only after PETA publicized the horse race.

Omar's father was a devotee of horses before his disappearance to lead Al Queda from secret locations. He abandoned his now-aging Arabian racehorses when he fled Khartoum in Sudan, but a caretaker there still maintains them for him.

Drawing the attention of PETA may give the event and its organizers' peace message more publicity than they could have obtained from running the race.