Author: Fernanda Camargo
Planning Unit: Animal and Food Sciences
Major Program: Equine
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Once again, this program integrated research, outreach, and student training. Moreover, this experience provided an excellent reminder of our purpose as University of Kentucky’s employees, veterinarians, researchers, and extension agents: which is to appreciate, educate, and serve equine owners.
We first served this community in 2017 with an overall wellness clinic for their horses as well as vaccination and deworming programs.
Since then, several of them have reached out to Bonnie Jolly (4-H agent in Hardin County, as well as their neighbor) with questions regarding their horses and biosecurity.
In 2019 we offered botulism vaccines, and this time all horses in that community were vaccinated. We are still working hard to convince them to accept other vaccines to prevent other diseases.
According to Bonnie, they are extremely happy with our help, and there seemed to be some horse deaths due to botulism, and all horses that died had not been vaccinated in the previous years. Bonnie is extremely satisfied with their acceptance of our team, and their response to what we had to offer regarding horse health.
Overall, we are happy to start a positive relationship with that community, and hope to keep serving them for a long time. Bonnie Jolly is also very well respected among them.