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Funding boost for thoroughbred breeding research
Scientists believe that early life experiences can alter a horse's susceptibility to disease in later life.
Scientists will study the impact of early-life experiences on performance.

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have been awarded funding to study the early-life influences on the performance and financial viability of Thoroughbred breeding.

Understood to be the first study of its kind in the UK, scientists hope the research will improve athletic performance and strengthen stud farm sustainability. 

In the study, funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Racing Foundation, Dr Rebecca Mouncey and her team will analyse information from a group of young Thoroughbreds born in 2019 and 2020. 

As part of the ongoing research set up during Rebecca's PhD, the horses have been monitored since birth, and records of their breeding and veterinary histories, the turn-out and exercise they received, any episodes of sickness or injury, and routine procedures like farriery have been kept.

Using these exposures, alongside financial data and evaluating sales, training and racing outcomes, the team aims to: 

describe the proportions of horses that enter training and race, including reasons and destinations of any that do not
evaluate the effects of early-life health and exercise on horses’ training and racing performance
calculate costs of production and evaluate stud farm profitability 
assess the financial impact of early-life disease and injury. 

Scientists believe that early life experiences can alter a horse's susceptibility to disease in later life – a theory that has been proven in studies of humans.

While data suggest there has been little change in the number of horses entering training or winning prize money over the last twenty years, there is little evidence to explain why some horses fail to achieve these milestones. 

Researchers say it is timely to address these knowledge gaps, particularly around the costs of disease and injury, especially given the current economic climate in which, they report, a rising number of Thoroughbred breeders are unprofitable.

Dr Mouncey, a veterinary surgeon and post-doctoral researcher at the RVC, said: “Musculoskeletal disease and injury remain the greatest barrier to Thoroughbreds being retained within the industry and realising their maximum athletic potential and is likely to have important economic consequences, particularly in the current financial climate. 

“Our study will provide vital and directly applicable information at both horse- and farm-level, evaluating the influence of early-life management and health on production costs, profitability and racing performance in Thoroughbreds.”

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Charities' XL bully neutering scheme closes

News Story 1
 A scheme that helped owners of XL bully dogs with the cost of neutering has closed to new applications due to high demand.

The scheme, run by the RSPCA, Blue Cross, and Battersea, has helped 1,800 dogs and their owners after XL bullies were banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In England and Wales, owners of XL bully dogs which were over one year old on 31 January 2021 have until 30 June 2024 to get their dog neutered. If a dog was between seven months and 12 months old, it must be neutered by 31 December 2024. If it was under seven months old, owners have until 30 June 2025.

More information can be found on the Defra website. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu cattle outbreak spreads to tenth US state

Cattle in two dairy herds in Iowa have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), making it the tenth state in the USA to be affected by the ongoing outbreak of the disease in cattle.

Since March 2024, more than 80 herds across the USA have been affected by the virus and three dairy workers have tested positive. Authorities have introduced measures to limit the spread of the virus and farmers have been urged to strengthen their biosecurity protocols.

Mike Naig, Iowa secretary of agriculture, said: "Given the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within dairy cattle in many other states, it is not a surprise that we would have a case given the size of our dairy industry in Iowa.

"While lactating dairy cattle appear to recover with supportive care, we know this destructive virus continues to be deadly for poultry."