2025 Innovation & Discovery Grants

The Foundation for The Horse is awarding $528,263 for 15 equine medical research projects at 11 institutions of higher education. These grants include seven Innovation and Discovery Research Grants to established equine researchers investigating novel approaches to an array of conditions affecting equine health and welfare.

Now in its fourth year, the Innovation and Discovery Research Grants program, supported in part by a generous gift from Mrs. Penelope Knight and Coyote Rock Ranch, has awarded nearly $1.4 million to support 25 research projects.

In addition, The Chromatic Fund, a new collaborative initiative dedicated to improving the health and welfare of sport horses, will fund nearly $100,000 for two critical Innovation and Discovery research projects.

Established in honor of the late U.S. show jumper Chromatic BF, this fund is a partnership between the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), US Equestrian (USEF), Chromatic’s breeder KC Branscomb, and The Foundation for the Horse. Its purpose is to support science-based research and education on the appropriate use of medication, supplements, and therapeutic interventions in high-performance equine athletes.

Following is the list of 2025 Innovation and Discovery Research Grants:

RESEARCH PROJECT: Targeting lipopolysaccharide composition of Salmonella enterica serovars to increase susceptibility to equine macrophage host defenses

Dr. Basel Abuaita

Salmonella enterica is a serious threat to equine health worldwide and is the leading cause of intestinal disease often associated with laminitis. The existence of many Salmonella enterica serovars that infect horses with differential resistance to antibiotics, causes additional therapeutic complications. Therefore, identifying new targets for drug therapies is needed. Macrophages are essential for immunity against bacterial infections by producing and concentrating antimicrobial molecules in phagosomes to kill microbes. Our previous work has identified a critical role for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modulation in evading macrophage killing. However, mechanisms by which various Salmonella enterica serovars evade equine macrophage killing to cause intestinal disease is unknown. In this proposal we aim to characterize how different Salmonella enterica serovars modulate their LPS structure to evade equine macrophage host defense, and identify drugs that target the LPS biosynthetic pathway to increase Salmonella enterica susceptibility to host antimicrobials including macrophage killing. The proposed study will reveal a new class of antibiotics that can be leveraged for development of treatments for infection by multi-serovar pathogens.

RESEARCHER: Dr. Basel Abuaita, Louisiana State University

RESEARCH PROJECT: Endocrine metabolic dysfunction of ovulatory follicles

Endocrine metabolic diseases (EMD), including insulin resistance (IR) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), are increasingly prevalent as horses age. In addition to health risks, these disorders are associated with ovulatory failure and reduced fertility in the broodmare. However, how EMD affect the ovarian follicle is poorly understood. The study is designed to study important cell functions within the ovulatory follicle of the mare that are essential for fertility. First, metabolism of the cells within the follicle and the oocyte (egg) will be examined using a novel method to trace the fate of each carbon from glucose metabolism. Next, signaling molecules between the follicle cells and the oocyte will be compared for control mares and mares with EMD to determine how metabolic disturbances affects function of the follicle and oocyte. Results of the study will increase our understanding of the equine ovarian follicle and effects of EMD on cell metabolism, helping us to develop therapeutic and management strategies for affected mares, which could improve fertility and overall health.

RESEARCHER: Dr. Elaine Carnevale, Colorado State University

RESEARCH PROJECT: Vasopressin stimulation test in critically ill horses

Severe illnesses, such as pneumonia and gastrointestinal diseases (e.g., diarrhea), lead to death in horses due to devastating consequences, including systemic inflammation, sepsis, endotoxemia (presence of bacterial toxins in the bloodstream), laminitis, and organ failure. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of endotoxemia and systemic inflammation, with potential therapeutic and prognostic implications. Critically ill horses show signs of body system collapse, leading to severe pain and prolonged treatment. The management of sick horses can be very difficult for owners and veterinarians, and the cost of treatment or treatment failure may lead to humane euthanasia. A major consequence of critical illness is the loss of the proper hormonal production necessary for normal body function. One of the most important hormones involved in fighting illness is cortisol. Cortisol is essential for controlling inflammation and regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, and organ function in patients with illnesses. Sick horses often have low blood levels of cortisol and other hormones that can lead to worsening symptoms and death. Our study aims to create a new diagnostic test for hormonal diseases in sick horses. This study will help us better understand hormonal dysregulation in critical illness and develop new treatment options. Hormonal treatments are successfully used in critically ill people but have yet to be examined in horses. By identifying hormonal diseases in ill horses, we can justify treating them with hormones to improve their survival rate and overall well-being.

RESEARCHER: Katarzyna Dembek, North Carolina State University

RESEARCH PROJECT: Rethinking Equine Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Bile Acids in Horse Health

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a common condition that puts horses at risk of painful and potentially devastating laminitis. While it is well known that high insulin levels are the key trigger for laminitis in EMS, we don’t fully understand why some horses develop high insulin and others do not.

Our research explores a new and exciting area: the role of bile acids—natural compounds made by the liver and involved in digestion—in controlling insulin levels. In other species, bile acids are known to influence metabolism and blood sugar, and our early work suggests they may play a similar role in horses.

By studying how bile acids interact with the liver and insulin, and mapping their effects on individual liver cells using cutting-edge technologies, we hope to uncover the role bile acids play in why some horses become insulin dysregulated. This could lead to new ways to detect EMS earlier and open the door to innovative treatments that help regulate insulin levels and prevent laminitis.

For horse owners, the potential benefits are significant: better tools for diagnosis, improved therapies, and ultimately healthier, laminitis-free horses.

RESEARCHER: Callum Donnelly, Cornell University

RESEARCH PROJECT: Effects of Vitamin E supplementation on Vitamin K status in healthy horses

Dr. Carrie Finno

In humans, high dose vitamin E supplementation can promote bleeding disorders by interfering with vitamin K activity. Due to the widespread loss of grazing pasture, many horses now receive supplemental vitamin E to combat against poor performance and neuromuscular disease. With the use of highly bioavailable natural liquid vitamin E products, which provide 2x the amount of vitamin E as compared to synthetic powdered pellets, many horses are receiving very high doses of vitamin E supplementation. If this high dose vitamin E supplementation is leading to a decreased ability to clot, veterinarians may need to more closely monitor blood vitamin E levels. In competing horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), interference with clotting could be devastating. This case-control prospective study will systematically evaluate the effects of high dose vitamin E on clotting by assessing: (1) its effect on vitamin K1 and vitamin K-dependent factors required for clotting and (2) its effect on platelet count and platelet function, which is necessary for clot formation. Eight healthy adult horses will receive 20 IU/kg of water-dispersible natural vitamin E and eight age and sex-matched horses will receive the same volume as a saline control once daily for 12 weeks. Blood vitamin E concentrations will be measured before the study begins (time 0) and at weeks 4, 8 and 12. Vitamin K1, bleeding factors that are dependent on vitamin K, platelet count and platelet function will be assessed at the start of the study (time 0) and at the 12-week time point. If any clinical evidence of bleeding occurs in any horse, vitamin E supplementation will be discontinued in that horse, and results will be reported. Our goal is to definitively determine if high dose vitamin E supplementation can promote bleeding in horses, similar to what is observed in humans.

RESEARCHER: Dr. Carrie Finno, University of California, Davis

Funded by: The Chromatic Fund

RESEARCH PROJECT: Systematic evaluation of equine nebulizer performance

Nebulized drug therapy is commonly performed in the equine industry but there is currently little consensus on best practices or consistent data available for the devices being used today. These nebulizers work by converting a liquid drug into a mixture of finely dispersed droplets that the horse passively inhales. The particle size of these droplets must be small enough to effectively travel deep into the lungs where it can be absorbed and enact its effect. It must also deliver the drug fast enough that the procedure is tolerated by the horse and does not increase stress or worsen respiratory clinical signs. There are a wide variety of nebulizers used by equine veterinarians and horse owners. There are also a wide variety of drugs and non-drug solutions (such as colloidal silver) that are nebulized. Extent and efficiency of delivering aerosolized drug to the lungs is likely to vary considerably between nebulizer devices due to differences in device design and the forces applied to the liquid drug while generating the aerosol droplets for inhalation. This has been well documented for humans, but in equine medicine, current nebulizer practices are largely grounded in anecdotal evidence, extrapolation from outdated and largely underpowered studies, and unreferenced treatment recommendations from commercial nebulizer manufacturers. Currently, there is no data comparing the particle sizes and flow rates of commercial nebulizers delivering commonly nebulized solutions to horses. Here, we propose systematic, objective testing using industry standard aerosol particle size and flow rate testing to guide evidence-based treatment recommendations and nebulizer protocols for equine veterinarians and horse owners.

RESEARCHER: Rebecca Legere, Texas A&M University

RESEARCH PROJECT: Safety of single high vs. repeated low-dose steroid use RESEARCH PROJECT: Safety of single high vs. repeated low-dose steroid use

Dr. Lauren Schnabel

Laminitis, commonly referred to as Founder, is a devastating and often career- or even life-ending disease in horses. Laminitis has been reported as a side effect of corticosteroid (steroid) administration and is a major concern for equine veterinarians when choosing therapies for joint injections. Steroids are one of the strongest and most affordable anti-inflammatory medications available for treatment of conditions like arthritis, and therefore it is important for veterinarians to understand the safest ways to administer steroids to patients. In current practice, veterinarians often limit the number of joint injections performed at one time to stay below a certain total steroid dose. In horses that need multiple joints treated, this may result in repeated steroid injections at regular intervals. Research has shown that joint injections with steroids cause high blood glucose and insulin levels which are thought to be related to laminitis risk. Steroid treatments also cause decreases in cortisol and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) which may put horses at increased risk of infection. It is currently unknown whether a single high dose of steroid is better or worse than multiple low-dose treatments in terms of the impact on the horse’s metabolic parameters and potential laminitis risk.

In this study, we will perform joint injections with a steroid (triamcinolone) using two different protocols to determine if one protocol is associated with more severe metabolic changes. Horses will receive steroid injections in three pairs of joints (carpi, front coffins, and hind fetlocks) either all at one time or with each pair of joints injected one month apart from each other. Blood concentrations of glucose, insulin, cortisol, and ACTH will be measured before and after injections. Horses will also have radiographs before and after injections to look for evidence of laminitis. We hypothesize that single high-dose will be safer than repeated low-dose steroids, with metabolic changes of similar magnitude but shorter duration, and a lower likelihood of radiographic changes consistent with laminitis.

RESEARCHER: Dr. Lauren Schnabel, North Carolina State University

Funded by: The Chromatic Fund

RESEARCH PROJECT: Effects of deep digital flexor botulinum toxin injection on digital biomechanics and laminitis progression in acute sepsis-related laminitis cases

Preventing coffin bone rotation can dramatically improve outcomes in laminitis cases and can help to preserve athletic function. Tension from the deep flexor tendon is a major driver of coffin bone rotation in cases of laminitis. Although there are currently used means of reducing deep flexor tension, they have significant disadvantages: raising the heels using wedges places unnatural shear forces on the lamellae which may further compromise the attachment strength; and cutting the deep flexor tendons causes permanent damage and dysfunction, making this procedure difficult to justify early in the course of laminitis. Botulinum toxin injection has been shown to effectively paralyze the deep flexor muscle without apparent adverse effects.  We have preliminary data showing that it causes favorable mechanical effects in healthy horses both during walking and also whilst standing still, by reducing leverage on the toe during breakover and by moving the center of pressure of the standing foot towards the heels. These effects could be very useful in the treatment of laminitis for preventing coffine bone rotation, if used early in the disease course.  In this proposal we seek to investigate the effects of deep flexor botulinum toxin injection in acute laminitis cases, by examining the mechanical effects of this treatment in laminitic horses and by examining how this treatment affects the amount of coffin bone rotation that results from an acute episode.  We seek to use a controlled population of clinical cases that develop laminitis in hospital as a consequence of sytemic disease.

RESEARCHER: Dr. Andrew Van Eps, University of Pennsylvania