The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment will be hosting a Rotavirus workshop July 19 at Keeneland from 12:30-5:30 p.m. EDT.

With turf racing events steadily gaining in popularity on the racing calendar in the United States, the newly launched Racecourse Manager Certification Program: Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface focused on turf cultivation, conditions and impacts. The continuing education program stems from the combined efforts of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

The annual meeting of American Association for Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) was recently held in Lexington, Kentucky, in a hybrid format of both in-person and virtual components. Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVM, Schlaikjer Professor of Equine Infectious Disease at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, who served as program chair of the meeting, was elected president of the AAVP at the business meeting held during the conference.

Equine Herpesvirus, EHV-1, canEquid Herpesvirus, EHV-1, can cause detrimental neurological disease (Equid Herpesvirus-associated Myeloencephalopathy or EHM) in horses and abortion in late-gestational mares. EHM outbreaks remain rare or typically occur as single events that usually are confined to single horse operations during almost an ‘EHM season‘ that runs from October/November through April, with almost 90% of outbreaks during that period. For the last 20 years, we‘ve observed EHM outbreaks in the northern hemispheres most commonly at boarding facilities with single or mixed breeds. However, breeds like Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, various Warmblood breeds and Quarter Horse/Paint/Appaloosa seem overrepresented in developing EHM during these outbreaks.

Horse people are often described as picky, fussy or difficult when it comes to hay selection. This description is not surprising because many horses are either very valuable or viewed as part of the family.

Fungal infections in horses are considerably less common than infections caused by bacterial or viral agents. Fungal organisms are typically encountered in the animal’s normal environment, and the clinical manifestation of disease often reflects the route of exposure (skin, respiratory tract or reproductive tract). In some cases, immunodeficiency or immunosuppression may predispose an individual to fungal infection, while in other cases, there is no identifiable predisposing risk factor.

The Thoroughbred Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently announced the winners of its annual awards competition. The entries were in the two main categories of campaigns and tactics. Befitting its location in Central Kentucky, each entry could be awarded either a win (first), place (second) or show (third) designation. The competition recognizes excellent work done by individual and company public relations professionals the previous year.

The University of Kentucky’s Equine Science Review was awarded a Win in the Tactics category under special purpose publications.