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Morris Animal Foundation Announces New Studies Focused On Equine Colic

Morris Animal Foundation, a leader in advancing animal health, recently announced the selection of five new equine health studies to receive funding in 2022. The studies focus on equine colic (abdominal pain), an important and potentially life-threatening disease of horses.

“Colic consistently ranks among the top health concerns of horse owners and veterinarians,” said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, Chief Scientific Officer. “We decided to focus on this topic in this year's equine call for proposals to advance our understanding of intestinal disease associated with colic and ultimately assist in improving outcomes for horses around the world.”

Estimates suggest that four to 10 percent of horses will experience colic at least once in their lifetimes, and the actual incidence may be even higher. Although the majority of horses can be successfully treated on the farm, approximately 10 percent require referral for advanced care, including surgery.

The Foundation's Large Animal Scientific Advisory Board reviewed all submitted grant applications and selected, based on scientific merit and impact, the studies with the greatest potential to save lives, preserve health and advance veterinary care for horses with colic. Equine colic studies funded for 2022 include:

Studying Intestinal Inflammation
Two research teams will take different approaches to investigate the interaction between inflammation and gut motility, to assist in developing methods of preventing ileus (reduced gut motility) after colic surgery. These approaches could dramatically assist recovery and shorten hospitalization times.

Understanding Risk Factors for Colic Secondary to Transportation
Researchers will look for colic risk factors associated with transportation to develop better management recommendations for horses requiring transport.

Helping Underserved Communities Recognize Early Signs of Colic
Researchers will develop an educational program for horse owners in underserved communities in Colombia to improve early recognition of colic, a key component of successful treatment.

New Prognostic Test for Postoperative Complications
Researchers will search for biomarkers to identify horses at higher risk for postoperative surgical complications as a first step toward a new prognostic test.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Grants $3.7 Million To Accredited Organizations

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Nov. 18 that $3.7 million will be awarded as grants to 82 Thoroughbred aftercare organizations that currently hold TAA accreditation.

Since inception in 2012, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has now awarded more than $24.5 million in grants to accredited Thoroughbred aftercare organizations.

“The ability to grant $3.7 million dollars towards the care of retired racehorses is a tremendous achievement,” said TAA President Jimmy Bell. “As the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance continues to grow to match the needs of our industry, monetary contributions by participants at every level are paramount to the success of our sport.”

“Every donation to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance helps support thousands of retired Thoroughbreds and we are so grateful to our stakeholders, reoccurring and new, who support our network of 82 accredited organizations,” said TAA Funding and Events Manager Emily Scandore.

Earmarked specifically for equine care, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance grants have helped accredited organizations assist more than 13,700 Thoroughbreds at approximately 180 facilities across North America.

Accredited organizations undergo a thorough application and inspection process prior to accreditation being awarded to ensure they meet the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's Code of Standards, which covers five key areas: operations, education, horse health care management, facility standards and services, and adoption policies and protocols. Facility inspections are conducted at all facilities housing Thoroughbreds for each organization. Ongoing updates and re-inspections are required of all organizations as a condition of accreditation.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by members from every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry, including owners, breeders, trainers, stallion farms, racetracks, sales companies, horsemen's groups, foundations, veterinarians, horseplayers, racing fans, wagering technology companies, and many others.

About the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance

Based in Lexington, Ky., the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, rehome, and retire Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders' Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since inception in 2012, more than $24.5 million has been granted to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently 82 aftercare organizations supporting approximately 180 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, visit ThoroughbredAftercare.org.

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New Mexico State University To Study New Method Of Mustang Population Control

Throughout the United States, wild horses still roam through the wide-open spaces. While they may be wild and free, they come at a cost to taxpayers, as much as $1 billion from 2019 to 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

That's an opportunity for Wildlife Protection Management, Inc., or WPM, to be a leader in helping the government with humane ways to control population growth and keep the horses, and other wildlife, healthy. Thanks to a $256,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, WPM will work with New Mexico State University faculty to manage the data they've been collecting.

Roch Hart, WPM's CEO, used NMSU's entrepreneur and business incubator Arrowhead Center services to work through the NSF grant application process. WPM had already grown by using several of the Arrowhead Center programs.

Hart first attended the six-week AgSprint, a cohort-based business accelerator that deepened his understanding of the market and future customer needs. He then participated in Arrowhead's Technology Incubator to build the WPM's first vaccine-delivery prototype. The prototype, attached to an alfalfa feeding station, remotely implants radio-frequency identification, or RFID, chips, vaccines and contraceptives into horses.

“We have been highly successful with the RFID. Better than we had hoped,” Hart said. “If we could cut costs by not having to implant every horse with a chip, then we could cut costs considerably. For that, facial recognition technology was the next avenue to explore. New Mexico Small Business Assistance helped us go in that direction first, which helped us to move forward with the NSF grant.”

Hart also used Arrowhead Center's NM Federal and State Technology, or NM FAST, partnership program that provides help to businesses seeking federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research grants.

“Hart has seen a lot of growth through using the range of programs at Arrowhead Center,” said Del Mackey, senior economic development officer at Arrowhead Center. “The AgSprint program helped him define the need for the tech. NMSBA helped him take it in a new direction, and the NSF SBIR Phase I grant will help him validate the feasibility of using facial recognition alongside the RFID for the identification of not only wild horses but also feral pigs and deer.”

“We do hope to take this technology for horses to other species and scale that technology up. This grant certainly helps that traction,” Hart said.

More traction for WPM will come through the collaboration with NMSU's College of Engineering Associate Professor Laura Boucheron. With the support of a graduate student, Boucheron will spend a year dissecting WPM's data and creating an effective method of animal recognition through videos and images.

“While they have RFID chips, the horses might have recognizable patterns on their faces or flanks or even scars that we can use to build an algorithm that detects individual animals,” Boucheron said. “The ultimate goal is to recognize individual animals based on videos or images and match them up with their RFID identification.”

Boucheron said the collaboration with WPM through Arrowhead Center allows her research to see different applications for her work and help with the inception of entrepreneurial activities.

“What we do can have a direct impact on a problem with the horse population,” she said. “It's something that has quite the real-world applicability.”

Read more at New Mexico State University.

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$50,000 Research Grant For Studies Investigating The Effect Of Horses On Humans Who Have Experienced Trauma

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF), a 501(c)3 organization, announces this request for proposals to investigate the possible effects horses have on humans who have experienced trauma. Deadline for submission proposals is June 30, 2021.

All proposals undergo a four-tier review process completed by the Scientific Advisory Council. Preference will be given to investigators with solid credentials and research experience. The maximum award is $50,000 for up to eighteen months. The winning proposal will have scientific merit, scientific and clinical significance, and relevance.

On behalf of the HHRF Board, our past board members, supporters and our Scientific Advisory Council, we are pleased to offer this opportunity. Through this call, which reflects the need to address the gaps in knowledge in equine-assisted services, HHRF strives to support true leaps in research. Through peer reviewed research we all benefit from knowledge, application, and dissemination.

Information for applicants, including the recently updated application and review guidelines, previously funded projects, and more are available at horsesandhumans.org.

Contribute to HHRF today and help ensure that this important research, and education about research on horse-human interactions continues. For more information about HHRF, visit the website horsesandhumans.org or contact Pebbles Turbeville, Executive Director, exec.director@horsesandhumans.org.