The Equine Health Studies Program (EHSP) in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine will launch its first annual multiple-breed Stallion Service Auction in September to generate funds for expansion of the Equine Intensive Care Unit in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Clinics.

The new intensive care unit, projected to cost $845,000, will be expanded from a two-stall facility to a 10-stall facility, which will better meet the rising demand from the expanding Louisiana horse industry. “The equine case load at the veterinary school has increased approximately 15 percent annually since 1990, with 20 to 25 percent of the admitted horses requiring emergency and critical care services,” explained Dr. Rustin Moore, EHSP director.

The new unit will include four stalls specially designed for critically ill neonatal foals and their dams, and one stall with padded walls and an overhead hoist for horses with severe neurologic or musculoskeletal disease. The equine program has currently raised $450,000 through fund-raising events and charitable gifts.

“The Stallion Service Auction offers mare owners the opportunity to select top quality stallions for breeding with potentially discounted fees,” said Moore