In this episode of Equine Innovators, host Stephanie Church talks with Dr. Lori Bidwell—board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist and co-founder of East West Equine Sports Medicine—about how veterinarians use sedation to keep horses and handlers safe during procedures. Bidwell explains the difference between sedation and general anesthesia, offers examples of standing surgeries that once required full anesthesia, and shares how Dormosedan Gel has changed how owners manage stressful situations such as clipping or fireworks. She also offers practical tips on safety, storage, and monitoring, and describes recent innovations and where sedation practices are headed in the years to come.

GUESTS AND LINKS – EPISODE 21:

• Host: Stephanie L. Church, editorial director at The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care/TheHorse.com | @stephlchurch on Instagram | Email Stephanie ([email protected])
• Links: (Stories on sedation from TheHorse.com) Sedation for Standing Procedures | Open Up and Say Zzz: Why Horse Dental Exams Require Sedation | Horse Sedation with an Oral Gel (AAEP 2010–when The Horse reported the presented research on Dormosedan)
• Guest: Lori Bidwell, DVM, Dipl. ACVA, co-founder of East West Equine Sports Medicine | Facebook (@EastWestEquineVet) | Instagram (@EastWestEquineSportsMedicine)
• Link: Register for free newsletters from TheHorse.com
• Please visit our sponsor, who makes this podcast possible: Zoetis Equine | @zoetisequine on Instagram and Facebook

Dr. Sally DeNotta, a clinical associate professor in large animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida, describes West Nile virus in horses, explaining how the disease spreads, what signs to watch for, and why vaccination remains the most effective prevention tool. She also highlights how climate, mosquito control, and One Health surveillance efforts influence risk—and why even experienced horse owners must stay vigilant year after year.

Short summary: Horses still face the threat of West Nile virus. Dr. Sally DeNotta shares how it spreads, what signs to watch for, and why vaccination and mosquito control matter every year.

GUESTS AND LINKS – EPISODE 20:

• Host: Stephanie L. Church, editorial director at The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care/TheHorse.com | @stephlchurch on Instagram
• Link: West Nile Virus in U.S. Horses (interactive feature)
• Link: Core Vaccination: Protecting Horses From 5 Deadly Diseases
• Link: Older Horses and Stallions at Increased WNV Risk
• Link: Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC)
• Link: Disease Alerts on TheHorse.com
• Link: Register for free newsletters from TheHorse.com
• Guest: Sally De Notta, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, clinical associate professor in large animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. | Facebook | X | Instagram
• Please visit our sponsor, who makes this podcast possible: Zoetis Equine | @zoetisequine on Instagram and Facebook

Connect With the Host: Stephanie Church, [email protected]

Dr. Kara Brown, assistant professor of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, describes osteoarthritis in horses, its causes, traditional treatments, and regenerative therapies such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stem cells, and autologous protein solution devices. She highlights recent research on these approaches, their benefits over corticosteroids, and the importance of early detection and advanced imaging in managing joint health.

GUESTS AND LINKS – EPISODE 19:

• Host: Stephanie L. Church, editorial director at The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care/TheHorse.com | @stephlchurch on Instagram
• Links: Stories on orthobiologics from TheHorse.com: The State of Equine Orthobiologics, Infographic: Orthobiologic Options for Treating Horses, Research-Based Advances in Equine Orthopedic Therapies
• Guest: Kara Brown, VMD, Dipl. ACVSMR, Assistant Professor of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center  | @newboltoncenter on Instagram and Facebook
• Please visit our sponsor, who makes this podcast possible: Zoetis Equine | @zoetisequine on Instagram and Facebook
• Research News Releases: Research From the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center Informs the Use of NSAIDs Alongside Regenerative Medicine Devices, Pro-Stride APS Device Shown to Offer Protection Against Synovitis in Horses , New Research Provides Clarity Around the Treatment of Equine Osteoarthritis

Connect With the Host: Stephanie Church, [email protected]

Dr. Uneeda Bryant describes how veterinary pathologists safeguard horse populations, determine causes of death, and protect the human-animal bond.

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis.

About the Researcher: Uneeda Bryant, DVM, is a tenured associate professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Kentucky’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, in Lexington. She earned her veterinary degree from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Alabama. In addition to her responsibilities as a pathologist and teaching role as adjunct faculty for Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Bryant works regularly to educate the public about this nontraditional veterinary medicine career path.

Show Notes:

• Veterinary Pathologist Recognized on Kentucky Senate Floor
• Equine Tyzzer’s Disease
• An Update on Rotavirus in Foals
• UKVDL Goes Mobile to Educate Kentuckians
• The University of Kentucky’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
• Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome

Equine herpesvirus-1 can infect horses and cause mild respiratory disease, abortion in mares, and severe neurologic deficits. Dr. Lutz Goehring, the World Organization of Animal Health’s Reference Laboratory expert on equine rhinopneumonitis, weighs in on what researchers have learned about EHV-1, how it spreads, and how to prevent infection.

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis.

About the Researcher: Lutz Goehring, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, is the Warren Wright, Sr.-Lucille Wright Markey Endowed Chair in Equine Infectious Diseases at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center, in Lexington. He has an extensive background in research, scholarly journals, refereed book chapters, advising, mentoring, and service. Goehring is a specialist in equine internal medicine and a member of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine, and his research expertise has been equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1).

As horse owners, we might not think about how research in humans can help horses, and vice versa. Carrie Shaffer, PhD, of the University of Kentucky ’s (UK) Department of Veterinary Sciences and the Gluck Equine Research Center, is working at the interface of human and equine medicine, creating tiny models of horses’ body systems to better understand how we can prevent and fight equine disease, and help body processes such as wound repair and tissue healing.

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis.

About the Expert: Carrie L. Shaffer, PhD, is an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Department of Veterinary Sciences and the Gluck Equine Research Center. She holds joint faculty appointments in the UK College of Medicine (Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics) and the UK College of Pharmacy (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences). Shaffer is a graduate of the UK College of Agriculture (BSc) and Vanderbilt University (PhD), and she completed National-Institutes-of-Health-funded postdoctoral fellowships at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the California Institute of Technology. An expert in host-pathogen interactions and microbial pathogenesis, her research interests include understanding mechanisms underlying equine infectious disease using novel in vitro biomimetic models. One major focus of the Shaffer Lab is developing an innovative “horse-on-a-chip” microfluidic platform and diverse equine organoid model systems to enable investigations that address fundamental questions in equine infectious disease, therapeutic and vaccine development, allergic and immune-modulated conditions, tissue remodeling in response to injury, developmental and reproductive biology, and the identification of genetic factors that determine disease outcome in the horse.

As horse owners, we have our rhythms and routines around the barn. But why do we do farm chores the way we do them, and could we—and our horses—benefit from changing our approaches? Steve Higgins, PhD, the director of Animal and Environmental Compliance for the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Agricultural Experiment Station, in Lexington, describes ways horse farm owners and managers can optimize daily horse farm tasks for efficiency, cost-savings, and environmental soundness.

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis. 

Show notes:

• Using Drylots to Conserve Pastures and Reduce Pollution Potential
• Using Soil-Cement on Horse and Livestock Farms
• Economics of Round Bale Feeders Examined
• Hay Feeder Height Affects Neck, Back, and Jaw Postures
• Group or Individual Horse Housing: Which is Less Stressful?
• Does Your Horse Need Rest? Give Him More Bedded Space.
• Winter Can Mean Poor Footing for Horses

About the Expert: Steve Higgins, PhD, is the director of Animal and Environmental Compliance for the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Agricultural Experiment Station, in Lexington. During his time at UK, Higgins has helped establish the university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment as a leader in animal welfare and environmental stewardship and has cultivated a new way of thinking for managing UK’s Experiment Station farms. Through his extension publications, presentations, and demonstrations throughout the state, Higgins shares his unique perspective and working knowledge of water quality, farm efficiency, and resource management issues with Kentucky landowners and farm managers.

In this episode Dr. Amanda Adams and PhD student Erica Jacquay of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center describe new research on how horses of all ages respond to transport—even just 1.5-hour trips across town. They also preview the results of a survey of U.S. horse owners and their trailering practices.

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis. 

Show notes:

• Article: Immunosenescence: What Owners of Old Horses Need to Know
• Article: How Does Transport Impact Senior Horse Immune Function?
• Article: Equine Immunity: From Birth to Old Age
• Article: It’s All Connected: Bodywide Inflammation in Horses
• Podcast: Equine Innovators: Dr. Amanda Adams Talks about Older Horses

About the Researchers: 
Amanda A. Adams, PhD, is an associate professor and a Mars Equestrian Fellow at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center. She’s authored 40+ peer-reviewed scientific publications and presented her research at more than 40 national and international scientific meetings. Her research interests include the geriatric horse’s immune system; adiposity’s effects on horses’ inflammatory responses, particularly in EMS horses; and the mechanisms responsible for and pathways involved in EMS to identify potential treatments that target both the inflammatory and metabolic component of the disease.

Erica Jacquay, MSc, is a PhD student and the first Mars Equestrian Scholar in the Department of Veterinary Science at the University of Kentucky working under Amanda Adams, PhD. Erica earned her BS in animal science from Virginia Tech and graduated from Kansas State with a MS with an emphasis on equine reproductive physiology. She’s worked in various facets of the equine industry, including training dressage horses, working on a large sport horse breeding farm, and working in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Her research program focuses on equine transportation, with specific aims to evaluate the impact of short-term transportation on stress and immune function in horses.

In this episode Dr. Barry Ball of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center describes what he and his colleagues have learned about reproductive endocrinology, placental function, feeding broodmares, and equine contraception during his time as the Clay Endowed Chair in Equine Reproduction. Ball, who retires this month, also reflects on 35 years of equine reproduction research. 

This podcast series is brought to you by Zoetis. 

Show notes: 

• Nocardioform Placentitis September 2020 Workshop (Lectures curated by Dr. Barry Ball) 
• Identifying High-Risk Pregnancies Seminar 
• Anti-Mullerian Hormone Helps Assess Aging Mares’ Fertility 
• New IUD for Suppressing Estrus in Mares (June 2019) 

About the Researcher: Dr. Ball received his DVM degree from the University of Georgia in 1981. He completed a theriogenology residency at the University of Florida and his graduate training at Cornell University. He was a member of the faculty at Cornell University from 1987 to 1996. In 1996 he was appointed as the first Hughes Endowed Chair in Equine Reproduction at the University of California, Davis. In 2010 he was appointed as the first Clay Endowed Chair in Equine Reproduction at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Ball’s research has been directed toward reproductive endocrinology and pregnancy loss in mares.  

His research is documented in more than 200 refereed research publications. He has served as primary mentor for ten PhD students, six MS candidates, and 17 postdoctoral or visiting scholars. He also mentored 16 clinical residents who are board-certified by the American College of Theriogenologists. Of his trainees, ten serve as current or past faculty members in veterinary medicine in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America. 

 Dr. Ball is a diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists (ACT). He has received numerous awards, including the SmithKlineBeecham Award for Research Excellence, the Excellence in Equine Research Award from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Schering-Plough Award for Outstanding Research from the World Equine Veterinary Association, the Norden–Pfizer Distinguished Teacher award from UC Davis, and the Theriogenologist of the Year award. Ball was a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar at the University of Cambridge 2004-2005. He is a past chair of the International Equine Reproduction Symposium Committee, and he is a past president of the ACT. 

In this episode Dr. Emma Adam of the University of Kentucky describes the research that identified a novel strain of rotavirus in foal diarrhea cases this year.

This podcast is the twelfth episode in our “Equine Innovators” podcast series, brought to you by Zoetis.

Show notes:

• An Update on Rotavirus in Foals
• Sessions from the 2021 Rotavirus Workshop, funded by the University of Kentucky’s CAFE Gluck Equine Research Center Koller Emergency Response Funds and gifts from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, Coolmore America, and Grayson Jockey Club.
• The Gluck Equine Research Center
• The Gluck Center’s newsletters, Equine Science Review and Equine Disease Quarterly
• Practical Biosecurity Tips to Protect Your Horse
• Infographic: Protecting Your Horse From Disease

About the Researcher:
Emma Adam, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVS, is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center and the equine outreach veterinarian for UK’s Department of Veterinary Science. Her career focuses on the health and wellbeing of the equine athlete and she has worked in four countries on three continents. Adam received her veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College, in the U.K., after which she gained equine internal medicine specialty training at Texas A&M University and equine surgery specialty training at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. She completed her PhD research in regenerative medicine as it relates to articular cartilage using RNA sequencing at the Gluck Center. Her primary role now is to connect the university with equine industry stakeholders through outreach and the dissemination of information.