Trace is a 16-year-old, Danish warm-blood horse with a limp from an injured left hind leg. He is just one of the many horses treated at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine that will benefit from a $750,000 grant the University will receive for its Equine Health Studies Program.
The Legislature recently approved a bill that grants money to the University from tax revenue created by slot machines in the four racetracks throughout the state — Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, The Fairgrounds in New Orleans, Louisiana Downs in Bossier City and Delta Downs in Vinton.
Angela Vanveckhoven, coordinator of public relations for the Vet School, said the funds will be used for scientific research, maintenance of research and clinical equipment, diagnosis and treatment of ill and injured horses and education and instruction for veterinary students and veterinarians in advanced studies.
The money also will finance continuing education for private veterinarians as well as owners, breeders and trainers, Vanveckhoven said.
“The $750,000 of annually-recurring funding approved will have a dramatic effect on the Equine Health Studies Program,” said Michael Groves, Vet School dean. “It will move us that much closer to reaching our goal of becoming one of the premier equine biomedical centers in the nation.”
The Vet School animal clinic treats horses from all over the state as well as from Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and occasionally other states, said director of the EHSP, Dr. Rustin Moore.
Moore, a professor of veterinary surgery, said the Vet School currently is working to improve treatments for various equine diseases such as arthritis and Heaves, a disease similar to asthma.
The Vet School also treats orthopedic injuries including those sustained by racehorses.
In essence, some of the money will return to the racetracks through its financing of research and treatment of racetrack horses, said Dr. Peter F. Haynes, executive associate dean of the Vet School.
“The number of critically ill and injured horses referred to the [Vet School] continues to increase dramatically, and funds provided through this legislation and private funding will help to improve and maintain our equine clinical facilities and to enhance laboratories and other space required for equine scientific investigation,” Moore said. “This annually recurrent funding is crucial for the EHSP to be able to meet the current and future needs of the state’s equine industry.”
The bill, authored by veterinarian and State Rep. Dr. Michael Strain from Covington, also allotted $750,000 to Southern University’s equine health studies program.
Sen. Jay Dardenne from Baton Rouge said the money cannot be removed by the legislature during the normal budget.
“That’s (money) that is not going to be subject to review by us, not going to be subject to scrutiny in times of need,” Dardenne said.