Welcome

Welcome to Kao Castle's biokao website. I'm currently wrapping up my PhD in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. My research project investigated the genetic basis of osteochondrosis (OCD) in Australian and New Zealand Thoroughbred horses.

I found that inherited factors contribute significantly to the likelihood of a horse being diagnosed with osteochondrosis.

It is possible to predict which horses are most at risk of developing or passing on this condition, and where the lesions are most likely to occur.

It should be possible to reduce the number of affected horses with small changes in feed and management.