The Arabian Horse Foundation (AHF) has announced $9,694 in equine research funding for support of projects studying juvenile idiopathic epilepsy (JIE) and occipitoatlantoaxial malformation (OAAM) in the Arabian horse.

This latest round of equine research funding brings the total given by the AHF in the last nine years to approximately $75,000.

JIE Research

The foundation gave an award of $3,400 to Samantha Brooks, PhD, at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, for continued support of a project investigating the genetic basis for JIE, a seizure condition that can affect very young horses. Brooks and colleagues hope to identify the mode of inheritance and mutation associated with JIE, in order to develop a diagnostic test to assist breeders in identifying carrier breeding stock.

"Preliminary data from this project have identified a strong candidate mutation and work is now focused on validating this mutation through testing additional samples,” said Beth Minnich, who chairs the AHF Equine Research Advisory Panel. “Thanks to the participation of several U.S. and international breeders, the lab is receiving additional samples to work with and owners of JIE affected horses are encouraged to contribute to this study by submitting DNA