1999 Virginia Horse Industry Seminar

Livestock Update, October 1998

Larry A. Lawrence, Extension Animal Scientist, Horses, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech

The Virginia Horse Council has had a tremendous impact on the Horse Industry in Virginia and throughout the nation. They have been leaders in Equine Liability legislation, the development of the Virginia Horse Center and the Virginia Horse Industry Board.

The Virginia Horse Council has sponsored and helped usher through legislation that benefits every horse owner. They helped institute the Good Samaritan Law, restrictions and training for Animal Control Officers and funding for the 1996 4-H Southern Regionals in Virginia. One of the Council's most important ongoing activities is the Horse Industry Seminar.

The 1999 Horse Industry Seminar will be held on February 5 and 6 at the Embassy Suites in Richmond, Virginia. This years' program is the most well rounded to date.

Dr. Hilary Clayton is a veterinarian, researcher and horseman. A graduate of the Glasgow University Veterinary College in Scotland, Dr. Clayton has worked as an academic veterinarian and researcher for the past 20 years. Currently, she holds the Mary Ann McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University.

Dr. Clayton's interest in equestrian sports goes back to her childhood days in England, when she competed in eventing, dressage and jumping. She still rides daily and uses her own horses to develop innovative conditioning methods. Dr. Clayton is a certified equestrian coach in Britain and in Canada, and had played an active role in developing the equestrian coaching program in Canada.

As a result of her interest in riding and training sport horses, Dr. Clayton chose to specialize in the area of equine sports sciences. She has an international reputation for her studies of locomotion and conditioning sport horses, and travels all over the world sharing her expertise with interested veterinarians, farriers and horsemen. She has published over a hundred scientific manuscripts on locomotion in sport horses, the gait asymmetries associated with different lamenesses, the effects of farriery on locomotion and the development of conditioning programs for sport horses. Her studies of conditioning are encapsulated in the book "Conditioning Sport Horses." A companion book, "Biomechanics of Sport Horses" is in preparation.

Dr. Clayton will talk about "What Makes a Good Mover." She has extensive research and practical experience that combined makes her an international authority on this subject. Dr. Clayton will also talk about an important issue facing all horse owners, "How Should We Condition a Horse for Soundness?" Lameness affects almost 100% of horses at sometime. Find out how to reduce those career-ending unsoundnesses.

In 1997, the Virginia Horse Council gave special recognition to Mrs. Sallie Sexton for her contributions to Virginia's Hunter Horse tradition. In 1999 Mrs. Sexton will return to tell us how to find ways to improve the horse industry and guarantee its existence through the next millenium.

Mrs. Sexton is originally form Granville, Ohio and moved to Virginia in 1976 to be near the heart of the Hunter world. She has successfully shown conformation and breeding horses for 20 plus years with 15 high scoring year-end awards. She is known as one of the top judges of hunters, jumpers, hunt seat equitation and conformation. In 1983 she was named ASHA Horsewoman of the Year and in 1991 was given the AHSA Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also inducted to the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 1997 and remains an outspoken defender of the horse part of the horse industry

Dr. Frederick Fregin, Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director, Marion du Pont Scott Equine Medical Center, is recognized as an international expert in equine exercise physiology. His talk, "You Gotta Have Heart," will focus on the equine heart and the cardiovascular system. He has evidence linking measurable heart characteristics to athletic potential. The cardiovascular system may be one of the limiting factors in performance and fatigue. Dr. Fregin will present an overview of the functions and diseases of the equine heart and the effects on performance.

Valerie Kanavy will be discussing conditioning. Mrs. Kanavy has 25 years of experience in Endurance Riding. She has logged 10,000 miles of competition alone. She is a winner of individual Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for World Championships. In 1996, she and daughter Danielle achieved international notoriety for their U.S.E.T. World Championships Gold and Silver individual medals and their Gold U.S. Team medal.

Ms. Kanavy has competed and lectured throughout the world on the sport of Endurance Riding "The Ultimate Conditioning Challenge." Please, plan to attend this exciting seminar February 5-6, 1999. For more information contact Darlene Jacobson at 804-975-4007.

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