UK Opens Equine Sports Medicine Research Center, Booked Through 2028

The University of Kentucky cut the ribbon Oct. 30 on a Sports Medicine Research Center that is already reserved for research projects through 2028 — before a single open-house visitor has walked through it.

The facility sits within the Department of Veterinary Science's Gluck Equine Research Center at the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, on UK's North Farm in Lexington. Construction began in late 2025. Several Gluck Center projects have already used the space.

Why the industry backed it

The target is equine musculoskeletal disease and injury, which the university calls the leading source of economic loss in the equine industry and a major welfare concern for owners. One condition dominates the caseload. Degenerative joint disease — osteoarthritis — accounts for more than 60% of orthopedic cases in horses.

The human side of the ledger is equally stark. Osteoarthritis ranks second only to cancer in costs to the U.S. public health system, the research team noted, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis is the most common cause of early retirement and long-term disability among American soldiers.

That dual burden shapes the center's design. The horse serves as an established translational model for human musculoskeletal conditions, including osteoarthritis and therapy development.

What the facility actually contains

The preview ceremony showcased two assets: a Cosequin Equine Exerciser built for eight horses, funded by a gift from Nutramax Laboratories, and a remodeled 12-stall barn. The barn sits on 26 acres that also hold a second 16-stall barn. Plans call for expanding that structure to add more exercisers, a surgical suite, and laboratory spaces.

North Farm totals 1,900 acres and forms part of the Martin-Gatton CAFE Agricultural Experiment Station.

Who proposed it, and who paid

Four researchers spearheaded the proposal:

• Bruno Menarim, DVM, PhD, Bill Gatton Foundation Endowed Chair in Veterinary Physiology and SMRC head
• Allen Page, DVM, PhD, Bill Gatton Foundation Early-Career Professor at the Gluck Center
• Austin Stone, MD, PhD, a knee and shoulder specialist at UK HealthCare's Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine group
• Emma Adam, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVS, assistant professor and equine industry liaison at the Gluck Center

Funding came through equine industry partnerships with Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences Inc., Keeneland, Spy Coast Farm, and Town and Country Farm.

"This facility will provide novel research opportunities that focus on the improvement of equine welfare and safety and provide an unparalleled learning experience for graduate and undergraduate students," Menarim said. He added that the center "will enable translational, federally funded research opportunities that focus on improving human well-being, including leveraging proven translational equine models of orthopedic conditions in humans."

Todd Henderson, DVM, president of Nutramax Laboratories, framed the gift in evidence-based terms: "This facility will advance high-quality equine and translational research while creating meaningful opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain hands-on experience working with horses in a research setting."

What changes for students and clinicians

The team says UK's position inside Central Kentucky's equine industry — its expertise, stakeholder support, and collaborative relationships — lets it address musculoskeletal disease in a way few institutions can. The Gluck Center's primary patient population is the horse, and the demand for the facility's capacity has been evident regionally.

For students, the center adds hands-on graduate and undergraduate training opportunities across multiple Martin-Gatton CAFE departments. For clinicians and horse owners, it adds another site for exercise-based research on joint disease, the condition behind most lameness-related economic losses.

Laura Stephenson, vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of Martin-Gatton CAFE, credited the partnerships: "This center reflects what is possible when our researchers and industry partners come together around a shared goal."

Brett Sponseller, DVM, PhD, chair of UK's Department of Veterinary Science and director of the Gluck Center, said the center "will enable the faculty at the Gluck Equine Research Center to leverage their talent for the benefit of the horse and human by supporting translational musculoskeletal research." He also acknowledged support from the Gluck Equine Research Foundation and donors.

A grand opening and open house is scheduled for April 2027, when the university plans to showcase the research output and industry impact of the facility.