Ten million dollars in equine research funding is needed to unlock the mysteries of the devastating equine disease known as laminitis, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation, Inc., said today (Aug. 25).

The life-threatening injury to Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and the subsequent development of laminitis in the horse’s left hind foot has highlighted the prevalence and severity of the disease, which affects horses around the globe.

Members of the AAEP have identified laminitis as a disease with a high priority for future equine research. To advance this effort, the AAEP Foundation has developed an informative paper on the challenges of solving the laminitis puzzle and the need for increased research funding. Rustin M. Moore, DVM, a member of the AAEP and the director of the Louisiana State University Equine Health Studies Program, is the author.

The paper “Barbaro Injury Highlights Need for Laminitis Research Funding” can be viewed at www.aaep.org/laminitisresearchfunding and is available for reprint. To learn more about laminitis, funding opportunities or current research, contact Keith Kleine, AAEP director of industry relations, at kkleine@aaep.org or 859/233-0147