Thoroughbred Health Network

There is an ever increasing pool of scientific research relating to equine veterinary science.  HBLB has contributed to this significantly and in 2015, celebrated 50 years of equine veterinary research, having invested £47 million into equine veterinary science and education with the aim of improving the health and welfare of the racing and breeding Thoroughbred horse (http://www.hblb.org.uk/page/9). This investment has led to significant advances in the understanding, prevention, treatment and management of a wide variety of diseases, injuries and issues affecting the Thoroughbred.

However, to date research findings have only been available academically and there has been limited access for those involved with horses on a practical level within the wider racing and equestrian industries such as trainers, owners or quite simply anyone interested in the health and performance of equines.

The modern evidence-based medicine approach to practice has revolutionised patient care in human medicine and healthcare policy, furthermore a similar trend is developing in veterinary medicine.  The Thoroughbred Health Network hopes to extend this trend further specifically for equines, by translating evidence based research into easy to read, bite size summaries of the latest understanding/ best practice on a variety of health issues over the course of the 3 year pilot project.

We’ll do the reading for you!

The THN research reviews will be written following a systematic, evidence-based review of all scientific research available on each subject to limit knowledge gaps and bias but the findings will be translated into brief key messages and explanations.

Over the course of the 3 year pilot project, the THN will become an online resource, establishing a library of easy to read research summaries covering the most common health and performance-limiting problems encountered by Thoroughbreds in racing/ training and other equines.

No, THN is completely free of charge for the duration of the pilot project until March 2018.  If the THN is successful in gaining network members, further financial support will be pursued to ensure its continuation.

The THN has been kindly co-funded by The Racing Foundation and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) as a pilot project for Scotland and Northern England however, if successful it is hoped THN will extend nationwide.

Yes, although the project is only being actively promoted within the geographical remit of the project, there are no restrictions for those outside of the target area.

Peer reviewed research means that a board of scholarly reviewers (academic researchers or subject specialists) have evaluated and approved the quality of the research prior to accepting it for publication.  Because a peer-reviewed journal will not publish articles that fail to meet the standards established for a given discipline, peer-reviewed articles that are accepted for publication exemplify the best research practices in a field.

There are two key equine journals published by the British Equine Veterinary Association namely, Equine Veterinary Journal and Equine Veterinary Education (http://www.evj.co.uk/evj) although there are hundreds of journals worldwide that may contain relevant articles, depending on the research question.

THN will provide direct links to all research papers referenced in the review however, some articles remain copyright protected according to the journal in which they are published and therefore, may require payment to view.

• If you haven’t already, please follow us on Twitter: @ThoroughbredHN and like us on Facebook: The Thoroughbred Health Network.
• Complete the ‘Help us spread the word’ form on the ‘Tell us what you think’ tab to send an automatic email link from the THN website to a friend/ contact.
• We will also host an annual workshop to discuss specific equine health issues and we intend for the agenda of these workshops to be led by the THN members.
• The decision whether to expand this project nationwide will be determined by how useful it is to its network members, so please participate in our opinion surveys to help us develop THN accordingly.
• If you would like to provide any feedback/ suggestions, please do so via the ’Tell us what you think’ area.
• Furthermore, if you are aware of any information regarding the health of either racehorses or non-racehorse equines that would benefit THN members, please do not hesitate to contact us and so long it is appropriate, we will ensure wider distribution via the growing THN.

You can select the ‘Contact us’ form from the main menu on the home page, or complete the form on the ‘Tell us what you think’ tab.  Alternatively, you can email direct to laura.friend@glasgow.ac.uk

There is no longer a requirement to login as ALL content is now available whether a THN member or not.

However, only THN members will be notified when new research reviews are published – so if you haven’t already, please SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE here.

Contact us:-

If you have any issues accessing the THN website, you can contact laura.friend@glasgow.ac.uk