The sale of 20 Virginia-bred Thoroughbred yearlings on Oct. 15 directly benefited equine research endeavors. Not only were the horses fund-raisers, they also were products of the studies their sale supports. The yearlings were residents of the Virginia Tech Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MAREC), a research and teaching facility located near Middleburg, Va.

Wendell Cooper, VMD, is responsible for the operation of MAREC and for the care and maintenance of the animals. According to Cooper, this ninth annual sale was the most successful, grossing $82,000. The sale topper was a filly out of a Secretariat mare which sold for $27,000. All funds go into the operating budget.

“The yearlings enter a variety of different professions after the sale,” said Cooper. “Some of the horses race, but a majority of the horses are used as hunters, jumpers, show horses, and pleasure horses,” he added.

Nutrition is the major topic of investigation at the MARE Center, although reproduction and behavior are other current research topics. Graduate students work at the MARE Center for a master’s or doctorate degree. Their studies involve 40 broodmares, 25-30 of which have foals every year sired by one of the two stallions at the facility