VIII AAEP News July 2024
ASSOCIATIONFOUNDA Survey assesses horse owners’ knowledge and use of biosecurity practices
Biosecurity practices are essential to protect the U.S. horse industry from infectious disease outbreaks, but horse owners’ level of knowledge and awareness of biosecurity is not known. This was the impetus for a website-based survey distributed via email to horse owners across various breed and discipline organizations and created by EDCC Director Dr. Nat White and the AAEP’s Infectious Disease Committee.
A total of 2,413 responses were received to the 24-question survey. Evaluation of the results identified differences in biosecurity use and understanding across nine horse-use categories and each of four regions of the U.S., including differences in the availability of biosecuri- ty plans, poor risk assessment for horses in close contact and suboptimal use of isolation to mitigate infectious disease.
The survey revealed a large majority of owners make medical decisions for their horses, and veterinarians are the most trusted resource for medical information.
Owners indicated that websites are the preferred way to receive educational information about diseases. There are several biosecurity methods that owners can apply to benefit horse health and welfare. These include temperature monitoring, isolation of new horses at facilities, understanding the risks of horses commingling, knowing the entry requirements such as vaccination and health certificates at events, and having a biosecurity plan for facilities and events where horses come into contact.
View the full report at
mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3550. This research was funded by a USDA cooperative agreement through the National Animal Disease Prevention and Response Program.
Halina Leonard Legacy Society achieves 50-member milestone
The old saying goes, “You can’t predict, but you can prepare.” That’s exactly what Halina Leonard of Chino, Calif., did. She left an enduring legacy providing for the welfare of horses by way of a $225,000 estate gift to the AAEP that established what is now The Foundation for the Horse.
Today, 50 individuals or couples compose the legacy society named in her honor.
“These are thoughtful men and women who have made an end-of-life commitment to benefit the horse through The Foundation,” said Foundation Development Council Chair Dr. Leslie Easterwood.
In 2017, legacy society membership stood at 12. In the ensuing seven years, that number has more than quadrupled, due in large part to a successful comprehen- sive campaign between 2020–2022. Of the 50 current members, 33 have disclosed the probable amount of their commitment. That total exceeds $12 million.
“Roughly speaking, that potentially translates over time into $4 million for education and scholarships, $4 million for innovative research and $4 million to benefit horses at risk,” said AAEP Executive Director David Foley. “The other 17 commitments surely move the needle well beyond those numbers.”
As The Foundation pursues even wider horizons, a tentative new goal of 100 legacy commitments by 2030 has been established.
To learn more about the Halina Leonard Legacy Society and how you can secure your legacy in perpetuity, contact The Foundation at
info@foundationforthehorse.org or (859) 233-0147. You can also see the many ways to plan your legacy at
foundationforthehorse.org/support/ planned-giving.
EDCC celebrating nine years of service to the horse industry, continued
advances for treating and preventing infectious disease. “Ultimately, I hope the EDCC can serve as a system that reports trends in disease by season and location. To truly know the disease prevalence, we need full participation from private practitioners and state veterinarians.”
The EDCC is funded entirely by donations from companies, major breed and discipline associations, veterinary hospitals, racing entities, and individuals from across the horse industry. Donations can be made at
equinediseasecc.org/support-us.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
