Equine Science University 2001

Livestock Update, February 2001

Larry Lawrence, Extension Animal Scientist, Horses, VA Tech

Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Horse Council are coordinating a seminar series during February and March that will bring educational opportunities to every area of the state.

The programs begin on February 10, 2001 in New Kent at the New Kent High School. The agent contact is Kelly Liddington at 804/333-3420. The New Kent seminar will focus on horse care and management for the small farm owner. Pasture/forage management and equipment applications for smaller scale farms, getting more done with less are practical topics that all landowners must be concerned with. Nutrition of horses ties in well with forage management topics and addresses one of the most costly aspects of horse ownership. In addition, the horse industry has been under the assault of a group of "New Diseases" that need to be part of every horseman's vocabulary. Then, the seminar turns to basic health management issues of lameness and wound management topics that will be addressed by faculty of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

February 17, the seminar will be held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA. Rick Heidel is the agent contact at 540/245-5750. The Virginia Horse Center seminar will include performance demonstrations and training technique demonstrations and discussion. Hurley Ward, former Virginia Tech Riding Program instructor, trainer, judge and clinician will demonstrate the use of gymnastics for the horses and rider as a training technique. Hurley is an excellent instructor with years of experience and an excellent teaching style. Bill Heizer is a top trainer and horseman from the Shenandoah Valley. Bill has started and retrained hundreds of horses in every discipline. He is also an excellent teacher and communicator that will help attendees learn how to start a young horse and deal with behavioral problems in older horses. Rick Heidel is a year end high point winner in Reining in the Virginia Quarter Horse Association that has shown throughout the country including such events as the Quarter Horse Congress. He will take participants through a series of reining maneuvers and break them down into simple command response terms. Dr. Wally Palmer, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, a local favorite in the Lexington area, will return to talk about the new threats associated with the diseases EPM, EIA West Nile Virus and EE. In addition, Dr. John Dascanio, also from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, will simplify the complicated nature of wound management in horses.

The Farmville seminar on February 24 is designed to provide something for everyone. Basic information for beginners and youth will be presented along with more technical talks. The Farmville seminar provides two tracks at each time slot, for example Dr. Palmer will discuss the "New Diseases" West Nile Virus, EPM, EIA while local horsewoman Bev Schau demonstrates and provides hands-on training in wrapping legs. Dr Rhonda Hoffman, Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (M.A.R.E. Center) Virginia Tech, will discuss Horse Nutrition and Management at the same time trainer Anne Coley will demonstrate Horse Safety, Groundwork & Behavior. Dr. Palmer will work with horse owners to help them understand the identification of lameness in the horse, how to evaluate it and types of treatments to consider. Dr. Chris Teutsch, Forage Specialist at Virginia Tech, will help horse owners develop the perfect pasture for their horse. In addition, Quiz Bowl type activities, plant identification, and stall management will be discussed by Cynthia Greg and Jennifer Morris, well known Extension Agents in the area. For more information, contact Jennifer at 804/645-9315.

The March 2-3 Virginia Beach seminar is also the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Horse Council combined with a Tidewater Horse Council Meeting. The schedule for March 2 will include Horse Council Meetings where the future of the Virginia Horse Industry and key efforts of the Horse Council are worked out that will occur from 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center. Saturday March 3, 2001 will be the educational seminar. Dr. Scott Pleasant, Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is a surgeon and farrier with an unique understanding of lameness problems of the performance horse. Dr. Jack Chellew, national specialist on gastric ulcers, from Merial will talk about the potential of gastric ulcer development and treatment in horses. Dr. Chris Teutsch will discuss pasture management challenges for the Tidewater area of Virginia. Basic Nutrition and a research update from one of the top Equine Research facilities in the country will be discussed by Dr. Rhonda Hoffman, Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (M.AR.E. Center) Virginia Tech. The afternoon program will also include updates on the "New Diseases" that probably hold the biggest threat to horses in the Tidewater area of the state, including EPM, EIA, and the West Nile Virus. Dr. Jim Bowen, Equine Extension Veterinarian, Virginia Tech, will review the "New Diseases" to round out the afternoon. Dr. John Dascanio will cover wound management options for a variety of common injuries to the horse. For more information contact Rex Cotten 757/294-5215 or Brenda Finley 804/330-0645.

The March 10 seminar at Abingdon will focus on Disease Prevention discussed by the faculty of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Owners will learn about difficult wound management, and lameness problems in horses. Nutrition and Pasture Management for horse farms will also be a focus of the seminar. Phil Blevins 540/676-6309 is the contact agent.

The March 14 program at Middleburg will also focus on the 'New Diseases", Equine Nutrition, Pasture Management and Wound Management. This seminar will feature faculty from Virginia Tech's Middleburg Agriculture Research and Extension Center (M.A.R.E. Center), the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture and Natural Resources Agents from the Northern Virginia Area. For more info on this seminar, contact Gary Hornbaker 703/777-0373.

This series of state-wide seminars are jointly sponsored by Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, the Virginia Horse Council, and the Virginia Horse Industry Board.

DATE	FEB 10	FEB 17	FEB 24	MAR 2-3	MAR 10	MAR 14
Location	New Kent	Lexington	Farmville	Va. Beach	Abingdon	Middleburg
Pasture Management	X		X	X	X	X
General Nutrition	X				X
Disease Update (EPM; EIA; WNV; EE)	X	X	X	X	X	X
Performance Related Lameness	X		X		X	X
Reining -(Demonstration)		X
Gymnastics For Riders - (Demonstration)		X
Starting the Young Horse		X
Behavioral Problems of the Older Horse		X
Horse Nutrition 101			X	X		X
Wound Management		X		X	X	X
Gastric Ulcers - Why & What Can Be Done				X
Stall Management			X
Bandaging Legs - (Demonstration)			X
Horse Safety, Groundwork & Behavior			X
4-H Tidbits			X
Small Farm Equipment	X

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