(Stephenville, Tx) – Researchers at Tarleton State University’s Equine Center are looking into the use of CBD to treat horses with arthritis or anxiety.

It’s a unique study that has the attention of horse owners around the world.  Dr. Kimberly Guay is overseeing the research.  Dr. Guay’s study seeks to quantify how CBD affects inflammation, stress and stereotypical negative behaviors in horses.

Student researchers from Tarleton’s equine science classes give horses in the trial different kinds of CBD, such as oil or pellets. Then they measure the physiological effects of the non-psychoactive substance on the horses’ heartrate and cortisol levels.  They also observe the horses after dosing them with CBD to note its effect on any common obsessive-compulsive behaviors common to horses that spend time in a stall or trailer.

Dr. Guay said she expects to publish the results of the study sometime in 2021.  The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp production in Texas.

*story courtesy of TSU Media Relations