Kansas State breaks ground on $2.8 million equine facility

A rendering of the new arena at the facility.

The Veterinary Health Center at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, broke ground on a new $2.8 million equine facility on Nov. 9, according to a university release. Private donations funded more than $800,000 of the project, “The rest of the funding is being provided by the hospital, but there are naming and memorial opportunities still available,” Kristin Loving, director of marketing and communications for the Veterinary Health Center, tells dvm360.

The Equine Performance Testing Center will contain an indoor riding arena with hard and soft footing to better diagnose lameness issues, as well as an indoor examination area, radiology suite, farrier space and consultation space the release states.

The testing center will provide safe, year-round access to consistent shelter and footing for patients as nearly 50 percent of the services provided annually by the Veterinary Health Center's equine clinicians are related to performance-related disorders, according to the release.

Loving says some of the biggest driving forces behind the project is a goal to provide the best equine care in the Midwest, specifically through providing superior lameness care and treatment options. In addition to the testing center, the Veterinary Health Center has recently purchased an equine CT table and brought on Elizabeth Santschi, DVM, DACVS, an equine orthopedic surgeon.