The New Zealand Equine Trust has funded a 10-year Chair position, the New Zealand Equine Trust Chair in Equine Health, Welfare and Performance at Tāwharau Ora School of Veterinary Science (SoVS), to advance the field of equine science.

Professor Chris Rogers, from Massey University, has been appointed to the post, which aims to foster a world-class research programme, addressing the health, welfare and performance of horses, while reinforcing New Zealand’s reputation as a leader in equine research.

Professor Chris Rogers appointed to the role

Professor Rogers, who officially took up the position on 1 January, is a long-standing member of SoVS.

He will dedicate the next decade to advancing research and promoting collaboration between the university and New Zealand’s equine industry.

With a PhD in equine biomechanics and postdoctoral experience as a Huygens Fellow at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, he has a long history of research in equine health and performance.

In conjunction with an established equine research history[CR1] , he has an extensive background in racing and equestrian sport, and often spends weekends designing courses at show jumping shows throughout the country.

The primary focus of his work has been on the environmental and training factors that influence tissue development and career longevity in both racing and sport horses. His multidisciplinary expertise and leadership are expected to significantly contribute to advancing New Zealand’s equine research agenda.

He has been with Massey since 2000, and has taught across a diverse portfolio of courses including veterinary anatomy and physiology, animal production, agricultural and veterinary sciences and veterinary epidemiology.

Professor Rogers has undertaken a number of pivotal research projects addressing key industry issues such as the benefit of early exercise on reducing injury and nutrient management of commercial stud farms.

His recent research focus has been on identifying risk factors for race day injury and examination of racetrack surfaces.

In association with the Sport Science Group, Professor Rogers and the research team have been examining the use of smart materials (clothing with integrated GPS, heart rate and electromyography) to measure workload in jockeys and identify how they can reduce the risk of injury to jockeys and horses.

Many of the findings from this project have been directly applied to the physical conditioning programme for New Zealand‘s apprentice jockeys.

Source:  Massey University