University of California, Davis: Center for Equine Health

Advancing the health, welfare, performance and veterinary care of horses

The Center for Equine Health (CEH) was established in 1973 in response to the need for research to improve the health of California's large horse population. It was originally commissioned by the horse racing industry to study problems faced by performance horses and identify ways to protect them from catastrophic injuries. The center has become the administrative and academic umbrella under which most of the equine research is conducted in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Since 1982, CEH has served as the USDA's California quarantine and treatment station for contagious equine metritis (CEM), a venereal disease in horses. Newly imported mares and stallions are brought to our facility for a quarantine period. During this time they are tested for CEM to prevent the introduction of this potentially devastating disease into the U.S. horse population

Mission — Our mission is to advance the health, welfare, performance and veterinary care of horses through research and education. We accomplish this by providing academic leadership and by serving as the organizational umbrella under which equine research is funded and conducted at UC Davis. We bring together research facilities, students, veterinary residents, researchers, and veterinarians to tackle important problems affecting horse health. Research findings are directly applied to patients of the UC Davis veterinary hospital, facilitating continuous improvements in the standard of equine veterinary care. The CEH also plays an important role in the training of future veterinarians, academic clinicians and researchers by providing valuable hands-on learning opportunities to undergraduates, veterinary students, residents and graduate students. Through these research and educational efforts, the faculty and staff of the CEH continually strive to provide new information and improved diagnostic and therapeutic options to benefit the owners of California's diverse horse population