AAEP Foundation Allocates More Than $300,000 to Programs Benefiting the Welfare of the Horse

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation has approved 2015 funding of $300,320 for 25 equine organizations and special projects committed to improving the welfare of the horse.

The Foundation Advisory Council selected recipients from a group of applications and ongoing projects seeking continued Foundation funding during its June meeting. These recommendations were ratified by the board in late July.

Among the initiatives receiving support are student veterinary scholarships and educational programs, important equine laminitis research, Equitarian workshops, unwanted horse programs, and professional and youth development.

New initiatives to receive funding include an Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) Research Planning Summit, a key component of the AAEP’s recently announced Prescription for Racing Reform; the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, which promotes second careers for Thoroughbred racehorses; the 10^th International Equine Infectious Diseases Conference Practitioner’s Day, organized by the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Foundation to provide equine practitioners the latest scientific progress on a variety of infectious disease topics; the Equine Education Network, a youth and college-level development program being started by the EQUUS Foundation; and the 12^th International Equine Colic Research Symposium, which will convene distinguished researchers from across the world in summer 2017 to share knowledge on equine colic research.

Congratulations to the following recipients (by category):

Equine Advocacy/Unwanted Horses

• American Veterinary Medical Association Foundation’s Congressional Science Fellowship
• Retired Racehorse Project – Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium
• Unwanted Horse Coalition and its Operation Gelding Program

Equine Research

• 12^th International Equine Colic Research Symposium – 2017
• AAEP Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) Research Planning Summit
• AAEP Past Presidents’ Research Fellow
• EQUUS Foundation/AAEP Foundation Research Fellow
• Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation – Laminitis Research
• Morris Animal Foundation – Laminitis Research

Equitarian Programs

• Equitarian Initiative Workshop in Costa Rica
• Equitarian Initiative Youth Leadership Program in Costa Rica

Professional Development

• 10th International Equine Infectious Diseases Conference Practitioner’s Day
• World Equine Veterinary Association’s International Congress

Scholarships and Veterinary Student Development

• Markel/AAEP Foundation Scholarships
• Northwestern Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association Equine Symposium/AAEP Foundation Scholarships
• Zoetis/AAEP Foundation Scholarships
• The Race For Education/Platinum Performance/AAEP Foundation Winner’s Circle Scholarships
• Veterinary Student Educational Programs:
  • AAEP Annual Convention student programs
  • Focus on Students summer meeting
  • Dentistry, Farriery and Horsemanship short courses
  • Chapter activities

Youth Development in the Equine Community

• American Youth Horse Council Leadership Symposium
• EQUUS Foundation Equine Education Network
• National FFA Convention and Expo Student Career Workshops, in partnership with the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

To learn more about programs receiving financial support from the AAEP Foundation, visit www.aaepfoundation.org and click the “Our Work” tab. For more information about the AAEP Foundation and its grant program, visit www.aaepfoundation.org.

The AAEP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization created in 1994, serves as the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine Practitioners to improve the welfare of the horse. Since its inception, the Foundation has disbursed more than $3.3 million to support its mission.