The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is allocating more than $1.1 million for a slate of equine research in 2015.
The budget, which was approved by the board of directors and announced Wednesday, earmarks money for 10 new projects, seven second-year projects and two Career Development Awards to encourage young scientists. The budget also allows for a special call for more research, which will be announced later.
"Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to fund every one of the projects that our Research Advisory Committee evaluated as qualifying for support," says Edward L. Bowen, president of the foundation. "The fact that we also can reach out with a special call is a true bonus for us and, more importantly, for the horse."
The 10 new projects focus on a range of issues, including prevention of support limb laminitis by Andrew van Eps of the University of Queensland in Australia; weight bearing, the perfusion and bioenergetics in laminitis by van Eps; a study of events affecting laminar adhesion in equine sepsis by James Belknap of The Ohio State University; and optimization of racetrack surface properties by Susan Stover of the University of California-Davis.