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Article Outline
- University of Kentucky Announces Expanded Equine Programs to Meet the Needs of Kentucky and its Horses
- MRI Allows for Better Diagnosis of Bone and Soft Tissue Injuries in Horses
- Horse Genome Assembled
- Cycloidal Vibration Massage Offers Benefits for Equine Athletes
- USDA Seeks Comment on NAIS Documents
- Equine Medical Center Presents Acupuncture and Pain Relief for Horses Seminar
- Chart of Accounts Offers Critical Business Tool for Equine Veterinary Practices
University of Kentucky Announces Expanded Equine Programs to Meet the Needs of Kentucky and its Horses
by: Holly Wiemers, Communications Director, Equine Initiative University of Kentucky College of Agriculture
Amid a crowd gathered in one of the University of Kentucky (UK)'s equine research barns, UK President Lee T. Todd, Jr., and College of Agriculture Dean Scott Smith today announced a new equine undergraduate program and significant improvements to UK's Maine Chance Farm on Newtown Pike north of Lexington.
The expansion of its equine programs was orchestrated through the university's Equine Initiative. The mission of the initiative, launched in May 2005, is to discover, share, and apply new knowledge to enhance the health, performance, and management of horses commensurate with the signature status of Kentucky's equine industry.
“The Equine Initiative is a prime example of how UK's Top 20 pursuit serves to better the entire Commonwealth,” said UK President Lee T. Todd, Jr. “The Initiative's bold plans to enhance our teaching, research, and outreach capabilities will help to create better opportunities for Kentucky's horse industry, cementing Kentucky's status as ‘horse capital of the world.’”
“This new program perfectly illustrates the important relationship between education and the economy. It also demonstrates why it is so important for us to support the University of Kentucky in its quest for Top 20 status,” said Mayor Jim Newberry. “We need to build on the ‘horses, health care, and high tech’ cornerstones of our economy. This program in equine science and management will support our signature industry in important new ways, generating good jobs through teaching, research, and entrepreneurial initiatives.”
Strong input from College of Agriculture faculty and key Kentucky equine industry stakeholders was a central component of the Equine Initiative's planning efforts. As part of the Equine Initiative, UK has subsequently created a new equine-based undergraduate curriculum, enhanced existing and establishing new equine research and outreach programs, and has established new partnerships with other equine organizations and universities.
“The college endeavors to become the world's leading institution in equine education and research and these program enhancements are a positive first step in that direction.” said College of Agriculture Dean Scott Smith. “Beginning with our new undergraduate program this fall, we will be providing an exceptional educational experience for students while continuing to conduct high-quality research for the benefit of the state and equine industry.”
When the new undergraduate curriculum launches this fall, it will be the first time UK has offered an undergraduate degree in equine studies rather than the handful of horse-related courses students have been able to take in the past. This step was determined to be a critical need in a state whose number one agricultural commodity is horses.
The new Equine Science and Management undergraduate degree program comprises two tracks—an equine management option that focuses on management of the horse and farm enterprise and an equine business option that focuses on business and organizational management within the industry.
Educating the students who will contribute to the horse industry in the long term is important to Dan Rosenberg, president and chief operating officer of Three Chimneys Farm and the College of Agriculture's executive-in-residence. As executive-in-residence, Rosenberg has had a contributing role in the new curriculum.
“The equine industry is a major economic engine, not only for Kentucky, but worldwide,” Rosenberg said. “Like many other businesses, ours is becoming increasingly competitive and sophisticated. It is imperative that we educate and properly prepare those who will lead the industry in the coming decades.”
UK has not stopped at enhancing its undergraduate offerings. The future of equine programs at UK is inherently tied to the facilities available for superior teaching, research, and outreach offerings. UK's vision is one of unparalleled excellence and a push is underway to build the facilities to match this vision.
The university has announced three distinct areas of enhancement on its Maine Chance Equine Campus: an equine education and research cluster, an equine health research cluster, and infrastructure and aesthetic improvements aligning with horse farm best management practices.
The equine education and research cluster will be the home of UK's new Equine Science and Management undergraduate degree program as well as the continued location for the Department of Animal and Food Science's research in equine nutrition and feeding management. Some of the buildings planned for the near term include a teaching pavilion and the renovation of a foaling barn. Future enhancements include a learning center and the construction of additional animal science research barns.
The equine health research cluster, current location for the Department of Veterinary Sciences and prestigious Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, will continue to be the site for leading equine health research. Some of the immediate building plans include a strangles research facility and the completion of a 24-stall animal containment facility. Future plans include the construction of an additional 24-stall animal containment facility.
Enhancements on UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus will not be limited to the construction and renovation of facilities but also will include significant upgrades to the farm's infrastructure. Infrastructure and aesthetic improvements are part of an endeavor to become a recognized asset for Fayette County and part of the visually appealing landscape of horse farms surrounding the Kentucky Horse Park, especially important as the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games approach, and with them, national and international attention. In addition, UK is planning the implementation of multiple water quality protection practices at Maine Chance Farm and nearby areas in the Cane Run watershed.
For more information about the Equine Initiative, please visit http://www.ca.uky.edu/equine
UK College of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across the commonwealth with teaching, research, and extension to enhance the lives of Kentuckians.
MRI Allows for Better Diagnosis of Bone and Soft Tissue Injuries in Horses
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center offers hope in the form of proper diagnosis to owners of horses suffering from both bone and soft tissue injuries.
The center, which was the first equine hospital in the eastern United States to offer MRI, houses a Hallmarq open 0.3 Tesla magnet that became operational in April 2004.
“We're seeing horses here that need that next step in diagnosis, including high-performance horses with subtle injuries that need further evaluation,” said Dr. Nat White, Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.
MRI is a noninvasive imaging technique that has been used for human diagnosis since the 1980s but is a relatively new diagnostic tool in treating horses. It provides incredibly sharp and detailed pictures of soft tissues inside of the body by using a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy.
“When the foot is placed in a magnetic field, the atoms making up the tissues align with that field. Radiowaves are intermittently pulsed into the magnetic field to alter the atom alignment. When energy gained from the radiowaves is released from the tissue, it is detected as a signal and transmitted to a computer. The less dense tissues emit a signal that appears in white on the final image of the foot,” said White. “So with MRI, we're really looking at the chemical components of the foot rather than its structure.”
In the resulting images, the dark areas represent the dense bone or tendon and the white areas represent the tissue that contains more water and fat. “When we see an increased signal (increased areas with more white than black) in a dense tendon or bone, it is abnormal and indicates an area of inflammation,” said White.
MRI is especially useful in imaging problems in the foot and lower leg that do not appear in other modalities such as radiographs and ultrasound. It can detect injuries to subchondral bone, joints, ligaments, and tendons, as well as attachments of ligaments to bone, infection, hoof damage, and foreign bodies.
“For example, if we have a nail puncture into the horse's foot and pull the nail out, you cannot always find directly where the nail went even with surgery, but with the MRI, we can see it,” said White. “That's the kind of situation in which there is a huge advantage to using the MRI.”
The standing MRI system does not require general anesthesia, which lowers risk and allows for outpatient scheduling. Once the MRI scan is complete, a process that typically takes from 1 to 2 hours, a complex digital library system allows the center's staff to store images for easy access and to share those images with referring veterinarians. Typically 200–250 images are made from a complete series of MRI sequences on a foot.
The addition of the MRI in 2004 strengthened the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center's extensive lineup of diagnostic capabilities that now includes digital radiology, computed radiography, ultrasonography, video endoscopy, nuclear scintigraphy, and high-speed video for gait analysis.
“Our MRI unit is yet another means by which we can provide access to state-of-the-art diagnostic care for horse owners,” said White. “I am pleased that this technology has had such a significant impact on the health and well-being of our patients.”
According to Dr. Ken Sullins, professor of equine surgery at the center, the combination of a surgery facility with MR and other imaging capabilities in one location provides significant advantages in caring for horses.
“We can diagnose and treat at one facility,” said Sullins. “That is good for both the horse and its owner.”
Information regarding the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center's clinicians and services is available online at www.equinemedicalcenter.net. MRI appointments may be scheduled by calling 703-771-6800.
The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is a Leesburg, Virginia, based full-service equine hospital that is owned by Virginia Tech and operated as one of three campuses that constitute the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
This story can be found on the Virginia Tech News website: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=59
Horse Genome Assembled
Data on Equine Genome Freely Available to Researchers Worldwide
The first draft of the horse genome sequence has been deposited in public databases and is freely available for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, leaders of the international Horse Genome Sequencing Project announced.
The $15 million effort to sequence the approximately 2.7 billion DNA base pairs in the genome of the horse (Equus caballus) was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A team led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, PhD, at the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, in Cambridge, MA, carried out the sequencing and assembly of the horse genome.
Approximately 300,000 Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) end sequences, which provide continuity when assembling a large genome sequence, were contributed to the horse sequencing project by Ottmar Distl, DVM, PhD, and Tosso Leeb, PhD, from the University of Veterinary Medicine, in Hanover, Germany, and Helmut Blöcker, PhD, from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany. Production of the BAC end sequences was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the State of Lower Saxony.
Sequencing of the domestic horse genome began in 2006, building on a 10-year collaborative effort among an international group of scientists to use genomics to address important health issues for equines, known as the Horse Genome Project (www.uky.edu/Ag/Horsemap/). The horse whose DNA was used in the sequencing effort is a Thoroughbred mare named Twilight from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Researchers obtained the DNA from a small sample of the animal's blood. To download a high-resolution photo of Twilight, go to http://www.genome.gov/pressDisplay.cfm?photoID=20008.
Twilight is stabled at the McConville Barn, Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, at Cornell University, with a small herd of horses that have been selected and bred for more than 25 years to study the mechanisms that prevent maternal immunologic recognition and destruction of the developing fetus during mammalian pregnancy. The research, conducted by Cornell professor Doug Antczak, VMD, PhD, and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has implications in reproduction, clinical organ transplantation, and immune regulation.
In addition to sequencing the horse genome, researchers produced a map of horse genetic variation using DNA samples from a variety of modern and ancestral breeds, including the Akhal Teke, Andalusian, Arabian, Icelandic, Quarter Horse, Standardbred, and Thoroughbred. This map, comprising 1 million signposts of variation called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), will provide scientists with a genome-wide view of genetic variability in horses and help them identify genetic contributions to physical and behavioral differences, as well as to disease susceptibility. More than 80 genetic conditions are known in horses that are genetically similar to disorders seen in humans, including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. The SNPs are available at the Broad Institute web site (www.broad.mit.edu/mammals/horse/snp) and will be available shortly from NCBI's Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database, dbSNP (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SNP).
The initial sequencing assembly is based on 6.8-fold coverage of the horse genome, which means, on average, each base pair has been sequenced almost 7 times over. Researchers can access the horse genome sequence data through the following public databases: GenBank (www.ncbi.nih.gov/Genbank) at NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI); NCBI's Map Viewer (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); UCSC Genome Browser (www.genome.ucsc.edu) at the University of California at Santa Cruz; and the Ensembl Genome Browser (www.ensembl.org) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England. The data are also available from the Broad Institute Web site (www.broad.mit.edu/ftp/pub/assemblies/mammals/horse/).
Over the next several months, researchers plan to further improve the accuracy of the horse genome sequence and expect to deposit an even higher-resolution assembly in public databases. Comparing the horse and human genomes will help medical researchers learn more about the human genome and will also serve as a tool for veterinary researchers to better understand the diseases that affect equines. A publication analyzing the horse genome sequence and its implications for horse population genetics is being planned for the future.
To learn more about the expanding field of comparative genomics, go to http://www.genome.gov/11509542. A complete list of organisms and their sequencing status can be viewed at www.genome.gov/10002154.
NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Additional information about NHGRI can be found at its Web site, www.genome.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)—The Nation's Medical Research Agency—includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Reprinted from: http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/nhgri-07.htm
Cycloidal Vibration Massage Offers Benefits for Equine Athletes
Niagara Equissage Uses a Unique Cycloidal Vibration Therapy to Relieve Common Ailments of Performance Horse
The demands of the show season require that horses be in top condition. Cycloidal Vibration Massage Therapy offers owners and trainers a uniquely effective way to keep horses show ring ready by combating muscle soreness, strains, and the daily aches and pains that can be associated with a rigorous show schedule.
Cycloidal vibration massage is different from traditional massage because it creates vibrations that penetrate gently and deeply through the body. This helps to stimulate circulation to affected areas and encourages healing for common conditions, such as swelling, muscle soreness, or lactic acid buildup. The Niagara Equissage massage unit, from Equine Products, LLC, uses the power of cycloidal vibration massage to benefit the whole horse through a system made up of three units—back pad, hand unit, and leg boot.
“Keeping horses healthy and able to train and compete is a vital concern for horse owners and trainers,” said Dave Kamer, President of Equine Products, LLC. “Cycloidal vibration massage is a safe and extremely effective way to provide therapy for injuries or to offer a working horse daily help with muscle soreness and other training-related aches. In fact, routine massage therapy with the Niagara Equissage before work can help horses come into the ring looser and perform to the best of their ability.”
Horses with highly active and stressful work schedules, such as hunters and jumpers, dressage horses, eventers, reiners, and race horses, can all realize benefits from the Niagara Equissage system. To achieve optimum results, Kamer suggests that the unit should be used both before and after exercise. When the product is used before warming up, it will help to stimulate and loosen the muscles to get them ready for competition or daily exercise. Also, used as part of cooling down, cycloidal vibration massage can help reduce the buildup of lactic acid, and the stiffening of muscles and joints, while greatly minimizing the risk of the horse tying up after strenuous work.
Muscle soreness and strains are not the only threat to the working equine. Niagara Equissage can also help relieve respiratory conditions, such as thick-winded horses, and improve joint mobility. The unique system relaxes muscles and can even help shortness of stride or pulled muscles. Cycloidal vibration massage also increases circulation, enhancing the lymphatic and venous systems. In addition, relieving hoof and leg problems, such as pulled ligaments and tendons, swellings due to knocks or inflammations, arthritis, sore shins, capped hocks, and bruising, are all possible with the Niagara Equissage.
“Our goal is to help provide relief for all types of horses—from the Olympic mount to the beloved retiree,” said Kamer. “The Niagara Equissage offers a range of therapeutic applications that will certainly be needed in any barn.”
For more information about the Niagara Equissage or to request a free product demonstration, call 502-895-8861 or visit www.equineproductsllc.com.
USDA Seeks Comment on NAIS Documents
The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have requested comments on National Animal Identification System (NAIS) documents that will affect how livestock, including horses, are handled within the program.
The NAIS is a voluntary identification system intended to control the spread of disease and to minimize the negative impact of a disease outbreak on the livestock industry, including horses. This would be done through the identification of premises that hold or manage livestock, animal identification, and the recording of some animal movements.
This is a voluntary program, though some states have mandated certain parts of the system, such as mandatory premises registration in Wisconsin. Participation in one segment of the NAIS does not require participation in the entire program. It is possible to have a premises registered but not officially identify your animals or report their movements or you can identify your animals without reporting their movements.
One of the key recommendations made by the Equine Species Working Group (ESWG), the task force developed to evaluate the NAIS and offer recommendations as to how the horse industry might be able to participate in such a system, is that no equine movements should be reported.
Though some components of the NAIS are already being fully implemented, the program in its entirety is still in developmental stages and changing regularly. Many of the changes that have been made since the program was introduced can be seen in the new documents.
The documents that the USDA and APHIS are requesting comments on include:
The Draft User Guide is the most current plan for the NAIS, providing comprehensive information about participation in the program. It replaces all other previously published program documents.
The Program Standards and Technical Reference Document is a supplement to the Draft User Guide that is targeted to those involved in the administration of the NAIS. It updates the data element standards from the 2005 Draft Program Standards.
The Animal Tracking Database Technical Specifications Document contains the requirements for animal tracking databases for the implementation phase of the final NAIS component, animal movement recording.
These documents can be found at www.usda.gov/nais. Comments on any of these documents or any other aspect of the NAIS may be submitted to USDA through email (animalidcomment@aphis.usdagov) or by mail to the following address:
NAIS Program Staff, VS, APHIS 4700 River Road, Unit 200 Riverdale, MD 20737
The ESWG is the designated United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) working group for horses on the issue of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). It is the working group's responsibility to review and evaluate the NAIS and the possible participation of the horse industry in the program, as well as developing recommendations for a national equine identification plan that is in the best interests of, and protects the rights of, horse owners and breeders.
Equine Medical Center Presents Acupuncture and Pain Relief for Horses Seminar
The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center presented “Acupuncture and Pain Relief for Horses” during its second Tuesday Talk session of the season. The seminar, which was held in Leesburg, VA, on Tuesday, January 16, featured Alison A. Smith, DVM, who is a clinical assistant professor in anesthesia at the center. The meeting was attended by a record number of 120 veterinarians, horse owners, and horse professionals.
Although the number of veterinarians offering acupuncture is growing, it is still relatively rare. According to Dr. Ed Boldt, Jr., executive director of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS), only 920 veterinarians from around the globe are currently certified in veterinary acupuncture through IVAS, approximately 200 of whom are exclusively performing equine acupuncture.
Smith, a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist who completed the IVAS Basic Course from October 2005 to March 2006, discussed the theories behind how acupuncture works, why it is effective for pain relief, and which injuries and conditions can benefit from the treatment.
Highlights from the presentation are included below:
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture, an ancient technique that originated from traditional Chinese medicine, is the practice of putting needles in specific points on the body to treat disease or relieve pain. It is based on the principles of Yin and Yang and strives to restore balance and harmony to the animal. From a position of harmony and balance, the body is better able to deal with insults and stresses and can return itself to normal.
The theories behind acupuncture were developed thousands of years before modern science identified the function of internal organs as they are currently understood. Therefore, a disconnection exists between the modern understanding of organ function and disease pathology and the traditional Chinese medicine view. For example, unlike in Western medicine, in which consciousness resides in the head, in Chinese medicine, consciousness resides in the heart.
What are Acupoints?
Acupoints are specific locations on the surface of the skin where pressure is applied to affect the channels on which “Qi,” defined as life force and energy, flows through the body. Many acupoints correspond to a local area, a regional area, or a specific organ and channel. By stimulating these acupoints, sometimes located far from the site of symptoms, the veterinary acupuncturist can help the animal's body to heal itself by balancing its own vital energies.
Acupoints can be used for both diagnosis and treatment. Some points have easily identified anatomic landmarks and are palpable, whereas others are less so. Careful palpation of these points can reveal problems, guide treatment recommendations, and even be used to evaluate the efficacy of the therapy.
How does Acupuncture Work?
Exactly how acupuncture functions is unknown, but Western thought is that the treatment stimulates the internal pain inhibitory system, which alters the processing of harmful stimuli through release of endorphins. These endorphins block transmission of pain from the nerve endings through the spine and on to the brain. The pain is still occurring, but the signal is not being transmitted so the animal does not feel it.
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture does more than relieve pain—it restores balance by freeing the flow of Qi, which circulates along a predetermined path through the body three times per day. Pain is believed to be attributable to an interruption in this flow as the result of either a blockage or an inability to circulate. Acupuncture can reduce or eliminate the pain resulting from the disruption by facilitating movement along the channel and reestablishing harmony.
What can Acupuncture Treat?
Acupuncture has been shown to be very effective in treating chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders such as lameness. It is also beneficial for eye problems, colic (although it will not fix a surgical colic), respiratory disorders, anhidrosis (an abnormal deficiency of sweat), behavior problems, anxiety, neurological issues, and immune-related conditions.
As a modality, acupuncture is minimally invasive. Unlike many more conventional treatments, acupuncture carries very few risks. The most common negative is failure of response. However, irresponsible needle placement can cause damage to underlying structures or induce premature labor in pregnant mares.
How is Acupuncture Performed?
Before initiating the acupuncture therapy, the horse's medical history is recorded and a physical examination is performed that includes the palpation of points. Point selection is based on the results of the initial examination as well as the desired goal of treatment.
The acupuncturist then selects from among many methods to stimulate the points. These options include “dry needling,” in which small steel needles are used; aquapuncture, which involves injecting fluid into the point; and electroacupuncture, which consists of electrical stimulation being delivered through a dry needle attached to an electroacupuncture machine. Moxibustion, in which an herb called Moxa is burned at 400°F and placed near the acupuncture point, also can be used, as well as bleeding, which involves inserting and removing a needle from a point to allow release of excess blood. A 24-hour rest period is recommended posttreatment. The frequency and duration of additional sessions are based on the horse's condition and the goal of the therapy.
The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center began offering acupuncture services in September 2006. To schedule an appointment, contact 703-771-6800.
The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is a Leesburg, VA, based full-service equine hospital that is owned by Virginia Tech and operated as one of three campuses that constitute the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Chart of Accounts Offers Critical Business Tool for Equine Veterinary Practices
Pfizer Animal Health and Milburn Equine Provide Innovative Resource for Practitioners
Overall practice health is significantly impacted by the quality of accounting maintained by veterinary businesses. A newly established Chart of Accounts for Equine Veterinary Practices will set an industry standard for how to classify a wide range of transactions typical for equine practices. The Chart of Accounts will help practices produce dependable financial data that will allow them to make key decisions about their futures.
Pfizer Animal Health and Milburn Equine (a division of Webster Veterinary Supply) have teamed up with equine veterinary business expert Marsha L. Heinke, DVM, EA, CPA, CVPM, to help make this unique tool available to practitioners. The Chart of Accounts will be mailed free of charge to all members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). Veterinarians who are not members of the AAEP can purchase the Chart of Accounts through the AAEP for $89.95. The AAEP can be contacted at 859-233-0147. All proceeds will be donated to the AAEP Foundation.
The Chart of Accounts for Equine Veterinary Practices has been a passionate project of Dr. Heinke's for several years. Its aim is to provide an industry standard for how to classify typical transactions so that veterinarians can produce highly reliable financial data for their own practices.
“The financial data produced by any business is only as good as the details that went into it,” said Dr. Heinke. “The Chart of Accounts will help equine practitioners, and their staffs, to create reports that are based on reliable data. Over time this becomes extremely important in answering questions about the financial health of a practice, owners' equity, salary assessments, and valuation for practice sales.”
For more information on Pfizer Animal Health's complete line of equine health care products, visit www.pfizer.com/equine.
For more information on Milburn Equine's and Webster Veterinary's full line of veterinary supplies and services, visit www.milburnequine.com or www.webstervet.com.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, KY, was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research, and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and the horse industry.
PII: S0737-0806(07)00145-1
doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2007.04.001