For the last two years, a Center for Equine Health scientific team, led by Dr. Hilde De Cock and Dr. Verena Affolter, has been studying this disease. They have employed several different investigative techniques in an attempt to find the underlying cause of this serious and debilitating disease. These researchers utilized histopathologic and radiographic imaging techniques to examine the skin, blood and lymph flow of the distal limbs of normal and affected draft horses. Detailed examinations of tissues from pathological specimens and skin biopsies are conducted using several different methodologies in an attempt to define and delineate the basic pathogenic features of the condition. This research team now understands that this condition is primarily a lymphatic disease, and that the pastern dermatitis, draft horse owners have been struggling with for years, is a secondary result due to the body's inability to properly remove fluids and oxygenate the skin of the lower leg. We know that the lymph system breaks down over time and that protein-rich fluid leaks into the tissues of the lower leg, which results in fibrosis of the tissues under the skin and thickening of the skin itself.

The clinical signs and pathologic changes resemble closely a condition known in humans as chronic lymphedema or elephantiasis nostras verrucosa. In order to develop a successful treatment or management strategy for these horses the research team recently started a thorough research project in cooperation with Professor Barry Starcher from the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Texas, USA and Professor Richard Ducatelle from The University of Gent, Merelbeke, Belgium. The project is generously sponsored by THE LEONARD X. BOSACK & BETTE M. KRUGER FOUNDATION, AYRSHIRE FARM, THE BELGIAN NATIONAL STUD BOOK and SEVERAL UNITED STATES DRAFT HORSE BREED ASSOCIATIONS, INDIVIDUAL DRAFT HORSE OWNERS and the UC DAVIS, CENTER FOR EQUINE HEALTH.