BATON ROUGE -The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine began its Third Annual Stallion Service Auction on October 15 and will continue through November 15.

The event is a multiple-breed, internet-based benefit auction for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's Equine Health Studies Program. Money raised will go toward the expansion and renovation of the Hospital?s Equine Clinic, including the Equine Intensive Care Unit.

Through a Web site, http://equine.vetmed.lsu.edu, stallion owners donate a breeding session with their stud - either by live cover or by artificial insemination - to be bid on by mare owners locally, nationally and internationally for the upcoming 2004 breeding season. Auction bidding begins on the service at 50 percent of the standard stud fee so interested bidders have an opportunity for reduced-rate breeding.

"The Stallion Service Auction is one of the EHSP's most successful fund-raising activities to date. One reason for its success is that these stallions, and the bidders, are not solely from Louisiana, but throughout the United States and Europe," said Jill Blackmer, certified veterinary specialist in equine medicine and professor at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. "A bidder need only visit the Web site to receive a superb price on stud service."

Bidding began October 15, but donations are still welcomed and invited. The event, now in its third year, has raised more than $50,000 toward the new intensive care unit. The school is still working to raise another $200,000 toward the project.

The mission of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is to provide superior education in veterinary medicine and related fields, to offer a wide range of superior services to the general public and the veterinary medical community, and to maintain a relevant, high-quality research program in basic and applied fields.

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