Drs. Vineyard and Gordon present Purina research at a national scientific meeting

It is no secret that we stay very busy with research projects throughout the year at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, MO. Not surprisingly, every project is in some way related to horse feed, whether it is the formulation, palatability, physiological effect on the horse, or some other aspect we are interested in. The results of all these studies are used to enhance our current products or to create new ones. When we discover something we feel is of interest to other nutritionists (and is not considered proprietary), we will present and publish the results of the study at a national scientific meeting to an audience of our peers (i.e. other scientists).

Scientific meetings are a great place to meet with fellow nutritionists and discover what is new and exciting in the world of equine nutrition. The American Society of Animal Science held its annual meeting in mid-July in Phoenix, AZ, and Dr. Gordon and I attended to present 2 Purina research posters.

The study I presented was entitled “Biochemical markers of bone metabolism in growing Quarter Horses fed a higher starch versus a higher fat diet”. This abstract was published in the Journal of Animal Science (W146, J.Anim. Sci. Vol. 90, Suppl. 3).

Dr. Gordon presented a study entitled “Horses decrease water intake when supplements are added to drinking water”. This abstract was also published in the Journal of Animal Science (W138, J. Anim. Sci. Vol. 90, Suppl. 3).

One other fun thing for me was to be featured as part of the “I am an Animal Scientist” campaign at the meeting. The Animal Science Society asked members to send in a picture of themselves doing something with the animal they work with and to provide a quote explaining "why you are an Animal Scientist”. These photos/quotes were posted at various places at the convention center where the meetings took place. I just wish I had been a little less “verbose” so that more of my horse Roman would have shown up in the picture!

All in all, attending and presenting data at scientific meetings is a great way to stay on top of the latest research and to share information with other scientists that ultimately can be used for the benefit of the horse.