Hair Samples 

• Pull 30-50 hairs from the mane or tail, pulling 5-10 hairs at a time. 
• Make sure there are some pulled hairs with a bulb or follicle at the end. (This is where we obtain the DNA.) 
• Do not use shedded hairs (from brush, etc.). 
• Align the bulb ends of the pulled hairs together and trim other end so that sample is 3-4 inches long. 
• Tape hair on paperwork and do not tape over follicle.
• Place in standard envelope labeled with horse’s ID. Send via First Class Mail or Express, if desired.

Whole Blood or Serum Samples

• Save polyfoam container as this will be used to forward blood samples to lab. 
• Before collecting blood, carefully identify the horse and print horse’s name on tubes. 
• Draw blood samples using a clean, sterile vacutainer needle under aseptic conditions. The red stopper tube is for a clotted sample and the yellow stopper tube contains anticoagulant. Do not remove stoppers from tubes. 
• Fill blood tubes within ¼ inch of top. Check to be certain the stoppers are secure. Slowly invert yellow tube several times. 
• After obtaining the blood samples return the tubes to the polyfoam container and refrigerate a few hours before shipping. 
• Mail samples so as to arrive at laboratory no later than Thursday of any week and not just preceding a holiday. (We do not want samples sitting at post office over weekends or holidays.) Samples can not get hot or freeze. 
• Be sure to mark package: PERISHABLE – RUSH – KEEP FROM HEATING OR FREEZING 
• Ship package via First Class Mail or Express, if desired.

Other Samples (extra charges apply) 

• BONE: Package carefully in box. Place correct paperwork and labeling on sample.  
• TISSUE: Freeze tissue and mail overnight on ice. Place correct paperwork and labeling on sample. 

All samples originating outside the United States MUST be accompanied by a USDA import permit. Contact Dr. Kathy Graves, (859) 218-1193, ktgraves@uky.edu.

Mail Samples to:

Genetic Testing at Gluck 
Gluck Equine Research Center 
University of Kentucky 
Lexington, KY 40546-0099 USA

Contact Info:

(859) 218-1212 
Fax: (859) 257-8542