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TAA Announces Grants Of $3.5 Million To 81 Accredited Organizations

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced today that $3,500,000 will be awarded as grants to 81 Thoroughbred aftercare organizations that currently hold TAA accreditation.

Since inception in 2012, the TAA has now awarded more than $20.7 million in grants to accredited Thoroughbred aftercare organizations.

“We are grateful to the TAA's many supporters that have allowed us to award $3.5 million this year,” TAA President John Phillips said. “We know these funds will significantly assist the work of TAA-accredited organizations during this challenging time. As we look forward to 2021, we ask industry participants to continue to support accredited Thoroughbred aftercare and our equine athletes.”

Earmarked specifically for equine care, TAA grants have helped accredited organizations assist more than 11,000 Thoroughbreds at approximately 170 facilities across North America.

TAA-accredited organizations undergo a thorough application and inspection process prior to accreditation being awarded to ensure they meet the TAA'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 TAA accreditation.

The TAA 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.

The full list of TAA-accredited organizations, information about the accreditation process, and a list of the TAA's industry supporters is available on ThoroughbredAftercare.org.

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Sand Colic Survey Results Lead To Interesting Conclusion

Horse owners and veterinarians have assumed for many years that horses develop sand colic because they accidentally ingest sand. A new study out of Finland suggests some horses may develop sand colic because they actually seek out and eat the soil.

Drs. Kati E.Niinistö, Meri Määttä, Mirja Ruohoniemi, Maria Paulaniemi and Marja Raekallio conducted an online survey of owners whose horses had been radiographed at some point in their lives to check for sand accumulation in their gut. Survey questions included what signs prompted the call to the veterinarian, how the horse was managed at the time of the vet call and how much sand had accumulated. A total of 447 surveys were used.

The scientists found that the veterinarian was called because the owner suspected sand accumulation and X-rays confirmed the suspicion. Symptoms of sand ingestion seen most often among respondents were colic, diarrhea and poor performance, which his often a subtle sign. “Poor performance” can mean that the horse doesn't want to go forward or may not be moving well.

Horses that exhibited signs of colic often had significant accumulations of sand in their gut. The team also found a correlation between poor performance and large sand accumulation. Horses that were colicky and had poor performance had the highest levels of sand in their gut.

Interestingly, the study team found no connections between sand accumulation, management or housing. This may be because some horses habitually ingest soil. The scientists are collecting samples to determine if any of the horses with sand accumulation are deficient in trace minerals, which would cause them to seek out soil to ingest.

The team also discovered that horses that cleaned up every scrap of hay had larger sand accumulations than horses that didn't eat all their hay. This may be related to keeping horses out for long periods without access to proper grass.

Whether sand ingestion is intentional or a byproduct of greedy horses, prevention of sand accumulation is key. Treating susceptible horses with psyllium a few times a year can clear sand that has already been ingested; feeding in a bucket and offering hay or muzzling horses that forage too much are also options.

Partnership Formed To Accelerate Advancements In Equine Musculoskeletal Health

Together with MARS Equestrian, the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has launched an innovative educational research program dedicated to advancing critical frontiers in equine health.

At its core, the MARS Equestrian Early Career Investigator program is providing aspiring veterinary researchers with an exceptional, multidimensional mentorship experience guided by a team of leading Penn Vet researchers and animal health experts from MARS Equestrian and the WALTHAM Equine Studies Group.

Sarah Ciamillo, DVM, of Boonton Township, NJ, has been selected as the first Early Career Investigator for the newly minted program. “As a long-time equestrian, equine advocate, and new equine veterinarian, there is nothing more important to me than the future health and welfare of the horse,” said Ciamillo.

In her role, Ciamillo is refining a set of comprehensive skills necessary for a burgeoning career in veterinary medicine research, from data collection and analysis to stewardship and public service. The most compelling element of the Early Career Investigator program, however, is the immersive opportunity to assist in developing novel and transformative clinical techniques.

Specifically, Ciamillo is assisting a team of Penn Vet New Bolton Center researchers in a dynamic, first-of-its-kind study assessing equine bone characteristics and limb biomechanics using New Bolton Center's advanced diagnostic imaging technologies–including its revolutionary standing robotic computed tomography (CT) system.

Ultimately, the researchers hope to use the findings to understand bone and joint injury in horses and develop preventative tools that would improve the health and well-being of equines across all discipline spectrums.

Penn Vet's Dr. Kyla Ortved, assistant professor of large animal surgery at New Bolton Center, is serving as the primary mentor and lead researcher for this Early Career Investigator project. A clinical expert in equine orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, Ortved's research program seeks to better understand attributes of the equine joint in order to improve clinical outcomes associated with osteoarthritis following injury in horses.

“Mentorship is a cardinal element of individual career success, particularly in the veterinary medicine field,” said Ortved. “The MARS Equestrian Early Career Investigator program's unique platform will provide junior researchers with an unparalleled learning experience while simultaneously fostering fundamental discoveries in vital areas of research that will unequivocally improve the lives of our equine partners.”

Ciamillo also has the opportunity to work alongside other leading Penn Vet faculty including Dr. Dean Richardson, chief of large animal surgery at New Bolton Center; Dr. Darko Stefanovski, associate professor of biostatistics; and Dr. Andrew van Eps, associate professor of equine musculoskeletal research.

“The MARS Equestrian Early Career Investigator program is more than just an immersive experience into a practical and applicable learning environment,” said Dr. Bridgett McIntosh, Director of MARS Equestrian. “By coupling New Bolton Center's prowess as an innovator in equine health with MARS Equestrian's commitment to enriching lives through equestrian sport, our hope is to make a lasting impact on equine health through future generations of veterinarians, ultimately creating a better world for our horses.”

Dr. Pat Harris, head of the equine studies group at the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute and Director of Science for MARS Horsecare shared “I am incredibly excited to be part of this important initiative championing the development of new researchers whose work will be vital in helping to advance frontiers in equine health and science.”

“Through this extraordinary opportunity to work alongside trailblazers in various facets of the animal health field, we hope to inspire more young people interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine and research at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center, these budding veterinarians will be at the nexus of creating the clinical solutions of tomorrow, for some of the most complex and challenging conditions facing our equine partners,” said Christa Schmidt, who presently serves on Penn Vet's Board of Overseers.

“The MARS Equestrian Early Career Investigator Program is providing crucial training in research areas that are fundamental to advancing the field of equine veterinary medicine,” added Ciamillo. “I am incredibly grateful to my mentors at New Bolton Center and to MARS for this unique opportunity to play an integral role in this field of research, develop critical thinking and benchtop skills, and as a result, contribute to my ultimate career goal–to make a lasting difference for horses and humans alike.”

For more information about MARS Equestrian's commitment to improving the lives of horses, pets and the people who love them, click here.

For more information about Penn Vet, click here.

Study: Does Hierarchy Affect Foraging Behavior?

Horses that live outside in a herd rapidly establish a hierarchy that affects everything they do, including eat; dominant horses tend to shoo others away from the tastiest grass or hay. A team of researchers wanted to investigate if this meant that horses lower in the pecking order eat less or if they have to spend more time grazing to make up for mealtime shortages.

Drs. Sarah Giles, Pat Harris, Sean Rands and Christine Nicol created a study to investigate the association between social dominance, interruptions to foraging behavior and body condition. The research team used 116 horses from 20 herds, and completed the study during the winter, when pasture was limited and there was competition for food.

The team began by giving each horse a body condition score between 4 and 8.5. They also measured social dominance and observed foraging behavior, tracking the duration and frequency of grazing, as well as the number of interruptions.

The study team found that foraging success of individuals may be partly influenced by their social status, but the relationship between her behavior, dominance and body condition wasn't fully established from the study. They concluded that for horses, the benefits of group living outweigh the costs; individual horses learn to follow behavioral rules that allow them to function as a social unit.

These scientists reviewed over 120 hours of herd monitoring and found that the total time spent foraging wasn't influenced by body condition or social dominance. Horses that had higher social standing also had higher body condition scores, but the main factor behind this was foraging efficiency. The horses that raised their heads more and were hyper-aware of their surroundings, had lower body condition scores. This vigilance was not associated with social status and seems to be an inherited trait.

The study also found that subordinate horses or those with lower body condition scores did not forage more. This suggests that the difference in body condition can be seen when subordinate horses are in the presence of dominant horses and reduce forage intake, they report.

Lower-ranking horse were unlikely to continue to forage when their companions were not, which supports the idea that social factors may result in body-condition score difference in horses living in a herd.

Read the study here.