News

The true equine ambassadors at the Center for Equine Health are the 180 teaching herd horses that call the center home and contribute to research, teaching and outreach in many different ways. These amazing animals are our partners in research projects, help train veterinary students and residents, undergraduates and graduate students, and participate in outreach projects such as our collaboration with the Connected Horse Dementia Project. Some were born here, whereas others have come to us through donations.

The inaugural Equine Genetics Forum, hosted by the UC Davis Center for Equine Health and the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, was held on August 18, 2018 at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The event featured lectures, discussions and tours focused on current research and testing related to equine genetics and reproduction. A wide array of topics was covered including inherited diseases in horses, parentage, coat color, and performance trait testing, the role of genomics in regenerative medicine, and an update on advanced equine reproductive technology.

The Center for Equine Health (CEH) at UC Davis serves as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) Quarantine and Treatment Station. CEM is a highly-contagious reproductive disease of horses caused by the bacteria Taylorella equigenitalis. Infected mares can experience temporary infertility for one or more breeding cycles, which can have devastating effects on equine reproductive efficiency.

The Horse Barn Annual Production Sale was held on Saturday June 23, 2018. A beloved campus tradition, this UC Davis event has taken place in much the same way for the past 25 years. However, this year was a little different.

Thoroughbred geldings, A Real Siberian and Summer Jam ran a few races during their careers. Although not fast enough for the winner's circle, they still maintain their strong racehorse work ethic and have gone on to find new career paths contributing to equine health. After retiring from the track, they joined the Thoroughbred herd at the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, where Dr.

Thanks to generous donors, the Center for Equine Health has been able to fund research that advances equine veterinary medicine over the past 45 years. Dr. Sue Stover, professor of veterinary anatomy and director of the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory, has conducted a variety of studies that improve racing safety and provide insight into how different surface areas of tracks and arenas impact equine athletes.

Dr. Symons Honored with Wilson Award

With the Triple Crown having been won twice in the past four years, horse racing is enjoying being in the spotlight. Consequently, drug testing and racing safety have also been brought to the forefront. At UC Davis, a group of horses are setting the standard for horse racing health and safety. Led by Dr. Heather Knych, a group of researchers with the Kenneth L.

One of the missions of the Kenneth L. Maddy Laboratory at UC Davis is to provide graduate student training in the study of drug metabolism in racehorses, including Ph.D. candidate Briana Hamamoto. She’s a familiar face to many at the veterinary school, having worked at the Center for Equine Health (CEH) for several years, conducted laminitis research with former Assistant Professor Alonso Guedes, and served as a technician in the hospital’s ICU.

Dr. Jen Symons received the 2018 James M. Wilson Award in recognition of her contributions to equine research. As a mechanical and biomedical engineer, she collaborated with Dr. Sue Stover and other researchers on the study ‘Modelling the effect of race surface and racehorse limb parameters on in silico fetlock motion and propensity for injury.’

In May, the school was pleased to announce that Tom and Julie Atwood, longtime hospital clients and supporters of the school, received the 2018 El Blanco Award. Their important partnership has included supporting equine research, promoting disaster response preparedness, and hosting events to benefit the school and build philanthropic support for equine health. Read more

Last year brought devastating wildfires to both Northern and Southern California. Thousands of horses and other animals were affected throughout the state, and UC Davis was there to assist on many levels. Veterinarians, staff, and students spent countless hours in fire zones and on-campus rescuing and caring for victims of burns and smoke inhalation.  

CEH Director of Community Outreach Dr. Claudia Sonder escorts a mini horse to safety during the Napa area fires of 2017.

The Center for Equine Health is proud to announce that Ph.D. candidate Anna Dahlgren has been awarded the Louis R. Rowan Fellowship by the California Thoroughbred Foundation.  Anna is working with Drs. Fern Tablin and Carrie Finno in the UC Davis Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate group to analyze the underlying genetic basis of Atypical Equine Thrombasthenia (AET).  This heritable platelet dysfunction affects one in every 150 Thoroughbreds and causes epistaxis (i.e. nosebleeds) and prolonged bleeding from injury.

UC Davis moved one step closer to providing total equine reproductive health care with the recent news that a 6-year-old Oldenburg mare is pregnant. The surrogate is carrying a foal produced with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a unique in-vitro fertilization process.

When Delegada X (DeeDee) arrived at the Center for Equine Health in December from Belgium on her way to her new home in California, she appeared to be an ordinary white horse staying a couple weeks in the quarantine facility. In truth, DeeDee is something of a miracle worker, credited with saving the life of her young owner, Beatrice (Bea) de Lavalette. This is their story, told with the help of Bea’s mom, Elizabeth.