LSU Equine Health Studies Program Holds Second
Annual Stallion Auction
BATON
ROUGEThe Equine Health Studies Program (EHSP) in the LSU
School of Veterinary Medicine will launch its second annual Internet
Stallion Service Auction in October to generate funds for expansion
of the Equine Intensive Care Unit.
The
first multiple-breed stallion auction raised more than $37,000
for the new unit, and the EHSP hopes to continue that success
with an improved auction this year.
"The
Stallion Service Auction offers mare owners the opportunity to
select top quality stallions for breeding with potentially discounted
fees," said Dr. Rustin Moore, director of the EHSP.
Stallions
from across the United States, representing multiple breeds and
use, will be featured in the auction. Stallion owners that donate
stallion services will be recognized as participants in the auction
and their contributions are tax deductible.
Bidding
on the stallions opens October 1 and closes November 15 at 12
p.m. All stallion services offered in the auction are intended
for the 2003 breeding season and individuals may bid on any number
of stallion services. Bids will be placed on the Internet with
the highest bid always being current, and bids made over regular
stud fees are tax deductible for the mare owners.
Detailed
auction information and bids are available at www.vetmed.lsu.edu.
The
new intensive care unit, projected to cost $845,000, will be expanded
from a two-stall facility to a ten-stall facility, better meeting
the rising demand from the expanding Louisiana horse industry.
It will include four stalls specially designed for critically
ill neonatal foals and their dams, and one stall with padded walls
and an overhead hoist for horses with severe neurologic or musculoskeletal
disease. The equine program has currently raised half of the needed
funds through private contributions and special events.
For
more information on the Stallion Service Auction or the Equine
Intensive Care Unit, visit the auction website listed above or
contact Moore at (225) 578-9500
.