Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEP) and Tequestrian Farms have announced a joint partnership to donate $100,000 for a research grant to the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky. The money will be earmarked toward research of the equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) neurologic disease. A special veterinary committee is planned, and WEP and Tequestrian will also lead in gathering information for established protocols for owners, treating veterinarians, and horse show managers to prevent and neutralize EHV-1 at equestrian events.

Tom Tisbo, owner of Tequestrian Farms, stated, "We are interested in helping to fund new EHV-1 research after our experience with a false-positive case. The ongoing problems the equine community in the United States has faced with EHV-1 and its impact on the horse are a sign that more work needs to be done to understand this devastating disease."

With the news of more cases of EHV-1 in the United States and the potential impact on horse welfare, WEP and their operating entity Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) believe that research to understand the "wild strain" of the disease, whether the "wild strain" is mutating, established protocols on veterinary care, and uniform biosecurity measures at horse shows are of paramount importance