The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced it is funding 13 new projects and 13 continuing projects at 16 universities, as well as three career development awards in 2026. This amounts to a total of $1.8 million in research support this year.
Since 1940, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has funded more than $45.8 million to underwrite more than 466 projects at 50 universities to benefit equine welfare.
New research projects with benefits for hoof care include:
Phage Therapy Platform for Equine Wound Infections
Lia Danelishvili, Oregon State University
Wounds in horses are common, often resulting from trauma or surgery, and are highly susceptible to infection due to the diverse, microbe-rich environments in which horses live. Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecium are especially difficult to treat. These pathogens often resist multiple antibiotics and form biofilms, protective layers that shield bacteria from treatment — resulting in chronic, hard-to-heal infections. Such cases can have devastating consequences, sometimes forcing owners to make the difficult decision to euthanize the animal.
Guided by input from veterinary surgeons, equestrian sports teams, and equine-assisted therapy providers, this project addresses an urgent need for more effective solutions for drug-resistant and persistent infections in horses. One promising approach is bacteriophage (phage) therapy - natural viruses that selectively infect and kill bacteria. Phages can be as effective as antibiotics, and when formulated into “phage cocktails” containing multiple phage types, they provide broader coverage, effectively eliminating drug-resistant pathogens while remaining safe for the animal.
This proposal will develop a targeted phage cocktail to prevent and treat severe equine wound infections, focusing on drug-resistant cases involving deep anatomical structures such as tendons, ligaments, synovial spaces, bone, and fracture implants, as well as large incisions from colic surgeries.
By advancing phage-based therapy, this project aims to reduce chronic infections, accelerate healing, and preserve the health, performance, and quality of life of horses, while equipping veterinarians with a powerful new tool against antibiotic-resistant infections.
Tendon Elastin and Lubricin: Biology and Mechanics
Sushmitha Durgam, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
The elastic strength of equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is mainly due to the sliding motion between type I collagen rich fascicles that are separated and connected by the interfascicular matrix (IFM). The IFM is mainly made of non-collagen proteins, elastin and lubricin. Despite the important role of the IFM in SDFT function and the high incidence of SDFT injuries in racehorses and sport horses, the underlying biological processes, and the remodeling of tendon matrix proteins as they relate to SDFT function, are poorly understood. Additionally, since it has been shown that the non-collagen tendon proteins maintain collagen synthesis, regulate collagen fiber assembly and enable the sliding motion between collagen bundles, also known as fascicles, determining the biological and mechanical roles of IFM elastin and lubricin is essential for developing effective treatments for equine tendon injuries.
In Aim 1, we will dissect the mechanical roles of elastin and lubricin by conducting cyclical mechanical testing (simulating in vivo loading) on elastin- and lubricin-digested fascicles, IFM and experimentally-injured whole tendons. In Aim 2, we will use spatial transcriptomics to identify distinct molecular programs in SDFT fascicle and IFM to then identify and define cell types regulating elastin and lubricin gene expression. In Aim 3, we will investigate the altered tissue distribution of elastin and lubricin in histological sections of clinically injured flexor tendons of Thoroughbred racehorses. The results of this research will unravel the biology and the specialized mechanics imparting functional elastic strength to equine SDFT.
SDFT injuries continue to be a common cause of wastage in racehorses and sport horses. At present, treatment strategies for tendon injuries emphasize improving only the collagen fiber architecture even though tendon function is largely mediated by the sliding motion between collagenous fascicles governed by the matrix between the fascicles. Therefore, current tendon treatments fail to address the underlying biology and altered structure-function in tendon injury. The proposed research is important because investigating the biology and mechanical roles of elastin and lubricin using cutting-edge techniques is crucial to understand overuse mechanisms linked to cumulative microdamage that precede clinical tendon injuries. The results of this research will also lay the groundwork for developing effective novel treatments that restore SDFT structure and function, reduce tendon fibrosis and reinjury rates.
The Storm Cat Career Development Award
Charlotte Barton, Colorado State University
The Storm Cat Career Development Award was created in 2006 and grants $30,000 to an individual consider a career in equine research. The proposed study by Barton focuses on osteoarthritis (OA), a debilitating progressive joint disease affecting up to 50% of horses 15 years of age and older. Barton theorizes that if the efficiency of the vectors can be improved and tailored specifically to equine joint cells, the dose of vector can also be reduced, which will reduce costs and further the development of a plasmid encoding for two therapeutic proteins that will enable a multi–faceted approach to the treatment of OA. Barton will be mentored by Dr. Laurie Goodrich.
Additional research has carried over from 2025, with funding continuing through the end of 2026. These include:
Effects of SGLT2i On Triamcinolone-Induced Equine ID
Teresa Burns, Ohio State University
Laminitis associated with endocrine disease is the most common type and is associated with three conditions: Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), equine Cushing’s syndrome and administration of steroid medications. These three conditions differ significantly but all share insulin dysregulation (ID) as a consistent characteristic. Little is known about laminitis after steroid administration. One steroid commonly used to keep equine athletes performing is triamcinolone acetonide (TCA); though, its effects on insulin and glucose metabolism is unclear.
This study will “investigate the effects of TCA injected in the joint for systemic ID in horses with naturally occurring ID and the ability of canagliflozin (a SGLT2 inhibitor used frequently to treat EMS patients) to prevent or decrease ID when given at the time of joint injection,” Burns says.
Its goal is to provide more information about TCA and its role in ID and laminitis as well as the efficacy of a SGLT2i in reducing ID.
Characterization of Laminitis Using PET
Dianne McFarlane, University of Florida
The goal of this study is to determine how positron emission tomography (PET) scans can be used “in diagnosis, prognosis and rehabilitation management for horses with laminitis,” McFarlane says.
PET scans will be compared to other radiological markers when characterizing acute, recovery and management of laminitis. These scans may also be able to identify laminitis earlier than current methods, which can aid in a more positive outcome for the horse.
Finite Element Analysis of SDFT Microdamage
Sushmitha Durgam, Ohio State University
Cumulative microdamage to tendons is linked to superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injuries. However, the exact changes that occur at the interfascicular matrix (IFM) and collagen-elastin levels are unknown. Building off of previous research, the study aims to develop computational finite element models (FEM) that can predict SDFT mechanical behavior, something that has not been done before for equine tendons and SDFT structures.
Cadaver limbs will be used to establish a foundational analysis and the results used to develop more complex models that account for “the tendons’ tensile and recoil properties, providing a more comprehensive representation of SDFT load-bearing function,” Durgam says.
A non-invasive way to analyze the SDFT structure can help researchers learn more about tendon microdamage and injury development in Thoroughbred racehorses.
Synthetic Proteoglycan Replacement for Osteoarthritis
Kyla Ortved, University of Pennsylvania
This study aims to develop a new class of injectable, cartilage-penetrating compounds made from synthetic polyelectrolytes that replace proteoglycans that are critically lost in osteoarthritis (OA). Joint inflammation following an injury leads to breakdown and loss of proteoglycan, which leads to further cartilage breakdown and is a hallmark of OA. There are currently no effective drugs to halt or reverse OA.
“A key technical challenge is that proteoglycan replacements need to be able to diffuse throughout cartilage to achieve therapeutic benefit. However, any proteoglycan replacement that can easily diffuse into cartilage will also easily diffuse out. To overcome this limitation, our team has developed a fully synthetic proteoglycan replacement based on thermal polymers. As a liquid at room temperature, poly(N-isopropylacrlyamide) (PNiPAm) diffuses rapidly through the joint and into the cartilage. As the polymer reaches body temperature, it undergoes thermal gelation and is “locked in” the cartilage,” says Ortved.
Horses are usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, though they do not reverse joint damage. Newer treatments can decrease inflammation and promote healing, but they do not address the loss of proteoglycan or reverse deteriorating cartilage.
“Here, we seek to establish a new category of joint therapy that can be used in conjunction with anti-inflammatories to provide synthetic support to the ECM and prevent further joint degradation,” says Ortved.
For more information on these studies and to see the full list of funded research projects, visit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation website here.
