Leading equine research programme receives funding from Horserace Betting Levy Board

Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine will use the £374,000 to fund two four-year scholarships that will research aspects of racehorse health and wellbeing. The scholarships will also provide research training for the next generation of equine veterinary researchers. 

The research training scholarship will investigate the gut microbiome of racehorses, exploring changes with age and its impact on retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses. Partnering with Retraining of Racehorses and Phileo-Lesaffre, the research aims to provide an evidence-based foundation for policymakers and carers to promote healthy ageing and long-term welfare for retired racehorses.  

The team will also conduct research to understand why some horses bleed into their lungs during racing. This condition impacts welfare, athletic performance and public perception of sport.  

Collaborating with Liphook Equine Hospital for the clinical training component, the project will explore the role of lung bacterial communities in susceptibility to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and determine associations with the risk of bleeding and airway inflammation.