CSU Equine Sciences

09/05/2026

Beginner tryouts for our champion polo team are coming up soon!

📣 Interested in becoming a polo player and adding something new to your college experience at CSU?

We’re holding tryouts for our Beginner Program in just a few weeks, so mark your calendars and share this with a friend! No prior polo experience needed —

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
We’re excited to see you all! 🤠

Sign up now using the QR code or the link in our bio!

09/04/2026

A huge congratulations to the inaugural recipients of the Fritz & Betty Knoebel Equestrian Scholarship Program! We are especially proud to celebrate three of our own CSU students who were selected as inaugural scholarship recipients: Julia Peasley, Jocelyn Howard, and Izzy Hamner!

The Fritz & Betty Knoebel Equestrian Scholarship Program will support students pursuing equine sciences and related fields, helping the next generation of equine and agricultural professionals turn their passion into careers.

Our Department Head, Dr. Patrick Doyle, and Equine Extension Specialist, Dr. Devan Catalano, were honored to be on site to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking of the future Betty Knoebel Arena and, most importantly, to celebrate these outstanding students.

We are incredibly grateful to the Knoebel family and the National Western for investing in the future of our students, our industry, and the equine community. Congratulations, Julia, Jocelyn, and Izzy!

National Western Stock Show

09/03/2026

Another exciting publication from CSU Equine Sciences!

Some mares have a harder time clearing the normal inflammation that occurs after breeding, a condition known as persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE). This can make it more difficult for these mares to become and stay pregnant.

In this study, we asked a simple question: Could a daily supplement help the uterus recover more quickly after breeding?

The results were promising! After about three weeks of supplementation with resveratrol (a protein found in red grapes, and the reason red w**e is encouraged for cardiac health), mares receiving resveratrol had fewer inflammatory cells in the uterus 24 hours after breeding, along with changes in immune signals suggesting their bodies were better able to regulate and resolve inflammation.

While more research is needed to determine whether this translates into improved pregnancy rates, resveratrol could provide a simple, non-invasive way to support uterine health in mares that struggle with post-breeding inflammation.

Even better, this project was led by CSU undergraduate Genevieve Denison and brought together researchers from Animal Sciences, Clinical Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences. We love seeing our students help answer real-world questions that matter to horse owners, breeders, and veterinarians!

Link here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2026.1760273/pdf

09/02/2026

A great opportunity for our CSU equine science grads that are interested in breeding, reproduction, and foaling!

08/31/2026

How well does AI actually know horses?

A new study from CSU Department of Animal Sciences put three artificial intelligence platforms to the test, asking 40 questions across general horse care, facilities management, nutrition, genetics, and reproduction. Responses were evaluated for accuracy, relevance, thoroughness, and source quality.

The results were a good reminder that AI can be a useful tool—but it isn’t an equine expert.

ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot were more accurate than ExtensionBot, while ChatGPT produced the most thorough answers. However, performance declined as questions became more complex, and reproduction questions received the lowest accuracy scores of any equine topic tested.

The takeaway: AI has tremendous potential for quickly accessing equine information, but it works best as a tool - not a replacement for Equine Extension specialists, veterinarians, scientists, or other trusted experts. Knowing when to question an AI-generated answer may be just as important as knowing how to ask the question.

Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Sonya Aldworth-Yang and mentor Dr. Devan Catalano on this timely work published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science!

08/29/2026

Interested in joining the CSU Equestrian Team?

Whether you ride Hunt Seat or Western, come meet the team, learn more about what they do, and find out how to get involved! All experience levels and all majors are welcome.

Check out the upcoming info meetings and open house below, and join the CSU Equestrian community! 🐏💚💛

08/27/2026

New research from CSU Equine Sciences!

Regu-Mate is commonly used in both performance horses and broodmares, but we still have a lot to learn about how reproductive hormones may affect the immune system.

In this CSU Equine Sciences study led by undergraduate researcher Carmen Kapadia, mares receiving Regu-Mate had a lower antibody response following vaccination compared with untreated mares - raising practical questions about when we vaccinate mares that are receiving Regu-Mate, particularly when strong immunity is needed by a specific time.

This could be relevant for performance mares being vaccinated ahead of travel, competition, or increased disease exposure, as well as broodmares receiving vaccines during pregnancy to help provide protection to their foals through colostrum.

Our results don’t suggest that mares on Regu-Mate shouldn’t be vaccinated. Instead, they highlight that timing may matter and that reproductive management and vaccination schedules shouldn’t necessarily be considered independently!

Research like this helps us move toward more informed, practical management of both performance horses and broodmares.

Congrats to Carmen and team, and Go Rams! 🐏

08/24/2026

New research from Colorado State University is taking a closer look at the welfare of horses working in equine-assisted services (EAS).

Published in Animals, CSU researchers Jéssica Carvalho Seabra, Tanja Hess, Tessa Finnestead, and Temple Grandin evaluated EAS horses using a comprehensive approach that included behavioral observations, blood-based physiological measures, health status, and 24-hour time budgets.

One of the most encouraging findings: horses showed no difference in the frequency of pain- and stress-related behaviors when ridden by individuals with physical impairments compared with able-bodied riders.

Conducted at CSU’s Temple Grandin Equine Center, this work emphasizes the importance of evaluating the whole horse - behavior, health, management, environment, and rest - to support the horses that make equine-assisted services possible.

Congratulations to the CSU research team on this important contribution to equine welfare science!

Read it here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16/10/1434

08/21/2026

A special day for CSU Equine Sciences!

Congratulations to Madeline Bone, Lexi Branch, and Yangchen Rotto, who were officially coated at the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences incoming DVM ceremony today!

All three are proud CSU Equine Sciences graduates, and it is incredibly exciting to see them take this next step toward becoming veterinarians. From Equine Sciences students to future DVMs - we can’t wait to see where their careers take them.

Congratulations, Madeline, Lexi, and Yangchen! We are so proud to have you representing CSU Equine Sciences in your future veterinary professions!

08/20/2026

Another great example of practical equine research coming out of CSU Equine Sciences!

A new study by undergraduate researcher Brynne Murphy and Dr. Devan Catalano asked a simple question that comes up frequently in horse management: Does it matter whether horses are offered salt as a block or loose in a pan?

Sixteen horses were offered both loose white salt and compressed white salt blocks over four 7-day periods. While horses tended to consume more loose salt (41 g/day) than block salt (32 g/day), salt form did not significantly affect intake. What mattered much more was the individual horse - daily consumption ranged from just 2 g to 135 g.

Perhaps the most important finding for horse owners: 9 of the 16 horses did not voluntarily consume enough salt to meet their sodium requirements, even after accounting for sodium provided by their regular diet. Water intake was similarly highly individual and was not affected by whether salt was offered loose or as a block.

The takeaway? Providing free-choice salt does not necessarily mean a horse is consuming enough. Knowing your individual horse, workload, and diet is important - and for horses that do not voluntarily consume adequate salt, adding the appropriate amount directly to the daily ration may be the more reliable approach.

We are especially proud that this work was conducted by an undergraduate student, highlighting the important role undergraduate research plays within CSU Equine Sciences. Giving students the opportunity to take an applied question from study design and data collection all the way through presentation and publication is an important part of training the next generation of equine scientists.

Congratulations to the authors on a great publication and a project with information horse owners can put into practice immediately!