2012 UK Ag Equine Programs Report FROM UK AG EQUINE PROGRAMS DIRECTOR, DR. ED SQUIRES UK Ag Equine Programs has experienced one of its best years ever, thanks to the hard work of all the equine faculty and staff. Included in this report is a more complete list, but I wanted to mention a few highlights. The Equine Science and Management curriculum is being revised to provide more options for the nearly 250 students to customize their programs. We hope to roll this out in 2014. Four new equine program courses have been added, with more to come. Research projects have received national acclaim. Results from the Kentucky Equine Survey are now coming in, which will have a major impact on the equine industry and policy makers. The USDA awarded Dr. Udeni Balasuriya with a $2.9 million grant involving nine faculty within the Gluck Center. A new nutrition research working group has stimulated collaborative research across the College. Outreach and communications continue to be a big effort for the group. The UK Ag Equine Showcase and Short Course were well attended. 2012 was also highlighted by the events surrounding the 25th Anniversary of the Gluck Center and the 9th International Conference on Equine In- fectious Diseases. We expect 2013 will continue the positive momentum forward for our program. ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE Ed Squires announced his intention to step down as di- rector (effective March 31, 2013) and return to his research and industry relations role within Gluck. The process began to identify candidates for a new director. The Dean’s External Advisory Committee saw the depar- ture of Mary Ann Cronan, who was replaced by Fred Sarver. Case Clay was named Gluck Foundation Board Chair in October. Meetings: In 2012, the Dean’s External Advisory Commit- tee held one meeting in December. The Gluck Foundation Board held two, in April and October. Thanks to the efforts of Laurie Lawrence and Lori Gar- kovich, modifications have been made to the program’s organizational structure. They include: • The Executive Committee will be known as the Equine Programs Council and will have broad representation from working groups, college departments, a member of Dean’s external advisory committee, horse industry, students and the director of development. • The Equine Programs Council had four standing sub- committees: Steering/Curriculum (chair: Ed Squires), Outreach (chair, Laurie Lawrence), Fundraising (chair, Marci Hicks) and Communications (chair, Holly Wiemers) • Faculty and Staff Affiliates - UK faculty and staff with an interest in EP will be encouraged to become an affiliate. • Professional Affiliates - Interested equine industry stakeholders may join. UK Ag Equine Programs Mission: To discover, share and apply new knowledge on the health, performance and management of horses, enhancing the signature status of Kentucky’s equine industry. ■ World-class research in equine health, nutrition, economics, forages, and more ■ Undergraduate and graduate opportunities and six student teams and clubs ■ Year-round programs and educational materials for horse owners, farm managers, and equine professionals University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs The horse is at the heart of everything we do. www.ca.uky.edu/equine [email protected]Find us on Facebook.
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2012 UK Ag Equine Programs ReportFROM UK AG EQUINE PROGRAMS
DIRECTOR, DR. ED SQUIRES
UK Ag Equine Programs has experienced one of its best years ever, thanks to the hard work of all the equine faculty and staff. Included in this report is a more complete list, but I wanted to mention a few highlights.
The Equine Science and Management curriculum is being revised to provide more options for the nearly 250 students to customize their programs. We hope to roll this out in 2014. Four new equine program courses have been added, with more to come. Research projects have received national acclaim. Results from the Kentucky Equine Survey are now coming in, which will have a major impact on the equine industry and policy makers. The USDA awarded Dr. Udeni Balasuriya with a $2.9 million grant involving nine faculty within the Gluck Center. A new nutrition research working group has stimulated collaborative research across the College. Outreach and communications continue to be a big effort for the group. The UK Ag Equine Showcase and Short Course were well attended. 2012 was also highlighted by the events surrounding the 25th Anniversary of the Gluck Center and the 9th International Conference on Equine In-fectious Diseases. We expect 2013 will continue the positive momentum forward for our program.
ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATE
Ed Squires announced his intention to step down as di-rector (effective March 31, 2013) and return to his research and industry relations role within Gluck. The process began to identify candidates for a new director.
The Dean’s External Advisory Committee saw the depar-ture of Mary Ann Cronan, who was replaced by Fred Sarver.
Case Clay was named Gluck Foundation Board Chair in October.
Meetings: In 2012, the Dean’s External Advisory Commit-tee held one meeting in December. The Gluck Foundation Board held two, in April and October.
Thanks to the efforts of Laurie Lawrence and Lori Gar-kovich, modifications have been made to the program’s organizational structure. They include:
• The Executive Committee will be known as the Equine Programs Council and will have broad representation from working groups, college departments, a member of Dean’s external advisory committee, horse industry, students and the director of development.
• The Equine Programs Council had four standing sub-committees: Steering/Curriculum (chair: Ed Squires), Outreach (chair, Laurie Lawrence), Fundraising (chair, Marci Hicks) and Communications (chair, Holly Wiemers)
• FacultyandStaff Affiliates- UK faculty and staff with an interest in EP will be encouraged to become an affiliate.
• ProfessionalAffiliates- Interested equine industry stakeholders may join.
UK Ag Equine Programs Mission: To discover, share and apply new knowledge on the health, performance and management of horses, enhancing the signature status of Kentucky’s equine industry.
A mission of scientific discovery, education, and the dissemination of know ledge for the benefit of the health and well-being of horses in the areas of:
ky thoroughbred farm managers club.indd 1 11/15/2012 10:37:49 AM
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
While the Equine Science and Management undergraduate degree program (ESMA) became official in 2009, students began a plan of study to meet its requirements in the fall of 2007. Since its inception, the program has grown to more than 240 students with more than 60 percent from out-of-state. There have been 61 graduates, and 127 students com-pleted their required internship by the end of 2012.
A curriculum committee was formed to develop a novel curriculum providing greater flexibility and capitalizing on the resources available in Central Kentucky. The proposed curriculum provides six areas of emphasis: business, community leadership develop-ment, forage/pasture, industry, pre-professional and science.
New courses added under this proposal include Genetics of Horses, Advanced Equine Reproduction, Thoroughbred Sales and Event Planning.
Proposed major requirements: ASC 101(Animal Biology); EQM 101 (Introduction to Horse Science); EQM 105 (Equine Behavior and Handling); ASC 310 (Equine Anatomy); ASC 320(Equine Management); EQM 351(Equine Health and Diseases); AEQM 399 (Internship); EQM 490 (Capstone); EQM 302 (Ag Management Practice)
UK also continues to offer targeted graduate school opportunities.
Additionally, six equine-focused clubs and teams include the Dressage and Eventing Team, Equestrian Team - with both hunt seat and western components, Horse Racing Club, Polo Team, Research in Equine and Agricultural Disciplines Club and Saddle Seat Team.
Kristen Wilson was named new academic program coordinator at the end of 2012. She was previously with the University of Maryland as an extension horse specialist. Her role helps ensure that current and prospective students and alumni have the best experience possible. Her areas of focus will include the undergraduate experience, alumni involve-ment, evaluation/assessment and communication.
The annual Equine Career Fair was held in March, 100+ students were in attendance with 20+ exhibitors.
A welcome back and internship reception for students was held in September; more than 100 students were in attendance and intern hosts were recognized.
Challenges for the program include classroom space for teaching larger classes, providing students with hands-on horse experience with a limited number of instructors and horses.
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UK Equine research in 2012 was conducted by 43 equine-affiliated faculty, more than 40 graduate students and 30 undergraduates in research labs. Below are highlights:
• Kentucky is home to 242,400 horses and the total value of the state’s equine and equine-related assets is esti-mated at $23.4 billion, according to the 2012 Kentucky Equine Survey. The comprehensive statewide survey was the first such study since 1977. Survey lead is Jill Stowe, PhD, Agricultural Economics. The team also includes Bob Coleman, PhD, and Mary Rossano, PhD, both in Animal and Food Sciences.
• The USDA awarded Dr. Udeni Balasuriya, PhD, MS, BVSc, Gluck Center, with a $2.9 million grant involving nine faculty within the Gluck Center.
• The increasing incidence of nocardioform placentitis in 2011 caused growing concern among practitioners, farm owners, farm managers and UK researchers. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders funded research in this area in 2012.
• The formation of the Nutrition Working Group, led by Laurie Lawrence, PhD, from Animal and Food Sciences, has resulted in multidisciplinary interest in nutrition problems, including the effects of antibiotics on the microflora of the digestive tract, and work from this group has resulted in funding awarded from the Equine Drug Research Council.
• David Horohov, PhD, Jes E. and Clementine M. Schlaikjer Endowed Chair at UK’s Gluck Center, and his colleagues evaluated exercise-inducedinflammation in young racehorses in training, hypothesizing that as horses become better conditioned, their inflammatory responses will decrease and they will eventually reach an anti-inflammatory state.
• The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation funded a study titled "DoNon-SteroidalAnti-InflammatoryDrugs affect the Immune Response to Vaccination
in Horses?" for one year. David Horohov is the study's principal investigator.
• Kathryn Smith, a graduate student in the laboratory of Udeni Balasuriya, developed and validated a new real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for EHV-1.
• UK’s Department of Veterinary Science hosted the Lawsonia intracellularis and equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) symposium Nov. 15. This sympo-sium offered an in-depth look at the latest information on the L. intracellularis bacterium and the disease (EPE) it causes in horses.
• Mexican axolotl salamanders do not appear to have much in common with horses. However, James N. Ma-cLeod's, VMD, PhD, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair and professor of Veterinary Science at the Gluck Center, is using these amphibians' ability to regener-ate and repair damaged cartilage as a research model to study equine joint cartilage.
• A group of UK College of Agriculture equine researchers published a study in Veterinary Parasitology showing that windrow composting is effective and practical for parasite control and waste manage-ment on horse farms. The research team consisted of Jessica Gould, graduate assistant; Mary Rossano, PhD; Laurie Lawrence, PhD; Rosalyn Ennis, research as-sistant; and Steffanie Burk, graduate assistant, all from Animal and Food Sciences, as well as Eugene Lyons, PhD, Veterinary Science.
• Diagnostic assays for equine protozoal myeloen-cephalitis (EPM) developed under the leadership of Daniel Howe, PhD, in the Gluck Center.
• Kristine Urschel, PhD, in Animal and Food Sciences, studies protein and amino acid requirements and metabolism in horses of all ages and physiological states. Her research helps determine the factors that regulate muscle protein synthesis and how these factors change during the aging process.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
DEVELOPMENT UPDATEA fundraising brochure was developed for the Gluck Center, a scholarship was established within EP, a special stipend for members of the UK Equestrian Team was set up and the Rood & Riddle fund continued to award a student scholarship and money to clubs and teams. Fundraising subcommittee outlined development priorities for EP:• Teaching Pavilion expansion, $3 million • Expansion of existing research barn, $1.5 million• Endowment for director’s position, $2-5 million• Scholarships, funds to support undergraduate and graduate students, internships and potentially study abroad• Endowment for EP, $5-10 million to generate $212,000 to $425,000 annually
OUTREACH AND EVENTS
• Equine Farm & Facilities’ Expo at Darling Ranch 888 (first year in Western KY) and Margaux Farm (fourth year in Central KY), more than 300 attended both.• Pastures Please!! (fifth year), in Clark Coun-ty, 100+ attended. • Distinguished
Lecture Series (fifth in series), featured Olympian Reed Kessler, 150 attended.
• Equine Showcase, new, held for horseman and veterinarians to learn about equine research at UK, 106 attended. Held in con-junction with the 3rd Annual Kentucky Breeders’ Short Course, a series of talks on reproductive and horse manage-ment, 103 attended from several states.
• 9th International Con-ference on Infectious Diseases held in October in Lexington.
• The Gluck Equine Re-search Center celebrated 25 years as a named center. Events included the grand opening of the Equine Reproduction Facilities at Maine Chance, Gluck Center rededication celebration and Equine Research Hall of Fame.
• Equine Diagnostic and Research Seminar Series, held monthly at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory with an average of 60 attending. Taped lectures seen by several hun-dred horseman and veterinarians online.
• Horse Pasture Evaluation Program identifies Kentucky horse pastures’ composition, assesses tall fescue toxicity risks and encourages better pasture management practices. The program has completed more than 100 evaluations on 16,000+ total farm acres. In 2012, the program completed 17 individual evaluations in seven counties, covering 1,638 actual acres, and 3,882 farm acres.
• Horse College provides education for horse owners about basic horse care. Since its start in 2001, it has reached ap-proximately 1,500 horse owners in 90+ Kentucky counties.In 2012, seven programs reached participants from 28 counties.
• Kentucky’s 4-H Horse Program continues to be one of the largest in the U.S., with an enrollment of 4,500 youth in 2012.
COMMUNICATIONS
The Equine Initiative was renamed UK Ag Equine Programs in 2012, requiring a rebranding, new program
materials, display and information. The deci-sion was made to also begin to focus more on promoting specific program areas, with less emphasis than in past years on awareness building of the overall program itself.
• 35 news releases on equine topics in 2012.• Bluegrass Equine Digest is a free, monthly online
newsletter distributed via TheHorse.com. Now at 60,000 monthly subscribers with readership in all 50 states and 101 countries. Awarded 2nd place online newsletter from the American Horse Publications.
• Wildcat Canter is published monthly for students, donors, board members and friends of the EP.
• The Equine Dis-ease Quarterly reaches 15,000 read-ers from 90 counties.
• The Gluck Equine Research Center publishes: annual research report, biannual research and service report and Board Bits.
• Website, social media and marketing materials are also utilized within our program.
• UK Ag Equine Programs launched a new online store in 2012: www.UKAgEquineStore.com.
• More than 20 events were attended by EP faculty and staff in which a booth was displayed.
• Kentucky Horse Park opened Kids Barn, an interactive group of displays geared for children under 13. UK’s display features infor-mation about the 4-H Horse Program, body condition scoring, hay and forages, parasites and horse/human skeleton similarities.
