For Immediate Release

Kentucky Breeders' Seminar Covers Key Issues

The KyQHA sponsored its second Kentucky Breeders' Seminar in February at the Executive Inn West in Louisville as a cooperative event with the Equine Initiative of the University of Kentucky. In spite of a record week of ice-related power outages across the Commonwealth, nearly 100 breeders and owners representing several breeds spent a Sunday getting the latest information on veterinary science, nutrition, foaling, control of diseases, current legislation, and business management

Director of the Seminar was Dr. Bob Coleman of UK. Bob is not only on the UK faculty and heavily involved in the Equine Initiative, he is also an at-large director of the KyQHA. His expert advice and conscientious efforts are deeply appreciated. For all the members who were unable to attend, printed summaries of some presentations from the Breeders' Seminar can be found on the KyQHA website.

Industry overview

Leading off the seminar was Ward Stutz, Director of Education for the American Quarter Horse Association. Ward's talk, "Trends in the Light Horse Industry," has been included as an article in this issue of the KyQHA Quarterly. Stutz advised the Kentucky industry to continue to strive to improve the economic and political climate for breeding horses, especially in light of the national economic downturn.

Patrick Neely, executive director of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, gave a brief overview at lunch about the political efforts to pass HB 158, as proposed by Rep. Greg Stumbo, Speaker of the House. This bill would allow the Kentucky Lottery to place video lottery terminals at pari-mutuel racetracks in the State. This bill is supported by the KyQHA because it could expand the Breeders' Incentive Fund, expand racing for Quarter Horses, and, it is hoped, remove the sales tax on horse feed.

Stallions

Dr. Mats Troedsson, Chair of the UK Department of Veterinary Sciences, spoke on "Reproductive Technologies for the Stallion." Troedsson, an international researcher in equine science, appeared for the first time on the program of a KyQHA seminar, as he accepted his position at UK barely a year ago. He enlightened the audience on the basics and the status of technology in the area of stallion management.

Also on a KyQHA program for the first time was Dr. Ed Squires, the Director of Advancement and Industry Relations for the Gluck Equine Research Center. From Colorado State University, where he earned a sterling reputation for his work on equine reproduction, Dr. Squires came in 2008 to the University of Kentucky, and to the equine industry in the Commonwealth. Squires discussed the management of breeding stallions of all breeds, focusing especially on "Stallion Behavior."

Vaccinations

Dr. Bonnie Barr of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington gave attendees an excellent overview of "Vaccination Protocols for Kentucky." Important, she said, are not only the vaccine choice, as warranted by the individual diseases but also the vaccine schedule, both of which can be affected by the use and movements of the horse. Certain vaccines are recommended to be given annually to every adult horse while others are to be given less often or only to foals or pregnant mares.

Mares

Optimal nutrition of broodmares was covered by Dr. Laurie Laurence, a professor in UK's Department of Animal & Food Science. Her talk, entitled "Feeding Mares Under Kentucky Conditions," varied the nutritional needs of mares among four different stages: 1) breeding, 2) gestation, 3) lactation and rebreeding, and 4) post-weaning. The needs of broodmares differ at each of these stages. Especially important are the needs to maintain adequate condition and to supplement forages as warranted.

The veterinary science and breeding management of broodmares was covered by Dr. Kristina Lu, a veterinarian with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington. Her address, "The Mare," provided an overview for broodmare owners preparing for foaling and the foaling process itself. Dr. Lu went over in detail a list of possible problems for a broodmare in gestation, as well as some of the problems encountered during foaling. She stressed the need for careful monitoring prior to parturition.

Business

The luncheon address was given by Harry Hopkins from Lexington, a successful franchise owner-operator of a large number of Applebee's restaurants from Kentucky to Arizona. He discussed problems and challenges in the foodservice industry, especially during the current "crisis,' which he termed an "opportunity." He urged the attendees to remember that the reason for doing things in business in a certain ideal way are often for end purposes that will ultimately determine failure or success.

The importance of business planning was stressed by Rich Wilcke of the College of Business at the University of Louisville. Working or "messing" with horses is great, he said, but any business is far more apt to succeed if the owners or managers devote time to their business plan. Creating a job for one's self is easy; building a business that's worth something takes planning. To build a substantial building requires a blueprint which can be consulted daily. The same is true for a substantial business.

Diseases

Dr. Rocky Bigbie, a veterinarian for Fort Dodge Animal Health, gave a rundown on "Developing a Farm/Ranch Protocol for Equine Viral Enteritis." EVA is a contagious upper respiratory disease that acts similar to influenza and rhinopneumonitis in terms of clinical signs, but which has the unique problem of being transmitted via sexual contact. Stallions can become chronic carriers and shed the virus in their semen. Managing EVA is not difficult, said Dr. Bigbie, assuming good management.

The final speaker on the day was Dr. Tom Stout, Kentucky state veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture. Dr. Stout reviewed the status and history of the outbreak of CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis) in Kentucky. He said that the initial investigation has traced the origin to Wisconsin, and that experts feel the outbreak can be contained if it does not spread to the Thoroughbred industry, the registry rules of which require live-cover breeding. Regular CEM updates will be posted on line.

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