Havemeyer History
Founded in 1979, the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation, Inc., is a private foundation that conducts scientific research to improve the general health and welfare of horses. The Foundation is currently focused on several areas including equine reproduction, embryo transfer, and stallion behavior. Also, infection disease including strangles, rhodoccus equi, herpes viruses, and protozoal myeloma. Also, regenerative medicine and cell therapies and respiratory diseases, colic, biosecurity, and other related areas including the application of the genetic map.
Research is conducted by principal investigators selected to work on specific projects for the Foundation. The Foundation has agreements with three institutions for several research projects to be conducted by principal investigators. The Foundation conducts workshops related to its research projects when it determines that there are enough new findings on a subjet to warrant such an event. Workshops are by invitation only and are typically attended by 25-30 scientists, each of whom submits an abstract and if chosen presents their research to the attendees. The Foundation frequently encourages the publication of findings related to its research projects and workshops in scientific journals or as Foundation Monographs. The Foundation’s Monograph Series are expanded abstracts prepared by workshop participants on the subject of their presentation.
Summary from Havemeyer Foundation Conducted Workshop on Equine Herpes Virus
The Second Havemeyer Workshop on Equine Herpes Virus was held September 21-26, 2008 in Steamship Springs, Colorado. The workshop was organized by D. Paul Lunn (Colorado), Julia Kydd (UK), Josh Slater (UK), and Klaus Osterrieder (Germany)
This meeting was held at the Home Ranch, Steamboat Springs, from September 21st -26th, 2008. The meeting was dedicated to the memory of Dr. George P. Allen, 1941 – 2008. The meeting was convened and supported through a grant from The Havemeyer Foundation and was a follow-up to the highly successful 2004 EHV-1 meeting which was held in San Gimignano in Tuscany. That first meeting led to a Special Edition publication of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology in 2006, Volume 111, issue 1.
The meeting in Steamboat Springs was attended by 29 delegates from academia, and 9 delegates from industry. Delegates came from throughout North America and Europe, and from Japan and Australia. The organizing committee included D. Paul Lunn (Colorado), Julia Kydd (UK), Josh Slater (UK), and Klaus Osterrieder (Germany).
The most important themes of the meeting were the continued need for a better understanding of viral pathogenesis and particularly of how, where, and when the latency is established, and how infection of the CNS endothelium occurs. Studies of naturally occurring disease, and models of neurological disease were extensively discussed, and there was a strong focus on the role of the DNA polymerase polymorphism in the pathogenesis of neurological disease. The need for further studies of these aspects of EHV-1 infection, and of the epidemiology of the disease were strongly emphasized. New data was presented concerning immunity to EHV-1, and the continued struggle to identify vaccination technologies that can protect against the more important pathological sequelae to infection. For the first time, there was a major discussion of the use of anti-viral agents, in both experimental and clinical studies.
The workshop participants agreed to participate in a multi-author workshop report, which it is hoped will be submitted for publication early in 2009. There was strong interest in holding a further workshop in 3-4 years, as it was agreed that an enormous amount of valuable work had been done since the last workshop, with many new collaborations established amongst the participants. While much remains to be learnt about this serious equine pathogen, more progress has been made in the past 5 years than at any other time in our studies of EHV-1.
Summary from Havemeyer Foundation Conducted Workshop on Infection Control in Veterinary Hospitals and at Equine Events
The workshop on Infection Control in Equine Veterinary Hospitals and at Equine Events brought together a group of participants who work in various roles related to infection control.
Papers from Havemeyer Foundation Workshop on Motion Capture and 3D Analysis of Equine Locomotion
The workshop on Motion Capture and 3D Analysis of Equine Locomotion brought together an illustrious group of veterinarians, kinesiologists, and engineers to discuss 3D kinematics, hoof motion, solutions to problem areas in gait research, and new techniques for gait analysis.
Summary of the Havemeyer Foundation Workshop on Equine Asthma Standardization
The workshop took place in Barcelona, Spain on April 3-5, 2023. The organizing committee was composed of Laurent Couetil (Purdue University, USA), Jackie Cardwell (Royal Veterinary College, UK), Renaud Léguillette (University of Calgary, Canada) and Melissa Mazan (Tufts University, USA). The workshop attracted 29 participants who came from Australia, North America, and Europe. They were academic researchers, graduate students and private equine practitioners. The main goal of the workshop was to present the results of a systematic review of the literature around six main topics related ot mild-moderate and severe equine asthma (MMEA and SEA, respectively): 1) Environmental factors associated with equine asthma; 2) Clinical scoring systems; 3) Airway cytology methods; 4)
Pulmonary function testing; 5) Mucus scoring; 6) Exercise testing. In addition, a total of 12 research abstracts related to equine asthma were presented. The systematic review was initiated during the summer 2020 and followed the GRADE system approach based on Guyatt et al. (2011). First, each team defined key PICO questions (Patient / Population; Intervention / Exposure; Comparison or Intervention; Outcome) related ot their topic. Second, a systematic review of the literature was performed around each PICO question followed by data extraction and summarization from each citation in evidence profile tables including rating of the strength of evidence based on the GRADE criteria. Finaly, results from al studies were grouped by outcome measures and presented ni summary of findings tables. Each team detailed their findings in white papers that were distributed to the workshop participants prior to the meeting.
During the workshop, each team had approximately 15 minutes to present their findings followed by 45 minutes for discussion. Research abstracts followed systematic review presentations each day. The third
day was dedicated to building a consensus and drafting future directions for equine asthma research. Some of the key recommendations that emerged from the discussions were: 1) Standardization of the reporting of data from studies; 2) Sharing of raw research data that are not published in a database accessible to researchers; )3 Need for more population-level studies over a range geographical locations; 4) Compare findings in research horses with client-owned horses with asthma in order to validate the model; 5) Consensus on the clinical score (minimum database) to be used for SEA and MEA studies needs to be based on proper validation; 6) Develop video-based training materials to help standardize the use of scoring systems (clinical and mucus scores); 7) Standardize bronchodilation challenges and bronchoprovocation; 8) Provide recommendations for airway cytology and share with commercial labs; 9) Need more research on exercise testing in horses with asthma.
Future directions for research emphasized the need for large population-based studies, as opposed ot research herds, over a range of climactic and geographical regions ni order ot identify prevalence and risk factors for SEA and MMEA. Thsi work wil require collaboration between research laboratories around the world as well as funding mechanisms.
Animal Genetics: Horse Genomics and The Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation
Animal Genetics Journal published a Special Issue in December 2010
In the foreword to the issue Dr. E. Bailey wrote the following: In 1995, the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation (DRHF) conducted the First International Equine Gene Mapping Workshop in Lexington, Kentucky. Scientists working on horses needed information about the equine genome to better perform their research. The scientific advances of the Human Genome Project, begun in 1990, were providing tools and information that made this goal attainable. The DRHF conducted a series of horse genome workshops between 1997 and 2009 in San Diego, USA; Uppsala, Sweden; Brisbane, Australia; Pretoria, South Africa; Dublin, Ireland; Lake Tahoe, USA; and Newmarket, UK. Over 200 scientists from 20 countries around the world participated in these workshops, sharing ideas and resources, collaborating, and creating a common genomics framework. In 2006, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in the USA chose to sequence the horse as a consequence, in part, of both the work done by this community of scientists and their research interests going forward. As a result, the complete DNA sequence of the horse is available online (Wade et al. 2009) and has enabled powerful new research methods for equine science.
This special issue of Animal Genetics was funded by the DRHF to underscore the importance of the genome to horse research. In this issue, scientists report research and discoveries made possible using the new genomic information. Indeed, the work includes gene discoveries and genetic characterization of horse breeds and sheds light on hereditary conditions that affect the performance of horses. But the genome information is also useful to understand non-hereditary diseases and traits as well. Several reports in this issue address gene expression in connection with exercise and laminitis. Importantly, this is just the beginning. As scientists become more familiar with using genomic information for equine studies, we can anticipate more discoveries and the development of new diagnostic tests, therapeutic products, and management approaches to improve the health and well-being of the horse.
The impact of these studies and the availability of genome information for the horse will be significant at many levels. Good health is a high priority for horses. Owners and breeders train and select horses for a wide variety of characteristics including conformation, athleticism, temperament, intelligence, speed, stamina, and coat colour. Poor health can undo years of work on part of the horse owner. Furthermore, the horse industry contributes significantly to economies around the world. A 2005 study in the United States suggested that the horse industry had a $102 billion (indirect) impact and provided employment (indirect and induced) to more than 1.4 million people (American Horse Council, 2005). The worldwide economic impact of the horse is obviously much larger.
Use of the genome sequence in research will have far-reaching effects on the health of horses and the health of the economy, worldwide. This should be remembered as a legacy from the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation.
The Monograph Series
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 1
Proceedings of the 1st Meeting of the European Equine Gamette Group (EEGG), Lopuszna, Poland.
Editors: Allen and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 2
Proceedings of a Workshop on Fetomaternal Control of Pregnancy, Barbados, West Indies.
Editors: Stout and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 3
Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Equine Embryo Transfer, Saari, Finland.
Editors: Katila and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 4
Equine Immunology in 2001, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Editors: Lunn and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 5
Proceedings of the 2nd Meeting of the European Equine Gamette Group (EEGG), Loosdrecht, the Netherlands.
Editors: Stout and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 6
Proceedings of a Workshop—From Epididymis to Embryo, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Editors: Morris and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 7
Proceedings of the 4th International Meeting of OIE and WHO Experts on Control of Equine Influenza; Surveillance and Vaccine Efficacy: The American Perspective, Miami, Florida.
Editors: Mumford, Daly and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 8
Proceedings of a Workshop on Comparative Neonatology/Perinatology, Palm Springs, California.
Editors: Sibbons, Foster and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 9
Proceedings of a Workshop on Inflammatory Airway Disease: Defining the Syndrome, Boston, Massachusettes.
Editors: Hoffman, Robinson and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 10
Proceedings of a Workshop on Embryonic and Fetal Nutrition, Ravello, Italy.
Editors: Wilsher and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 11
Proceedings of a Workshop on Equine Recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom.
Editors: Dixon, Robinson and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 12
Proceedings of a Workshop on Transporting Gametes and Embryos, Brewster, Massachusetts.
Editors: Squires and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 13
Proceedings of the Third Meeting of the European Equine Gamete Group (EEGG), Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Editors: J. Müller, Z. Müller and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 14
Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Equine Embryo Transfer, Rio de Janeior, Brazil.
Editors: Alvarenga and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 15
Proceedings of a Workshop on Sporting Injuries in Horses and Man: A Comparative Approach, Lexington, USA.
Editors: Soulsby and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 16
Proceedings of a Workshop on Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy in the Mare III, Barbados, West Indies.
Editors: Stout and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 17
Proceedings of a Workshop on Comparative Placentology, Victoria, Canada.
Editors: Sibbons and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 18
Proceedings of a Workshop on International Equine Gamete Group Kühlungsborn, Germany.
Editors: Alm, Torner and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 19
Proceedings of a Workshop on Uterine Infection in Mares and Women: A Comparative Study II, South Carolina, USA.
Editors: LeBlanc, Wade and Foster
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 20
Proceedings of a Workshop on Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage: State of Current Knowledge, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada.
Editors: Marlin, Hinchcliff and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 21
Proceedings of a Workshop on Embryonic and Fetal Nutrition, Ravello, Italy.
Editors: Wilsher, Allen and Wade
Havemeyer Foundation Monograph Series 22
Proceedings of a Workshop on Equine Musculoskeletal Biomarkers, Colorado, USA.
Editors: McIlwraith and Wade
