Updating horse owners and professionals with timely, cutting-edge, research-based information is the goal of the 2021 UMN Equine Virtual Conference being held online on Thursday, January 21, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. The conference is free to attend, but registration is required by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, January 19. After participant register, they will receive a link to join the conference.
Four research summaries will be shared, including updates focused on reducing round bale hay waste during outdoor storage, composting horse mortalities, genetics of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), and cardiac arrhythmias in racehorses. The online conference is being hosted by equine faculty and staff at the University of Minnesota.
Krishona Martinson, PhD, will discuss reducing round bale hay waste during outdoor storage. Martinson is a Professor and Equine Extension Specialist at the University of Minnesota whose research focuses on optimizing forage use in the horse diet.
Graduate student Hannah Lochner will present new research on the feasibility of composting horse mortalities and veterinarian and horse owner perceptions on the topic.
Advances in horse genetics has allowed owners and professionals to better care for and manage their horses. This is especially critical when managing horses with PPID and cardiac arrhythmias. Lauren Hughes, DVM and a PhD graduate student, will discuss the potential genetic component of PPID in horses, a relatively common disease affecting the aged horse population.
Postdoctoral research fellow Sian Durward-Akhurst, DVM, PhD, will share results of her current research investigating cardiac arrhythmias in racehorses which is also contributing to a better understanding of cardiac arrhythmias in humans.
Participants have the option to tune into parts or all of the conference through the conference link and are encouraged to submit questions prior to and during the conference. Due to the presentation of unpublished research data, the conference will not be recorded. The conference is intended for adult horse owners and professionals, but is open to everyone.
To register, and for more information, please visit the website.
