Going Forward

Article Outline

• Copyright

As has been said by many, we are at a time in history that we have never experienced before, with such a downturn in the economy. It was not only a big topic during the presidential elections—it continues to occupy a major part of any news program. The recent Thoroughbred sales at Keeneland mirror the economic climate. As a researcher and editor of a journal, my thoughts are on how this downturn in the economy will affect researchers in the future.

Obviously one of the biggest challenges for researchers is to acquire funding to do the studies they believe are important. Certainly the dollars available for research support in the horse are limited to a very few organizations. Those organizations such as Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Morris Animal Foundation, and American Quarter Horse Association are dependent on donations and a return on their endowed funds. It is quite certain that a continued recession will impact these funding organizations.

I think one of the challenges for the researcher is to devise ways of better using the research dollars and resources that are available to them. From my experience, when resources are limited, this is the time when a lot of scientists try to maximize the amount of data that comes out of a given experiment; we actually sharpen our skills. These are occasions where one uses the animals to provide the greatest amount of data. It is also a time when researchers are focused and driven to use the information that has been generated to the fullest. It may even be a good time for the researcher to take advantage of this economic climate to publish some of the data that may have been sitting around the office for several years.

I would like to thank all of the contributors and reviewers that have made the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science a better journal in 2008.

Edward L. Squires

Editor, JEVS