Horses aged 15 and over make up between 20% to 30% of the U.S. equine population. An important milestone will be reached this year in the quest to learn more about this population. October marks the one-year anniversary of Amanda Adams, associate professor at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center specializing in aged horse research, becoming the first MARS Equestrian™ Fellow. This fellowship supports her work to improve not only how the industry cares for senior horses but also how veterinarians can better diagnose the conditions and diseases that affect them.

Ashton Miller, PhD, recently finished her doctorate and a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center. Her work focused on understanding how equine endocrine and immune function are impacted by pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), also known as Equine Cushing’s Disease, which is common in older horses.

Thanks to the recent investment from The Jockey Club, the Lexington-based Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory is becoming more efficient at the inspection of racing surfaces prior to the start of every race meet. The gold standard for safety is consistency and these inspections are a critical step toward improved consistency.

Gluck Equine Research Center is conducting a survey to help researchers understand the needs of older horses.

María Alejandra Blanco is not your usual PhD candidate, but that seems to be the norm rather than the exception when doing research in animal biomechanics and engineering. Blanco is a professor of forage Science at the Universidad Católica Argentina and, along with her husband, owns Grass and Horses, a construction company and consulting firm that installs and maintains equine arenas throughout Latin America. In addition to all of those commitments, she is a current PhD candidate at University of Buenos Aires, co-advised and with a dissertation directed by Mick Peterson, PhD, professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.

University of Kentucky PhD graduate research assistant Peter Schmitt is a guest in this audio episode of "From the Field," part of Michigan State University's Virtual Field Days.

There are three dewormer drug classes available for horses, and on the majority of farms across the world, cyathostomin (small strongyle) parasites have developed resistance to two of these. That has left us with one drug class, the macrocyclic lactones (moxidectin and ivermectin). Despite heavy use for the past several decades, these drugs have maintained good efficacy against cyathostomins, and very few reports have documented signs of resistance to this class. However, we consistently find that strongyle egg counts come back quicker following deworming with moxidectin and ivermectin and have been recommending horse farms routinely monitor dewormer efficacy.

Ro, pronounced “R naught,” is a mathematically derived term used to indicate how contagious an infectious disease is. It is commonly referred to as the reproduction number of a disease. As a disease is transmitted to new people, it reproduces itself. Considering the current pandemic, this is an important topic to consider.

Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVM, Schlaikjer professor of Equine Infectious Disease, associate professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science at the Gluck Equine Research Center, in collaboration with some of the leading parasitology researchers in New Zealand, recently published a study in the International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance.

For decades, rotational grazing was a term you heard on cattle farms, not horse farms. But this is changing, and for good reason. By grazing pastures in rotation, we are able to maintain better pastures and utilize them more efficiently. Many horse owners who have implemented rotational grazing have found it has greatly benefited their operations, but it can feel tough to get started. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be! This is a short guide to help horse owners and farm managers kick-start a rotational grazing program on their horse farm.

Catastrophic injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses is a top concern for the industry and for its fans. CAFE researchers are learning more about changes happening at the cellular level that might indicate an injury is present before it becomes career- or life-ending.

Through funding made available by the 2020 Sustainability Grant Challenge, a project being conducted by researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment aims to design and install a cost-efficient aerated composting facility at the UK Maine Chance Horse Unit (North Farm), designed to handle manure from four to six horses.

Morris Animal Foundation, a leader in advancing animal health, has awarded nearly $1 million in large animal health research grants, supporting 14 projects, including one at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center. The studies will help veterinary scientists improve the well-being of horses through improved prevention and treatment of numerous health challenges.

The UK research is part of a three-year, $7.2 million grant the University of Tennessee received from the USDA and will involve 13 states and two U.S. territories.