ARCHIVE EQUINE NEWS STORIES

The Ontario Veterinary College’s equine cardiology team was in the spotlight at the 2007 Royal Winter Agricultural Fair in Toronto.

At a special event held in conjunction with the Kubota Cup national show jumping final, University of Guelph supporters were treated to a special screening of The Heart of the Horse, a 10-minute video highlighting the innovative work of Drs. Peter Physick-Sheard and Kim McGurrin.

The video, produced in conjunction with Timeline Communications, explores the heart as the primary determining factor in a horse's ability to perform athletic work. It profiles the researchers' efforts in monitoring the heart rates of horses during races as well as their pioneering work in transvenous electrical cardioversion for treatment of irregular heartbeat.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to pull together all the research we've been doing," said Physick-Sheard. "It was also a very good opportunity for the university."

The video was screened in a luxury box at the Royal before key supporters as well as University of Guelph President Alastair Summerlee and Chancellor Pamela Wallin. Physick-Sheard said the college needs to put more effort into celebrating its many success stories.

"It's not just us," he said. "It just happened to be our group that has been profiled a lot lately but there are lots of others at the OVC who are doing leading-edge work of international significance."

- Barry Gunn