The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation will be hosting a Lameness Research Meeting and Panel on August 1, 2007, at the Fort Collins Marriott in Fort Collins, CO. This special research meeting is being supported through donations by two major industry partners, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., as well as three partner equine foundations: American Quarter Horse Association Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Morris Animal Foundation. This one-day meeting will take place immediately following the AAEP's annual continuing education meetings—Focus on Lameness and Imaging 2007 and the 15th Annual Practice Management Seminar—which will be held July 29-31, 2007.

The morning session will be open to AAEP members and other invited participants and guests. Featured will be 13 short abstract presentations from individuals or research groups. These abstracts will focus on new data that has not yet been published, including work-in-progress and future planned work. The afternoon session will be open only to invited participants and guests and will include a one-hour question and answer session followed by break-out sessions involving selected "Blue Ribbon Panel of Lameness Researchers."

"The goal of this meeting is to share collective knowledge, current and future plans among multidisciplinary equine lameness researchers and to help develop a strategic plan to most effectively and economically address important scientific issues regarding diseases that cause lameness," said co-coordinator Nat White, DVM. "We hope to develop a plan for collaboration and identify specific areas in lameness research that are priorities during the next five to 10 years."

Program moderators include Rick Mitchell, DVM, and Nat White, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS. Those presenting scientific abstracts will include: Andrew Bathe, MA, VetMB, Dipl. ECVS, DEO, MRCVS (Diagnosis); Michael Schramme, DVM, CertE, PhD, Dipl. ECVS (Local Anesthesia); Hillary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS (Gait Analysis); Paul René Van Weeren, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECFS (Force Plate Analysis); Ellen Singer, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS (Epidemiology); Christopher Kawcak, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (Bone Remodeling); C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, DSc, FRCVS, Dipl. ACVS (Joints); Roger Smith, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS (Tendon Injury); Melissa Sinclair, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVA (NSAIDS); David Frisbie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (Corticosteroids); Lisa Fortier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (Stem Cells); and Kevin Haussler, DVM, DC, PhD (Alternative Therapy).

A complete report will be available on the AAEP Foundation's website soon after the conclusion of this research meeting.

For more information about the Lameness Research Meeting and Panel, visit www.aaepfoundation.org. For more information about Focus 2007 or the 15th annual Practice Management Seminar, visit www.aaep.org or call the AAEP office at (859) 233-0147.

Established in 1994, the non-profit AAEP Foundation complements the mission of the AAEP through its support of research, education, benevolence and the equine community. In 2006, more than $320,000 was raised by the Foundation to support funding for educational summits, scholarships and emergency needs, as well as other endeavors.