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Veterinarians and researchers trying to pinpoint the cause of mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) have joined together to create an MRLS “think tank,” the progress and goals of which were discussed April 1 at a joint meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club and the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners (KAEP) in Lexington.

The veterinarians returned ofte

What is the best feeding practice for horses before competition exercise or a hard training session? There is no real consensus on this issue and, similar to the field of human performance nutrition, there are many opinions on what is best. Some trainers will withhold all feed, some will decrease the amount of hay fed, and others will increase the amount of grain or other high-energy feed

Two of Kentucky’s most famous industries, bourbon and horse racing, have united to raise money for a new 25-acre center at the Kentucky Horse Park to facilitate adoption of former racehorses. Since 1996, Maker’s Mark and Keeneland have produced a limited edition Maker’s Mark bottle to benefit a good cause. This year’s beneficiary is the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which hopes to put

Reported equine abortions in Central Kentucky are down for the third week in a row and overall abortions for 2003 are drawing even with the 2002 numbers. According to figures from the University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center on Tuesday, 20 fetuses were brought to the lab in week nine of this year. Last year, during the same week, 33 fetuses were turned in for research. Las

The racing Thoroughbred is trapped between a rock and a hard place. The rock is speed, which evolved slowly by natural selection for 50 million years, then rapidly by human hand the last 500. The hard place is where we find our ward today, beset by vulnerable feet, a grain-bothered gut, hot behavior, bleeding lungs, a sloping vulva, gastric ulcers, tying-up, crooked legs, and developmental

Results of a survey of central Kentucky horse farms has provided information on possible risk factors associated with increased fetal losses during early and late autumn 2002. The survey was conducted by the University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science in conjunction with other departments within the College of Agriculture.

Thirty farms filled out detailed questionnaires.

The energy density in a performance horse’s diet traditionally has been increased by adding grains such as oats, barley, or corn. Another popular ingredient is sugar beet pulp, a by-product of the sugar beet industry.

Leading Kentucky equine industry groups recently brought together 31 veterinarians and scientists for a “Think Tank” meeting to further the industry’s knowledge about preventing future occurrences of mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS).

At the end of the intensive one-day meeting held in Lexington Jan. 10, the group concluded that a priority for ongoing and future research should

The following information was produced by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture from Wayne Long (pwlong@uky.edu) and Jimmy Henning (jhenning@uky.edu) of the Department of Agronomy (859/257-3144). This article also can be seen on the university’s web site at