Hay everyone!
I’m really starting to appreciate the cooler November weather! My winter coat is already coming in so I’ll be toasty warm soon enough. The leaves are changing color, and the Rutgers Farm looks beautiful. It looks like Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Lots of things come to mind when I think about the holiday: good food, spending time with those you care about, and being thankful. I know I’m thankful for everyone at the Equine Science Center. What are y’all thankful for this year?
I’m also thankful for all of the animals and awesome farm staff on Rutgers Farm. The animals are an integral part of the Rutgers Animal Science community, and they wouldn’t be here without the staff. My horse buddies on the farm are involved in teaching and research; they’ve got their hands quite full over there. As I’m sure many of y’all know, horses are social animals, so all the horses at the farm are grouped into herds. There’s the Rutgers University Teaching Herd (RUTH) and the research herd. My friends in RUTH help students learn more about working around horses, how to take care of them, and what it takes to run a barn. The research herd is responsible for, you guessed it, research!
Y’all already know that there’s always tons of research that goes on at the ESC. (You can check out the latest by reading our most recent newsletter.) I’m thankful for that too! The work that everyone here does contributes massively to our understanding of horse health. After all, our motto is “Better Horse Care through Research and Education.” The other equally important part of that statement is “education.” We wouldn’t be making much of an impact if we didn’t get all of the information out to you guys. That’s what a lot of our events are for.
Speaking of which, I brought some pictures to share with you. These are the speakers at the Evening of Science and Celebration last week who presented some of their research:
Dr. Sue McDonnell, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, delivered her keynote talk that focused on equine stress behaviors.
Dr. Alisa Herbst, a current postdoctoral associate, presented results from the recent ESC study investigating the effects of ostarine in horses.
Ms. Amelia Puglia presented her recently-published work that answered questions about the ability of calcium propionate to be used as an alkalizing agent.
Mr. Bryce Bitsie, a current PhD student at the ESC, discussed his proposed project involving the use of hops as a potential nutraceutical in horses.
Until next time.
Your friend,
Lord Nelson