Fund Supports Equine Industry and Scholarships

The Equine Fund was developed in 1990 by faculty of LSU and members of the Baton Rouge community. The goal of the LSU Equine Fund is to support and promote the horse industry in the state of Louisiana. The members of the faculty at LSU feel obligated to support those who have helped us become what we are today. The eventual goal is to sponsor self-supported programs at the undergraduate and graduate level for students who have an interest in some aspect of horse health or management. The Equine Fund has already sponsored scholarships for five undergraduates enrolled in the College of Agriculture, and six students in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Each of these students has a demonstrated interest in the equine industry and has been extremely active in the leadership of horse-related activities.

The directors of the Equine Fund elected to sponsor research activities for the first time in 1996. Five thousand dollars was allocated to sponsor graduate student research efforts during the 1996-97 academic year. These projects are nearing completion at this time and the students involved with this research will be presenting their data at conferences across the country.

The 1997 Equine Extravaganza was held Saturday, October 25, 1997, at the John M. Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus. There were talks and demonstrations during the day ranging from pasture management to saddle theft prevention. Equine health concerns, from foot care to parasite management to common drug reactions observed following indiscriminate use of these products in the horse, were also addressed.