NCHA Foundation Announces $50,000 In Continued Project Funding For Ignite Study

On October 30, the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Foundation announced an additional $50,000 in project support to the IGNITE Equine Clinicians Registry (ECR) Project and Suspensory Ligament Study and issues a matching challenge for others to join in backing of the project.

Initial support of the program’s pilot study, granted in 2023, was the first contribution made from the Foundation’s Dr. Glenn Blodgett Animal Welfare Fund. This second round of funding, committed specifically to further support of the IGNITE project, was generously committed by NCHA members and NCHA Foundation supporters.

“The NCHA Foundation is excited to continue its support of the IGNITE ECR project and looks forward to others in the equine community joining in support of this worthy endeavor,” said Julia Buswold, NCHA Foundation Director. “The importance of supporting funding for research that will ultimately assist in better course of treatment decisions for owners and equine practitioners, while also improving the longevity and quality of life of our equine athletes, cannot be understated. Without the generosity of donors who share in our mission, we would not be able to make an impact of this magnitude and for that, we are incredibly grateful. We hope that our commitment to the future of the industry will inspire others to join our efforts in support of IGNITE.”

IGNITE is a coalition of passionate equine veterinarians and researchers with a shared mission to facilitate and promote the development of equine athlete-centered projects as well as the next generation of best-practice guidelines, supported by science, to have a positive impact on the health, welfare, and longevity of performance horses. The ECR project’s successful pilot study consisted of experienced veterinarians tracking treatment protocols focusing on stifle and suspensory injuries treated with othobiologics or regenerative therapies and their effect on the horse’s return to performance events. Utilizing an innovative software system, designed to catalog case information and track results, ensured new information regarding trends, innovations, and successes were more rapidly and safely applied. Phase two of the project will focus on further collection and analysis of data on horses enrolled in the program as participating veterinary practices continue to track the long-term effectiveness of chosen courses of treatment.

“The IGNITE group is grateful for the continued support of the NCHA Foundation. The funding will directly support our mission for this program which is to create a platform for tracking the safety and outcome parameters of working horses following treatment of injury with an orthobiologic therapy. The end goal is to compile a large case sampling across top Equine Veterinarians around the world to enable veterinarians and owners to make therapeutic choices based on the largest, most current, and comprehensive data set available for horses,” IGNITE President, Mark Revenaugh, DVM said.