The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine plans to build a $10 million equine hospital in Shelbyville, Ind., not far from Indiana Downs.
The university, in a recent press release, said Indiana Downs owner Centaur Gaming is providing $2.7 million of the construction cost. It will be named the Centaur Regional Equine Diagnostic and Surgical Center.
"The $10 million center will house the most technologically advanced medical equipment to support diagnosis and treatment of equine patients, provide educational opportunities for veterinary students, and also enhance and expand our equine sports medicine research capacity," said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, in the release.
In addition to Centaur Gaming, Purdue will partner with Shelbyville and Shelby County to build the center.
The new center will be located just a few miles from Indiana Grand Racing & Casino as part of the Purdue equine sports medicine program based on the West Lafayette campus. It will offer advanced diagnostic imaging, shock-wave therapy, endoscopy, and specialized equine surgery in a one-story, 18,000-square-foot center.
"Centaur Gaming's gift toward the completion of the Centaur Regional Equine Diagnostic and Surgical Center represents not only our dedication to the Shelby County community, but the entire Indiana horse racing industry as well," said Rod Ratcliff, Centaur chairman and chief executive officer. "Centaur Gaming, along with our partners in the horse racing industry, is encouraged to see the same Purdue University excellence and high standards known throughout the nation take root in a new, local facility dedicated to the best in equine care."
Purdue's Large Animal Hospital was the site of the first arthroscopic surgery on a horse in the mid-1970s. In 1996 the college opened the Equine Sports Medicine Center with a technologically advanced high-speed equine treadmill. The center resulted from a provision supporting Purdue equine research that was part of the state legislation establishing pari-mutuel horse racing in Indiana.
