Top Equine Initiative Stories
UK's MacLeod awarded two grants totaling $1.1 million for equine health research
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Aug 12, 2009)

James MacLeod, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair and professor of veterinary science at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and director of UK's Equine Initiative, was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $1.1 million over three years. Three other equine researchers in UK's College of Agriculture were also collectively awarded more than $500,000.

MacLeod's grant was awarded by the National Science Foundation in support of his and a team of collaborators' computational work on the mRNA transcriptome.

"As an equine scientist, it is very gratifying to obtain a large grant from the National Science Foundation for a project with direct relevance to equine health research," MacLeod said.

According to MacLeod, research that determined the primary DNA base sequence of the horse genome was completed in 2007 and 2008. And while it is a major accomplishment, in many ways it is just the beginning. Distributed within the 2.7 billion bases of DNA that compose the equine genome are approximately 20,000 protein-encoding genes. Understanding the structure of these 20,000 genes, what tissues express which genes, when the genes are expressed and how much they are expressed represent functional parameters studied by many scientists working on equine health and disease. 

The grant will be used to develop computer-based...
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UK Equine Initiative equine field day to be held June 27
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Jun 3, 2009)

The University of Kentucky Equine Initiative will hold an all-equine field day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 27 on UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus on Newtown Pike, just north of Interstate75. Admission is free, and lunch will be available for purchase from the Fayette County Cattlemen's Association and the Fayette County 4-H and FFA Livestock Club.

The field day is designed for horse owners, farm owners, farm managers and equine veterinarians. Participants are encouraged to come prepared with a long list of questions for the experts.

"We are...
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UK 4-H Horse Program to host riding seminar by sports biomechanics lecturer
LEXINGTON, Ky., (May 6, 2009)

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's 4-H Horse Program will host a riding seminar by world-renowned sports biomechanics lecturer, Colleen Kelly, Saturday, May 16 at the Woodford County Cooperative Extension office.

The seminar, "Rider Biomechanics: Seat, Posture and Balance," will begin at 10 a.m. with a live demonstration to follow at 12:30 p.m. at Lakeside Arena in Versailles. Riding lessons will be available after the demonstration, starting at 2 p.m.

The seminar will educate attendees on techniques to improve seat, posture...
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UK Equestrian Team wins reserve national championship; rider wins individual championship
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Apr 30, 2009)

The UK Equestrian Team was named Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) reserve national championship team in the hunt seat division on April 26 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. This placing ranks UK second among 372 equestrian teams across the United States.

This was the third consecutive year UK earned a spot at the national level in this division. In 2008, the team took home top honors.

Individual rider Ali Cibon claimed a national championship title in intermediate equitation over fences.

"All the riders from UK did a great job," said team...
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UK Equestrian Team to defend its national championship title
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Apr 22, 2009)

After another year of success in the show ring, the University of Kentucky's Equestrian Team will defend its 2008 national championship title April 23-25 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships. This year's competition is hosted by Middle Tennessee State University.

UK's hunt seat team was again named high point team in the region and will compete as a team for the third year in a row. The team also will be represented by the high point riders in the region, including senior Jenny Gordon who will be...
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UK Horse Racing Club to host Thoroughbred trainer panel
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Apr 9, 2009)

The University of Kentucky Horse Racing Club will host its signature Thoroughbred trainer panel, titled "Inside Horse Racing: The Trainer's View," at 6 p.m. Tues., April 21, in the Student Center Grand Ballroom on UK's campus.

"Inside Horse Racing: The Trainer's View" provides students and members of the community with the opportunity to learn more about horse racing from industry members and to network with some of the best trainers in the business.

"I think the best thing about the event is the opportunity...
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Eastern tent caterpillar egg hatch underway, numbers trending up
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Mar 26, 2009)

Eastern Tent Caterpillars invade trees in 2001Experts report that eastern tent caterpillars have begun hatching in central Kentucky and that their population numbers are trending up.

"Populations of the eastern tent caterpillar have increased noticeably over the past three years," said Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture entomologist. "While...
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Equine career fair to help students prepare for internships, workforce
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Mar 19, 2009)

The University of Kentucky Equine Initiative will hold a career fair from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in Seay Auditorium in the Agricultural Science North building on the UK campus.

The Equine Initiative student working group and new internship coordinator, Elizabeth LaBonty, will co-host the event, which is designed to help equine students prepare for a career in the horse industry. The event is not limited to UK students; all students with an equine interest are invited to participate.

"The career fair will be an excellent opportunity for students...
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