As equine researchers tackle issues from breakdowns to reproduction, the only limiting factor is moneyA wide range of research projects, many of them aimed specifically at the racing Thoroughbred, are being conducted at veterinary colleges and research institutes around the country. A strong emphasis at a number of centers is on racetrack breakdowns, a continuing problem that costs the industry millions of dollars annually, along with a lot of bad publicity.
There have been no dramatic breakthroughs by researchers of late and there probably will not be any in the near future. Equine research just does not work that way. It functions more like a jigsaw puzzle. Months of study and research may net only one piece of a particular puzzle. However, each piece, once set into place, helps to open new doors of knowledge and opportunity toward completion of the big picture.
There is no dearth of talent in this quest for answers to nature's mysteries involving the horse. Brilliant minds from New York to California and from Minnesota to Georgia are at work on projects ranging from fractures to influenza and from bleeding to reproduction. Many face a limiting common denominator-lack of funds.
"Obtaining funding is tougher than it's ever been," says Dr. Jerry Gillespie, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University and a researcher of renown in his own right.
The number of research projects continues to grow, he says, and, while this may be positive in addressing more problems that affect the horse, it also makes for keen competition for the research dollar.
Funds to conduct this ongoing research come from a variety of sources. A number of projects are funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Inc. (see related article on page 21). Others have been assisted by the Morris Animal Foundation. In California, the Equine Research Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, receives funding from the Oak Tree Racing Association and the State of California Satellite Wagering Fund, along with contributions from private donors.
Across the country in New York, research at Cornell University gets much of its funding via the Harry M. Zweig Memorial Fund for Equine Research. In 1978, by amendment to the pari-mutuel revenue laws, the New York State Legislature created the Zweig fund, which is administered by a committee and which represents horse breeders, owners, trainers, and veterinarians. Each year, some $350,000 is siphoned from the state's pari-mutuel take and placed into the fund.
At Colorado State University, a healthy portion of the proceeds from the veterinary college's treatment clinic and reproduction laboratory is earmarked for research. At several other research centers, including Texas A&M and Kansas State, funds are received from the American Quarter Horse Association.
Sometimes, the research centers turn to basic hands-on approaches in their ongoing quest for funds. At the University of Illinois, for example, the Maria Caleel Horse Show is held each year to provide "seed money" for horse-related research projects. The show is named in honor of a former student.
Most centers also depend heavily on the private contributor. At Tufts University in Massachusetts, the Issam M. Fares Equine Sports Medicine program bears the name of the Thoroughbred breeder, with farms in Kentucky, England, and France, who has been very generous with his financial contributions.
Overall, the level of private gift-giving often reflects the state of the horse industry in general. Unfortunately, the last couple years have seen a downturn in fortunes for most breeds, including Thoroughbreds, and this has meant a decrease in private contributions for equine research. The good news is that the horse business across the board has stabilized, bringing renewed confidence at various research centers that private contributions will take an upward turn.
Following is a partial list of equine research being conducted at veterinary colleges around the country.

University of California, Davis
The Equine Research Laboratory at Davis is a 60-acre complex of the School of Veterinary Medicine, which maintains an average herd of 300 horses for teaching and research. More than 40 Davis equine specialists coordinate their research efforts with the laboratory, which provides financial resources and organizational support in study areas that include reproduction, neonatal care, performance, internal medicine, and diseases.
Of keen interest to the Thoroughbred community is a project mandated in February of 1990 by the California Horse Racing Board. Every horse that dies as the result of injury or illness on a California track or training center is sent to UC, Davis, for a complete postmortem examination. The goal is to learn what caused the death, which, in turn, may help lead the way to prevention. Since the program's inception, more than 800 postmortems have been performed. The vast majority of deaths resulted from catastrophic injuries to the limbs.
A number of research projects have been an outgrowth of the postmortem examinations and are producing valuable information. Dr. Susan Stover, for example, found that broken long bones accounted for 32% of the 227 deaths in California racehorses during the 1991 calendar year. More than 76% of the humeri (the bone between the shoulder and elbow joints) that broke had evidence of stress fractures. (Stress fractures are caused by microfractures which arise when the rate of bone damage from fatigue exceeds the rate of bone tissue repair.) Dr. Stover is heading up a research project aimed at determining how much a bone is weakened by stress fractures and how the strength might change during various stages in the healing period. The goal is to develop better recommendations for the treatment of stress fractures, especially in regard to length of lay-up time necessary to regain normal bone growth.
As part of the stress factor study, efforts are being made to determine how race training fits into the picture. Researchers are convinced that the presence of a stress fracture weakens the bone and predisposes it to complete fracture under otherwise normal training and racing circumstances. The question to be answered is whether certain training regimens pave the way toward stress fractures.
UC, Davis, has also been a leader in research on bleeders-exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or EIPH. Studies there have suggested that at least three-quarters of the horses in race training experience some degree of bleeding in their lungs while running. Research conducted by Dr. James Jones and Dr. John Pascoe has revealed that bleeding appears to come from pulmonary circulation-the blood pumped by the right side of the heart to the lungs. Blood pressure inside the equine heart was also found to be approximately ten times higher than that known to exist during severe exercise in any other species of mammal, indicating that pressure in the lung capillaries is extremely high. Researchers have also found that the wall of the equine heart is unusually stiff, which may contribute to the higher blood pressure.
Research to be undertaken will involve an effort to understand the mechanisms that make the wall of the equine heart exceptionally stiff, and then, an attempt to reduce that stiffness as part of the effort to alleviate or reduce the severity of bleeding.
A wide variety of other research projects, ranging from bowed tendons to reproduction are being conducted at UC, Davis.

University of Minnesota
As an outgrowth of the Canterbury Downs study on racetrack breakdowns, the University of Minnesota is conducting a National Breakdown Study, under the direction of Dr. Julie Wilson. The study involves having the commission veterinarian at a track where an injury occurs detail the specifics of the injury, and send the information to the University of Minnesota. Program participation is voluntary on the part of racing commissions around the country, but response has been good. The object is to study breakdowns on a national scale.
Minnesota's School of Veterinary Medicine has recently scored what it considers a recruiting coup in its research ranks. Joining the staff is Dr. Stephanie Valberg, formerly of the University of California, Davis. Her field of expertise is in the area of muscles and she is currently involved in a research project aimed at determining metabolic causes of muscular problems.
Dr. Tracy Turner, chief of large animal surgery, is conducting research on navicular and other hoof problems. Another area of research involves foals born with crooked legs. Researchers at Minnesota have pinpointed a chromosome abnormality that has shown up in several foals with crooked legs. The study is aimed at determining whether the abnormality is prevalent in large numbers of foals born with crooked legs.

Texas A&M University
Researchers at Texas A&M have concentrated in recent years on how diet affects the racing and performing horse. One of their ongoing projects involves the study of fat in the equine diet. They have concluded that if 18%-to-20% of a horse's digestible energy (about 10% of the grain being fed) is in the form of fat, it will delay the onset of acute fatigue.
"We can't make the horse run any faster," says Professor Gary Potter, section leader in the Department of Animal Science, "but we can delay the onset of fatigue, providing the horse is in racing condition and has been on the high-fat diet for about three weeks."
A newer project involves the effect that diet has on bone strength in young horses. (See article on page 20.)
Also, continuing at Texas A&M is research aimed at unlocking the mysteries of the horse's foot, with an emphasis on laminitis.

University of Kentucky
In 1983, the late Maxwell H. Gluck contributed $3-million toward the development of an equine research center in Lexington. These funds were matched by the state and horse industry, and four years later the $9-million Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center came into being at the University of Kentucky.
The center has established an international reputation in the study of infectious diseases and in 1993 was designated a world reference center by the Office International des Epizooties for three of the more significant equine viral diseases: equine herpesvirus-1 and -4, equine influenza, and equine arteritis virus.
It follows that much of the research at the Gluck Center focuses on infectious diseases and immunogenetics. The current research program in immunogenetics has two major goals-developing a gene map for the horse and developing genetic markers for hereditary traits.
Research projects also center on equine herpesvirus, equine influenza, equine infectious anemia, equine arteritis virus, rotavirus infection, streptococcal infections, leptospira abortion, reproductive physiology, parasitology, laminitis, and broad-scale studies on the horse's lower limbs.
A new three-year program aimed at developing threshold levels for various drugs and medications used in racehorses commenced in 1993. (For a report on the recent international conference on establishing threshold levels, see page 1.)

Tufts University
While much of the research at Tufts involves the performing and reproducing horse, a research project being conducted by Dr. Acacia Alcivar-Warren seeks to unlock one of the Thoroughbred's best kept secrets. Supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association Research Fund, she wants to determine if there are genetic differences among Thoroughbreds that can be related to their capacity for speed. Specifically, Dr. Alcivar-Warren is looking at differences in mitochondrial DNA patterns as potential genetic markers for the expression of genes related to speed and performance.
"The mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cells, are involved in energy metabolism and contain their own DNA," Dr. Alcivar-Warren said. "In contrast to DNA from the cell nucleus, mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, so the possibility exists that the traits for speed and performance may be linked to maternal factors."
Tufts also is among the leaders in equine reproduction and neonatal research. The centerpiece of its sports medicine research is a high-speed treadmill that is used for gait analysis and respiratory evaluation.

Kansas State University
Studies of joint capsules and tendon problems highlight the research being done at Kansas State University, according to Dr. Jerry Gillespie, the department head of clinical sciences.
In addition, the school is conducting an ongoing study of the equine respiratory system.
Another Kansas State project involves colic. Operating under the premise that pancreatic disease may be a trigger for colic, researchers are attempting to determine the role played by the horse's unique pancreatic enzymes.

Cornell University
Thanks to money from the Harry M. Zweig Memorial Fund, research at Cornell is broad-based, ranging from sports medicine to reproduction.
Last summer, Cornell researchers began investigating the mysterious disease that struck more than 200 horses at three New England racetracks. The horses fell ill with low-grade fevers, loss of appetite, and swollen legs. Worse, about 10% of the sick horses developed laminitis.
During examination of blood samples, a graduate student named Dr. Amy Glaser noticed an infection pattern that neither she nor Dr. Edward J. Dubovi, director of virology at the diagnostic laboratory, could identify. The virus was labeled GDV (G for Glaser and D for Dubovi). The disease eventually ran its course, but research continues.
Research also is being conducted on the effects of Lasix on racehorses, and a study of the respiratory system. Cornell is also pioneering efforts to resurface arthritic joints with an artificial implant consisting of collagen fibers and live equine cells.
Ohio State University
At Ohio State, the best in research may be yet to come. Dr. Glenn Hoffsis, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, has announced that a building program that has been on the drawing boards for ten years is about to materialize. A new building will be constructed that will not only aid in research efforts, but will also serve as an intensive care unit for equine trauma injuries. The overall cost of the building and fixed equipment is projected at $7-million, with occupancy planned for 1996.
"This will be the centerpiece of our research effort," Dr. Hoffsis said. The building will contain two surgery suites, an intensive care unit (including neonatal care), several stalls, and a high-speed treadmill.
Ohio State serves as the drug testing laboratory for the Ohio Racing Commission. As a spinoff, research continues on drug detection.
In other departments, research efforts include the study of bone and cartilage problems, joint disorders, colic, reproduction, neurological diseases, and airway diseases.

University of Georgia
The University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine has been associated with colic research for more than a decade. It started 14 years ago when the Thoroughbred Bolshoi, owned by Nona Lou Greene of New York, succumbed to colic. Concerned that no active research on the cause or treatment of colic was underway, Mrs. Greene donated $10,000 to the University of Georgia and the Bolshoi Colic Research Foundation was born.
Research into the causes of colic continues, says Professor Jim Moore, with funding through private donations and grants from such sources as the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, American Quarter Horse Association, Morris Animal Foundation, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Some of the research has involved looking at the way in which certain toxins function. When colic occurs, toxins that are normally inside the gut are introduced into the bloodstream. When these toxins get into the bloodstream, they stimulate the inflammatory system and, says Professor Moore, "that's what ends up making the horse even sicker." Current research involves seeking a way to shut off the inflammatory response.
Another major research effort at Georgia involves laminitis. Studies were conducted to examine the changes in blood flow through capillaries of the foot when laminitis strikes. The goal has been to identify the earliest stages of the onset of laminitis, so that it could be stopped or reversed before doing damage. What researchers have found is that during a bout of laminitis, there is a dramatic constriction of blood vessels of the foot on the venous side-rather than the arterial side-trapping the blood. This causes the blood to back up into capillaries which normally handle only a light flow. The capillaries, unable to contain the increased blood supply, leak it into the foot, causing edema.
The next step in the research is an effort to determine what causes the veins to constrict in the first place.

University of Illinois
Scintigraphy and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are futuristic fields of research that are areas of concentration at Illinois. Scintigraphy involves injecting a horse with a radio-pharmaceutical (a drug which emits gamma rays) through an intravenous catheter. The drug circulates through the body and adheres to areas of new bone. A gamma camera is then used to scan the bone for the presence of accumulated gamma rays.
Scintigraphy is one of the few tools available that can pick up stress fractures in bones of the horse that are difficult to x-ray, such as the shoulder bone.
MRI allows researchers to visualize both bony and soft tissue. Research continues on ways in which to utilize this form of nuclear science for diagnostic work.

Colorado State University
Just as the University of Georgia is known for its work on colic, Colorado State is noted for its efforts on behalf of equine reproduction. One of its current projects involves the study of infertility in stallions due to testicular degeneration, according to Dr. James Voss, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. This degeneration occurs in all species, Dr. Voss says, but in horses it sometimes begins as early as three years of age and no one knows why.
There is a strong focus on orthopedics at Colorado State, with researchers studying cartilage damage and repair, along with a variety of exercise-related lameness problems.
Researchers at CSU are also developing a genetically engineered vaccine to combat equine influenza. Though still in the developmental stage, the vaccine is produced by genetically engineering the flu virus in such a way that it imparts long-lasting immunity, but is unable to produce the disease. The goal is to produce a vaccine that is stronger and which grants a longer period of immunity than products now on the market.

Washington State University
A unique research tool at Washington State University is its specially designed half-mile track. Funds for the track were donated by the late Maurice Hitchcock and his family. It has been in use since 1978 and continues to be utilized by researchers like Dr. Marc Ratzlaff, who is leading a study of track conditions and gait as they relate to breakdown injuries. Ratzlaff's study also focuses on bone strain and bucked shins.
A team comprised of Drs. Ratzlaff, Bob Schneider, and Karl White are evaluating methods of applying casts for horses with traumatic injuries to the lower leg. Dr. Schneider is also studying the manner in which breakdown injuries are managed on the track.
Dr. Warwick Bayly, an Australia native, has for the past several years led the way at Washington State in researching the cardiopulmonary function of equine athletes, and continues to do so.
Other current research projects include sophisticated laparoscopic and least invasive surgical techniques, colic, and narcolepsy.

Virginia-Maryland
Much of the equine research at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine takes place at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Brought into being ten years ago as the result of a $4-million gift from the duPont family, the center is used for research, treatment, and teaching.
Among the research focal points are gastric ulcers in foals, navicular disease, colic, laminitis, and injuries to the limbs of racing and performing horses.

University of Pennsylvania
Research at the University of Pennsylvania is concentrated at New Bolton Center, the famed large animal hospital and research center located in Chester County, about 35 miles from the main Philadelphia campus.
Landmark research concerning bone development and its ability or inability to withstand the stress of training and racing has been conducted by Dr. David Nunnamaker. That research continues, with the goal of finding training regimens that will strengthen the bones of young horses in such a way as to avoid bucked shins and bone chips.
Other projects include in-depth research into rhabdomolysis (tying-up), exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, equine pulmonary disease, reproduction, botulism, and a study of the wobbler syndrome in Thoroughbred horses.
Much of Pennsylvania's research is privately funded, while other projects receive financial help via foundation grants and the USDA.

Michigan State University
A strong suit in equine research at Michigan State University involves the respiratory system, with several projects targeted specifically at the upper airway. Research is also underway on equine arthritis, with a current effort aimed at determining the effects of various drugs.
Still other projects involve studying the vascular anatomy of a horse's limbs and researching the duration of local anesthetics.

Purdue University
Research at Purdue is being carried out in several fields. One project involves using surgical procedures to overcome tendon problems stemming from lesions in the hock area.
A new project involves utilizing a high-pressure method for injecting antibiotics into the veins of the leg directly at the problem site. It is aimed particularly at combatting infection of the joints and treating physitis in foals.
Still another area receiving attention is gastrointestinal research, a part of which involves new surgical procedures for colon torsion.