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Kentucky Equine Research continually conducts studies at its 150-acre research facility. Some of these results are presented at industry conferences or shared in peer-reviewed journals. Review some of our findings from the past 30 years below.
September 12, 2018

Effect of Omeprazole and Calcium Sources on Calcium Digestibility in Thoroughbred Horses

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is very common, with a prevalence estimated from 53% to 93%. A major contributor to its pathogenesis is excessive gastric acid. Omeprazole (OM) is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that inhibits gastric acid secretion in horses and is the most popular treatment for EGUS. PPIs are also widely used in […]


August 12, 2018

A Marine-Derived Calcium Supplement Increases Bone Density in Thoroughbred Racehorses

Bone density and strength are important for the long-term health and soundness of performance horses.  Marine-derived calcium mineral complexes have been shown to improve bone density and strength in laboratory animals and humans. This study evaluated the effect of a supplement containing marine-derived calcium (Triacton™) (TA) on bone density in Thoroughbred racehorses.  Thirteen horses (average […]


May 30, 2017

Comparison of Processed and Unprocessed Digital Images for the Determination of Radiographic Bone Aluminum Equivalent (RBAE) Values in Equine Bone

Joe D. Pagan1, Peter Kazakevicius2, Alyx Swanhall1, Emma Ford1, and Abby Pritchard1 1Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA; 2 Ocala, Florida, USA Radiographic photodensitometry to estimate bone density in horses was originally developed using conventional analog film radiography. Today, most researchers have switched to digital radiography (DR) to make these measurements. One important feature of […]


May 30, 2017

Estimating Digestible Energy Requirements of Three-day-event Horses Using KER ClockIt Sport Smartphone Application

Joe D. Pagan1, Kathleen O’Neill1, Natalie Ireland1 and Mike Davies2 1Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA; 2ClockItEQ, Ltd., Perth, Western Australia   This study estimated digestible energy (DE) requirements of three-day-event horses during training in the early stages of the 2015 American eventing season using a novel smartphone application (KER ClockItTM Sport; Kentucky Equine Research, […]


May 30, 2017

Water, Concentrate, and Hay Intake in Thoroughbred Racehorses

Joe D. Pagan, Ashlee Hauss, Alyx Swanhall, Emma Ford, Erica Rugg, Aline Bouquet, and Abby Pritchard Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA   Water, hay, and feed intake was measured in 6 Thoroughbred racehorses (age 3.3 ± 0.5 y) (BW 468 ± 14.1 kg) for 56 d at a training center in Lexington, Kentucky, during […]


May 30, 2017

Intensity and Distance of Exercise During Training in Advanced Three-day-event Horses and Thoroughbred Racehorses Assessed Using KER ClockIt Race Smartphone Applications

Joe D. Pagan1, Emma Mulvey1, Kathleen O’Neill1, Natalie Ireland1 and Mike Davies2, 1Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA; 2ClockItEQ, Ltd., Perth, Western Australia Nutrient requirements for performance horses are dependent on the intensity and duration of exercise during training and competition. Differences between racehorses and upper-level event horses have not been previously defined. This study […]


May 30, 2017

Intensity of Exercise During Early-season Competition in Three-day-event Horses Assessed Using KER ClockIt Sport Smartphone Application

Joe D. Pagan1, Kathleen O’Neill1, Natalie Ireland1, and Mike Davies2 1Kentucky Equine Research, Versailles, Kentucky, USA; 2ClockItEQ, Ltd., Perth, Western Australia Presented 25th Symposium of the Equine Science Society, 2017 Training protocols should be designed taking into account the intensity and duration of exercise during competition. This study measured heart rate (HR), duration, speed, and […]


August 17, 2015

Responses in Fecal pH from Low to High Starch Intakes in Healthy Horses

C. Whitehouse, J.D. Pagan, R.J. Coleman, Responses in fecal pH from low to high starch intakes in healthy horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 33, Issue 5, Pages 358-359. (Proceedings of the 2013 Equine Science Society Symposium) Fecal pH is often used as an indicator of the hindgut environment. The relationship between cecal, colon […]


August 17, 2015

The Effect of Soaking or Steaming Timothy Hay on Voluntary Intake and Digestibility by Thoroughbreds

J.D. Pagan, C. Whitehouse, B.M. Waldridge, A.M. Grev, S.W. Garling, O.L. Yates, S. Davis, B. James, The effect of soaking or steaming timothy hay on voluntary intake and digestibility by Thoroughbreds. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 33, Issue 5, Page 350. (Proceedings of the 2013 Equine Science Society Symposium) Three mature Thoroughbred geldings were […]


August 17, 2015

Dextrose Does Not Affect Rate of Absorption or Retention of Electrolytes in Idle Thoroughbreds

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of dextrose or corn starch on uptake and retention of electrolytes and water in idle horses. In study 1, four Thoroughbreds (age: 6.25 ± 2.25 y; BW: 574.4 ± 82.4 kg) were used in a 4×4 Latin square trial. The horses were dosed with 92 g of […]


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