New Information about

For more information on the E. P. Taylor Fund contact Robert Careless at (416) 675-3993.

From Equine Care Watch, Jan. 1998

246

Canadian equine research

The E. P. Taylor Equine Research Fund, "the Canadian equivalent to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation," according to Bob Careless, the Fund's secretary and treasurer, was established in 1973 to advance equine medicine, surgery, husbandry and medical research. Named in honor of one of Canada's most famous horse owners, Edward P. Taylor, who bred and campaigned the great Thoroughbred sire Northern Dancer, the Taylor Fund has contributed more than $700,000 to equine research, including $60,000 donated toward the construction of the Equine Research Centre located in Guelph, Ontario.

In recent years, the Taylor Fund has annually provided approxi- mately $50,000 in funding for equine medical research in Canada, according to Careless. But to enhance its level of giving and to ensure the perpetuity of the Fund, the EPTERF inaugurated a funding drive in 1995 with the goal of passing $2 million in endowments by the year 2000." The Fund has nearly reached its goal already," said Careless, "so we' re doing pretty well."

Projects funded for 1996/97 included--among others--a study of a big-absorbable bone screw, developed by Dr. John R. Field (see the October 1996 issue of Equine Care Watch Media Bulletin), as well as research on "tying-up," a perplexing muscular disorder characterized by post-exercise cramping and stiffness. Thoroughbred and Standard- bred racehorses are the chief beneficiaries of projects funded by the EPTERF, according to Careless, but the Fund also has underwritten research on a rapid-detection test for salmonella, early embryonic mortality and stallion fertility.

For 1997/98, the EPTERF has sponsored the following seven projects, funded at a total of nearly $100,000: �9 "Rhodococcus equi Myopathies," Dr. John F. Prescott �9 Cellular Immunity in Horses: Identifying the Thl :Th2 Paradigm,"

Dr. John F. Prescott �9 "An Investigation Into the Effect of Small Airway Disease on the

Athletic Performance of Racehorses," Dr. Laurent Viel �9 "Are Total Body Electrolyte Imbalances Involved in Clinical and

Subclinical Manifestations of Exercise-Related Myopathies in Racehorses?," Dr. Henry Staempfli

�9 "The Effect of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Gene Expression in Equine Articular Cartilage," Dr. Mark Hurtig

�9 "A Hidden Concern--An Investigation of Selected Mycotoxins Found in the Diets of Ontario Performance Horses," Susan L. Raymond and Dr. Andrew Clarke

�9 "Bone Blood Flow in Response to Internal Fixation: An Evaluation of Bone Response to Drilling and Tapping Using Intravascular Dye," Dr. John R. Field

MAF funds 13 equine research projects for 1998

The Morris Animal Foundation, based in Englewood, Colo., has approved 13 research projects relating to equine health and welfare for fiscal year 1998.

The projects include a study in which investigators at Texas A&M

JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE

University will create a 3-D computer model of the equine hoof using data from MRIs. Through a better understanding of the biomechanical function and load-bearing capabilities of the hoof, researchers hope to find ways to reduce the number of injuries to horses. Two studies on "tying up," a muscle disorder that causes exercise-intolerance in horses, have also been approved. Dr. Beth Valentine of Cornell University will investigate whether a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet can help horses that suffer from this muscle disorder and Dr. Esther M. Gallant of the University of Minnesota seeks to develop a method for identifying foals that carry the gene for tying up so that owners can be better prepared for managing their horses' training and exercise needs.

Studies on orthopedic diseases in horses are also being funded by the MAF. Dr. Alan Nixon of Cornell University will undertake a study entitled "Genetic Mechanisms in Equine OCD [osteochondritis dissecans] That Define the Molecular Aberration in Cartilage Matura- tion," hoping to understand what genetic functions influence the onset of OCD, a developmental orthopedic disease that is common among young horses. Dr. C. Wayne Mcllwraith of Colorado State University has received funding to study how exercise affects the joints of the horse in terms of inducing microdamage to subchondral bone. These findings will be used to improve diagnostic techniques for equine orthopedists and reduce the number of injuries to athletic horses. Using clinical case materials, Dr. Alicia L. Bertone of Ohio State University will study the biomolecular structure of equine cartilage affected by osteochondrosis, a developmental joint disease in which the normal process of converting cartilage to bone is arrested, causing damage to the convex surface of the bone and/or the articular cartilage. Osteo- chondrosis, which develops in very young horses, can cause lameness at the onset of athletic training.

Dr. Patrick T. Colahan of the University of Florida has received funding for a one-year project, "Acupuncture for the Treatment of Chronic Back Pain in Performing Horses: A Controlled Clinical Trial." Other studies funded included research on the treatment of colic, the leading cause of death among horses; laminitis, a painful, debilitating hoof disease; parasitology; nutrition; and combined immunodeficiency in horses.

The non-profit Morris Animal Foundation was established in 1948. Since then, it has allocated approximately $12 million to more than 630 studies relating to the health of horses, dogs, cats and wildlife. Cur- rently, the Foundation administers about 75 studies per year, funded at a cost of more than $1 million. For more information about the Morris Animal Foundation call (800) 243-2345.

$39 million in parimutuel funds for research

Since 1967, parimutuel wagering has provided more than $39 million in revenues for equine medical research. Currently, there are 15 states with active programs for funding research through parimutuels. And as more states include provisions for automatic funding for equine research in their laws governing parimutuel wagering, that number will continue to grow.

Equine Care Watch, Vol. III, No. 4, January 1998

Details in Equine Care Watch, Vol. III, No. 4, February 1998

Volume 18, Number 4, 1998 247