Maximum value from equine health funding

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Equine health research is getting a major boost with the latest funding from the Equine Health Research Fund (EHRF) to the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).

The EHRF is providing $225,000 to several research and training programs at the college. It is the single largest annual amount ever awarded by the 30-year-old fund. The investment will be used in three major areas, according to Dr. Norman Rawlings, WCVM's associate dean of research.

"The fund is supporting three of our residents," Rawlings said. "They are veterinary graduates who have come back to do specialized training in some aspect of equine medicine or surgery. They are tomorrow's specialists and researchers."

In addition to the training component, the funding will also be used for research projects that are aimed at increasing knowledge of equine medicine.

"The faculty members apply for the funds, and an external committee composed of people from other colleges reviews the applications," Rawlings said. "They would be projects to do with fertility and management of reproduction, orthopaedic surgery, and several in the area of infectious diseases and immunology."

Another important aspect of the WCVM research effort is the fellowships offered to undergraduate students.

"Last year, we had some 43 undergraduates working in the college, in a laboratory, with a professor, on some sort of research project do with veterinary medicine," said Rawlings. "We see this as a means of getting students interested in research and graduate studies when they leave the college."

The Equine Health Research Fund has helped the WCVM become a national centre for horse health research and specialized training. It has resulted in the training of many equine specialists who are working in clinics across Western Canada.

"The reason this fund was set up was to foster equine research with the WCVM," Rawlings noted. "We regard this as start-up money for research projects, but we encourage faculty to go outside and look for other sources of funding once they get rolling."

The EHRF is administered by the college, but is entirely dependent on grants and donations from outside the university.

"We get donations from horse clubs, individual owners, clinicians and some of the racing associations, as well as the endowment which makes grants from its interest earnings," Rawlings said. "We have a standing offer of $100,000 in grants from a private foundation over the next four years if we can find a matching amount from other sources. So we are always looking for participants in this two-for-one campaign, and we welcome new supporters."

There is always information on the activities of the Equine Health Research Fund in the college's Horse Health Lines magazine. Anyone interested can also find more on the WCVM website, at http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Norman Rawlings, Associate Dean of Research
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-7068
E-mail: norman.rawlings@usask.ca