Foundation Principal Investigator Sue McDonnell Receives AAEP's Prestigious George Stubbs Award

Ms. Sue McDonnell, PhD, a Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation Principal Investigator has been named the recipient of the George Stubbs Award for her "revolutionary equine behavioral research." The George Stubbs award recognizes the contributions made to equine veterinary medicine by individuals other than veterinarians.

Through her innovative research methods, McDonnell has provided monumental insight into the understanding of equine behavior, physiology, and welfare. As a Havemeyer Foundation Principal Investigator she maintains a semi-feral herd of ponies at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School at New Bolton Center for the study of equine social behavior and development of undomesticated environment.

McDonnell’s pioneering research in reproductive physiology has enabled her to implement proven methods for resolving problematic behavior in stallions and mares. Continually promoting compassion for horses, McDonnell has worked with the AAEP to address welfare issues related to the pregnant mare urine industry in the United States and Canada.

The award was presented at the President’s Luncheon during the American Association of Equine Practitioners 57th Annual Convention on November 22, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas.

Animal Genetics: Horse Genomics and The Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation

Animal Genetics Journal published a Special Issue in December 2010 (60Meg PDF - This supplement can also be found on the Animal Genetics page at Wiley-Blackwell.)

In the foreward to the issue Dr. E. Bailey wrote the following: In 1995, the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation (DRHF) conducted the First International Equine Gene Mapping Workshop in Lexington, Kentucky. Scientists working on horses needed information about the equine genome to better perform their research. The scientific advances of the Human Genome Project, begun in 1990, were providing tools and information that made this goal attainable. The DRHF conducted a series of horse genome workshops between 1997 and 2009 in San Diego, USA; Uppsala, Sweden; Brisbane, Australia; Pretoria, South Africa; Dublin, Ireland; Lake Tahoe, USA; and Newmarket, UK. Over 200 scientists from 20 countries around the world participated in these workshops, sharing ideas and resources, collaborating and creating a common genomics framework. In 2006, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in the USA chose to sequence the horse as a consequence, in part, of both the work done by this community of scientists and their research interests going forward. As a result, the complete DNA sequence of the horse is available online (Wade et al. 2009) and has enabled powerful new research methods for equine science.

This special issue of Animal Genetics was funded by the DRHF to underscore the importance of the genome to horse research. In this issue, scientists report research and discoveries made possible using the new genomic information. Indeed, the work includes gene discoveries and genetic characterization of horse breeds and sheds light on hereditary conditions that affect performance of horses. But the genome information is also useful to understand non-hereditary diseases and traits as well. Several reports in this issue address gene expression in connection with exercise and laminitis. Importantly, this is just the beginning. As scientists become more familiar with using genomic information for equine studies, we can anticipate more discoveries and the development of new diagnostic tests, therapeutic products and management approaches to improve the health and well-being of the horse.

The impact of these studies and the availability of genome information for the horse will be significant at many levels. Good health is a high priority for horses. Owners and breeders train and select horses for a wide variety of characteristics including conformation, athleticism, temperament, intelligence, speed, stamina and coat colour. Poor health can undo years of work on part of the horse owner. Furthermore, the horse industry contributes significantly to economies around the world. A 2005 study in the United States suggested that the horse industry had a $102 billion (indirect) impact and provided employment (indirect and induced) to more than 1.4 million people (American Horse Council, 2005). The worldwide economic impact of the horse is obviously much larger.

Use of the genome sequence in research will have far reaching effects on the health of horses and the health of the economy, worldwide. This should be remembered as a legacy from the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation.

Foundation Principal Investigator Douglas F. Antczak inducted into Hall of Fame

Douglas F. Antczak, Principal Investigator and the Dorothy Havemeyer McConville Professor of Equine Medicine was inducted into the University of Kentucky Equine Research Hall of Fame on October 25th 2009 by the Gluck Equine Research Foundation.

Dr. Antczak has served as a Havemeyer Principal Investigator since the early 1980’s and has led and participated in numerous Foundation workshops. He actively participated in the Foundation’s Horse Genome Project from the very beginning. Antczak is the Dorothy Havemeyer McConville Professor of Equine Medicine at the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, where he joined the staff in 1979. In 1994, he became the director of the Baker Institute for Animal Health, a post he held for 15 years until mid-2009.

Summary from Havemeyer Foundation Conducted Workshop on Equine Herpes Virus

The Second Havemeyer Workshop on Equine Herpes Virus was held September 21-26, 2008 in Steamship Springs, Colorado. The workshop, was organized by D. Paul Lunn (Colorado), Julia Kydd (UK), Josh Slater (UK), and Klaus Osterrieder (Germany). To read a summary of the workshop, click here.

Summary from Havemeyer Foundation Conducted Workshop on Infection Control in Veterinary Hospitals and at Equine Events

The workshop on Infection Control in Equine Veterinary Hospitals and at Equine Events brought together a group of participants who work in various roles related to infection control. To read a summary of the workshop, click here.

Papers from Havemeyer Foundation Workshop on Motion Capture and 3D Analysis of Equine Locomotion

The workshop on Motion Capture and 3D Analysis of Equine Locomotion brought together an illustrious group of veterinarians, kinesiologists and engineers to discuss 3D kinematics, hoof motion, solutions to problem areas in gait research, and new techniques for gait analysis.
To read the papers, click here.

Foundation President Gene M. Pranzo Receives AAEP's Leadership Award

Mr. Gene M. Pranzo, CEO and President of The Dorothy R. Havemeyer Foundation, has been named the recipient of the George Stubbs Award for leadership of the Foundation and its mission to improve the general health and welfare of horses. The George Stubbs Award recognizes the contributions made to equine veterinary medicine by individuals other than veterinarians.

Mr. Pranzo has been instrumental in developing the Foundation from its inception in 1979 to its role in scientific research, workshops and publications on equine reproduction, behavior, and infectious diseases and on the creation of an equine genetic map.

"I see it as an award to the Foundation rather than to me" says Pranzo. "It is without doubt a tribute to the work of our Principal Investigators and the outstanding workshops the Foundation has held year after year. And I am particularly pleased that recognition comes to the Foundation in the year of its silver anniversary."

The award will be presented at the Presidents's Luncheon during the American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Convention on December 7, 2004 in Denver, Colorado.

Horse Gene Map

A First Generation Radiation Hybrid Map and a Horse-Human-Mouse Comparative Map

The first generation radiation hybrid and comparative map of the horse genome. The map comprises 730 markers (450 gene specific), spans over all equine chromosomes and is presently the most comprehensive genome information in horse.

To view the Map, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download.

Papers from Havemeyer Foundation Neonatal Septicemia Workshops I, II, and III

The Neonatal Septicemia workshops gathered clinicians and researchers together to explore the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, therapeutic interventions, and prognostic parameters of sepsis in foals.
To read the papers, click here.