Catastrophic injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses are a top concern for the industry and for its fans. Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center share that sentiment and recently began a large study to validate previous research suggesting it is possible to detect specific markers that indicate an injury before it becomes career- or life-ending.

We are all familiar with the classic symptoms of inflammation: redness, pain, swelling, and heat. This reactions occurs in response to tissue injury caused by infection or physical damange.

University of Kentucky‘s Ag Equine Programs and the Kentucky Horse Council are again partnering on the 2022 Kentucky Equine Survey, a statewide comprehensive survey of all horse breeds.

During the 2021 foaling season in central Kentucky, area farms experienced an outbreak of neonatal foal diarrhea. A novel equine rotavirus group B pathogen was implicated in the disease based on compelling genetic sequencing evidence coupled with the clinical scenario of a highly contagious pathogen that causes diarrhea in foals under 4 days of age. A PCR test for the pathogen was quickly developed at the University of Kentucky, and testing information was shared with labs in the US, England, Ireland, France, Argentina and Japan. Unfortunately, the development of an efficacious vaccine has lagged behind, and disease control has focused on prevention through the implementation of increased biosecurity protocols.

Dr. Amanda Adams and Erica Jacquay of the University of Kentucky describe new research on how horses of all ages respond to transport—even just trips of 1.5 hours.

Horses at a Central Kentucky career and technical high school have lush paddocks to graze on this school year thanks to help from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

UK Ag Equine Programs Equine Science Review: Highlighting Research & Outreach Efforts at the University of Kentucky won top honors at the 2022 American Horse Publications’ annual media awards competition. The Equine Science Review won in the newsletter business category.

Successful conversion from toxic KY-31 to novel endophyte tall fescue begins much earlier than most people anticipate. Seedheads need to be clipped before maturation, the existing stand needs to be sprayed out in July/August and reseeding needs to be in early September. Check out this simple checklist below for how to make the transition this summer and fall.

Last year, Kentucky was one of the many states impacted by a historic outbreak of fall armyworms. Much of the eastern U.S. was eaten up by these hungry, hungry caterpillars with lawns and fields on the menu. While things eventually settled down and areas have been renovated, you can sense tension in the air this year with many wondering if it will happen again.

A research team led by Theodore Kalbfleisch, PhD and faculty member in the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center, was recently awarded a grant from the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) to create a service that can integrate pathology reports of aborted pregnancies in sheep, cattle and horses for use among breeders and the scientific community.

Leptospires are zoonotic bacteria of worldwide distribution. Adult horses acutely infected with Leptospira develop clinical signs associated with acute liver and kidney failure. Additionally, a strong association has been identified with equine recurrent uveitis and leptospiral infection. In general, clinical signs of infection coincide with the bacteria’s natural tropism to target and replicate within the bile tract, kidneys, blood, placenta, and eyes. Animals are most commonly infected through contact with water or soil that has been contaminated with urine from an infected carrier animal, either through drinking a contaminated source or through open wounds. Leptospires can persist in the environment for weeks to months post exposure, which makes disease prevention and environmental control difficult. Infection of pregnant mares can result in abortion, stillbirth, or birth of a weak foal.

Dr. Steve Higgins of the University of Kentucky optimizes daily barn tasks for efficiency, cost savings, and environmental soundness.

Equine veterinarians can help protect their clients’ broodmares and unborn foals from nocardioform placentitis (NP) with new disease guidelines published by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The AAEP’s Nocardioform Placentitis Guidelines present the clinical features, risk factors, treatment, control measures and more for a form of bacterial placentitis that can cause abortion, stillbirth, or delivery of a weak premature or term foal.