As part of an ongoing commitment to supporting horse welfare, US Equestrian is proud to announce the funding of the first two equine research projects through the newly created Chromatic Fund.  

The Chromatic Fund was established in late 2024 as a collaborative effort between the American Association of Equine Practitioners, US Equestrian, Chromatic’s breeder KC Branscomb, and The Foundation for the Horse. The fund is named in honor of Chromatic BF, a 13-year-old Oldenburg U.S. show jumper who tragically died at the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Finals in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia after several superior performances. Its focus will be to support research that will improve the health and welfare of competition horses. 

The two research projects selected for funding are: 

1. Effects of vitamin E supplementation on vitamin K status in healthy horses 

Investigator: Dr. Carrie Finno, University of California, Davis 

Project Significance: If high-dose vitamin E promotes bleeding, it could be especially devastating for competing horses suffering from Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH). The goal is to definitively determine if this common supplement poses a risk of promoting bleeding in horses. 

2. Safety of single high vs. repeated low-dose steroid use 

Investigator: Dr. Lauren Schnabel, North Carolina State University 

Project Significance: The research will measure blood concentrations of glucose, insulin, cortisol, and ACTH after injections and use radiographs to look for evidence of laminitis. The findings will provide equine veterinarians with critical, evidence-based guidance on the safest administration protocols for steroid joint injections. 

The total funding for these two projects will come to just under $100,000. 

“These projects are just the beginning of USEF’s increased commitment to equine research in 2026,” said US Equestrian CEO Bill Moroney. “These projects specifically address areas of concern that veterinarians brought to us at the USEF veterinary summit earlier this year, and we’re excited to see the results.” 

“Our horses and the people who care for them deserve best-in-class information about the appropriate use, efficacy, and risks of various medications, supplements, and therapies,” said KC Branscomb. “This landmark cooperation between AAEP and USEF will enable horses to continue to compete in sport while living happier, healthier, and safer lives.” 

USEF’s decision to collaborate with AAEP and its charitable arm, Foundation for the Horse, allows the governing body to benefit from the Foundation’s existing process to solicit and review grant requests. The Foundation, which was founded in 1994, funds a variety of equine research projects, not just those impacting competition horses. Funding applications are reviewed by AAEP staff and veterinarians to verify eligibility, define research focus, and more. Then they are sent to a group of reviewers chaired by Dr. Anthony Blikslager from North Carolina State University to read, score, and comment. (Reviewers are not permitted to review or comment on their own projects, or those proposed by their colleagues at the same university.) After that, the collective of 25 reviewers gather at a two-day meeting to talk through the pros and cons of each project, potential outcomes, impacts, and importance. Projects are ranked on scientific merit, grantsmanship, and feasibility, and then the group makes tough decisions about which projects will be funded, based on the Foundation’s budget for that year.  

A group of industry stakeholders representing the Chromatic Fund reviewed the final rankings and selected the two successful projects based on available budget and impact for competition horses. This advisory board included:  

• Tracy Turner, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR, President-Elect of the AAEP and The Foundation for The Horse 

• Bill Moroney, CEO of the USEF 

• Sonja Keating, COO, and General Counsel of the USEF 

• John E. Madigan, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACAW, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis. Board Certified Animal Welfare specialist with a focus on equine. 

• Jack Snyder, DVM, Ph.D., DACVS, practicing FEI-certified treating veterinarian 

• Norman Dello Joio, Olympic and world champion trainer and rider 

• KC Branscomb, sport horse breeder and owner 

“Working through the Foundation’s review process gives us confidence that the research we’re supporting is well-structured to give us actionable results that can be submitted to peer-reviewed academic journals and taken into the field,” said Moroney. 

This year, the Foundation received 64 grant applications and was able to fund a total of 15 projects at 11 institutions. Other foundations which specialize in equine research face similar disparities between the number of requests they receive and the number of projects they’re able to put in motion. Some research is funded directly at the university level, but much is left undone because of a general lack of funding. Assistance from resources like the Chromatic Fund can make the difference between a question and an answer about horse health. 

The process from funding to research to results analysis can take an average of two to three years. Results from Chromatic Fund projects will be available to the public when the studies are complete, and preference has been given to projects most likely to produce results that could be accepted in a peer-reviewed academic journal for maximum impact. 

“Our members have consistently told us that they see the support of equine health as part of our responsibility as a national governing body of equestrian sport, and we agree with them,” said Moroney. “We are examining additional 2026 projects that have been reviewed by research experts and hope to have additional announcements about funding in the coming weeks.”