Catastrophic injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses is a topof-mind concern for the racing industry and for its fans. That sentiment is shared by researchers at the University of Kentucky, who are working to learn more about the changes happening at a cellular level that might indicate an injury is present before it becomes career or life ending.

Jill Stowe, PhD, associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Department of Agricultural Economics, presented at the UK Ag Equine Programs’ monthly Equine Forum virtual meeting June 24 about the impact COVID-19 is having on equine markets.

At the yearly scientific conference organized by the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) in June, Ashley Steuer, DVM, PhD, Zoetis Resident in Veterinary Parasitology at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, was awarded AAVP/Merck Outstanding Graduate Student.

According to information compiled by the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the 2019-2020 reproductive season saw something that hasn’t been seen for at least 30 years, a season without one confirmed equine leptospirosis abortion in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region.

University of Kentucky researcher Peter Timoney, MVB, PhD, FRCVS, Professor, Frederick Van Lennep Chair in Equine Veterinary Science at the Gluck Equine Research Center, talks about the deadly African horse sickness and what it will take to prevent its arrival in unaffected countries.

When most of us think about pasture renovation, we think of overseeding with desirable grasses like orchardgrass and Kentucky bluegrass.

The genetic code of life is made up of genes and regulatory elements encoded by DNA. Initially, following the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in the early 1950s, science struggled to find the appropriate molecular tools to move the field forward. Since then discoveries have come thick and fast as our understanding of DNA and gene structure and function has blossomed.

ChanHee Mok, newly minted PhD in the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, successfully defended her PhD virtually via Zoom and Facebook Live platforms June 18.

A lot of hay has been cut in recent weeks. The weather was good, but not perfect, as Kentucky weather is notoriously unpredictable. If you got some rain during haymaking, you are not alone. What happens to quality for rained-on hay?

I had the opportunity to talk to Anna Pasternak, who is a graduate student researcher studying vector-borne illnesses in the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. She is part of the Kentucky Tick Surveillance Program, a partnership between University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Most horse communities are aware of mosquito- and tickborne diseases that affect horses, but Pasternak advocates for increased awareness by people. She and I talked about the research she has been doing, her interest in One Health and why we need to have greater awareness of the dangers of vector-borne illness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put financial, physical, mental and emotional strains on many Americans, including farm families. To help them work through these unprecedented challenges, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is hosting “Crossing through This: Managing Farm and Family in 2020,” a weekly webinar series.