The University of Kentucky Equestrian Athlete (EqA) Initiative, formerly known as the Jockey & Equestrian Initiative, launched an equine care service providers’ (ECSP) research project as a comprehensive survey in April to address equestrian health and wellness. Part of the Sports Medicine Research Institute within UK’s College of Health Sciences, EqA is focused on the health of the equestrian athlete.

How one researcher is using her background in reproductive immunology to better understand the leading cause of equine abortion

University of Kentucky Equine Science and Management undergraduates are able to choose from a variety of internships to complete course credits, including positions in UK equine research. Two of the program’s undergraduates recently highlighted their internship experiences during the major’s Spring 2020 Internship Showcase event.

Jockey & Equestrian Initiative expands to Equestrian Athlete (EqA) Initiative. The Sports Medicine Research Institute (SMRI) housed in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences has one of its four main initiatives focusing on the health and wellness of equestrian athletes. Core to the SMRI’s mission is a multidisciplinary approach to research, strong community collaborations and providing direct service to the Commonwealth.

University of Kentucky researcher and equine industry economist Jill Stowe, PhD, associate professor in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Department of Agricultural Economics, gives a glimpse of how COVID-19 is impacting the horse world and looks at the financial challenges that lie ahead.

Years of hard work culminating in a successful PhD defense is a rite of passage for graduate students across the country. Conducting your defense live online to a worldwide audience is a novel approach, and one necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley Steuer, DVM, Zoetis Resident in Veterinary Parasitology and now newly minted PhD from the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, found herself in this unique position as she defended her doctorate April 14 to a worldwide audience simultaneously via the Zoom and Facebook Live platforms.

Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVM, Schlaikjer professor of Equine Infectious Disease at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, has launched a new lesson-style video series on equine parasitology. The series consist of approximately 15-30 minute videos dedicated to one equine parasite each. The series covers threadworms, ascarids, small strongyles, bloodworms, tapeworms, bots and pinworms.

Tall Fescue is a name that can evoke fear in many horse owners. Some of this fear is rightfully earned, some of it undue and some of it not sufficient. In Kentucky, late May through June is when we see tall fescue growing most rapidly, producing seed for next year and potentially causing the greatest negative impacts on our horses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of overbuying of food, and this is not only at the grocery stores. Horse owners may have an urge to buy more feed than usual. Bob Coleman, PhD, extension equine specialist for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, urged horse owners to take a step back and think before making extra feed purchases.

We all know not to cut hay if it’s going to rain tomorrow, but have you ever wondered about the drying conditions: humidity + cloud cover + wind speed + temperature? The University of Kentucky Ag Weather Service provides this kind of detailed forecasts in three-hour time intervals (see image). (http://weather.uky.edu/ky/forecast.php#Point_Ag_Forecast)