COLLEGE STATION At 8 a.m. on Feb. 17, Christine Moore was celebrating the birth of a Thoroughbred filly, offspring of Royal Academy and Beauty Cream, and at noon that day she was being celebrated for her most recent contribution to equine research. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences honored Moore at a luncheon for establishing a professorship in equine genomics at Texas A&M University.
Sherry Raska, the daughter of Christine and the late Warren Moore, said her parents started raising Thoroughbred horses while ranching almost 30 years ago in New Mexico.
“They started with one race horse and the business just grew from there,” Raska said.
Today, the Moores have about 25 horses, some in Kentucky and some at their residence in Fredericksberg, Texas.
Equine genomics is a branch of genetics that deals with the genetic material (DNA) of horses. Scientists working in this area are mapping the genetic code to help them determine which genes are responsible for such things as coat color, resistance to disease and ability to withstand the rigors of racing.
“I support this particular research because it focuses on the well being of the animal and ultimately could have a global impact on the future of this sport and industry,” Moore said.
Moore and her husband, a 1931 graduate from Texas A&M, made an initial contribution to equine research at Texas A&M in 1990 when horse racing in Texas was being revitalized. Now the income from that money is being channeled into equine genomics research.
Moore and Raska are hoping this research will result in finding ways to improve the soundness, defined as “a horse’s physical state of being free from fault, defect or injury.” Raska said she feels that some of the soundness has been bred out of horses because of the pressure on race horse breeders to improve performance.
At the luncheon, which was attended by the Moore family and researchers from Texas A&M, Moore received a plaque illustrated with a Benjamin Knox print of a class of 31 Aggie ring.
Dr. Bryan Johnson, head of the department of animal science at Texas A&M, said, “An event like this where we have an endowed professorship … is going to help put us in a strong position to recruit well-known people, scientists and teachers, in this area of equine genomics.”
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