TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1005

At the AQHA Convention in St. Louis last month, Frank Costantini, president of the Reining Horse Sports Foundation, shared his enthusiasm for the collaborative effort that is bringing reining closer to becoming an Olympic discipline.

Emphasizing the spirit of cooperation that has existed between the National Reining Horse Association, AQHA, and the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), Costantini asked convention attendees to take a drive down the “Road to Aachen (Germany) and Beyond,” the site for the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

To reach that destination, the FEI World Reining Masters Finals took place during the 2004 NRHA Futurity & North American Affiliate Championship Show in Oklahoma City. The finals, open and restricted divisions featured a combined purse of $100,000. The original goal was to have 15 countries compete.

“We exceeded that goal with 16 countries entering 21 individuals in the competition,” Costantini said. “The event exceeded all of our expectations. Spectators traveled from all around the world to cheer on their representatives.”

A $100,000 donation from the Classic S Ranch of Germany to the International Development fund of the RHSF provided each of the 16 competitors with $2,500 for expenses.

The countries represented included: Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

According to plan, the second FEI World Reining Masters Finals Presented is September 22-25 in Manerbio, Italy.

“The FEI World Reining Masters Series lays the foundation for the 2006 WEG initiative,” Costantini said, “which is to have a minimum of 15 countries compete in Reining at the 2006 WEG. Through its International Development Program, the Reining Horse Sports Foundation, through generous donors, will be able to fund the production of the event in any way deemed necessary.

“Anyone wishing to impact bringing reining to the Olympics has an opportunity to make history by supporting Reining at the WEG through their charitable contribution to the RHSF,” he added.

It is only through the FEI World Reining Masters Series that the dream of reining becoming an Olympic equestrian discipline can become a reality.

“Our efforts are moving forward thanks to the members of the FEI Reining Committee,” Costantini said.

It also takes the support of AQHA.

“With American Quarter Horses being the foundation breed in reining competition, AQHA will gain great exposure for its horses as reining continues to gain recognition worldwide. Hopefully, one day, we will see an American Quarter Horse carry a rider to an Olympic Gold Medal,” Costantini said.

The RHSF is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and enhancing the sport of Reining worldwide.

Taking Care of Pregnant Mares

As breeding season begins, James Brendemuehl, D.V.M., Ph.D., an equine veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, is often consulted about broodmare health.

Brendemuehl explained that nutrition is key to ensuring a healthy pregnancy. Proper nutritional support of broodmares improves fertility and promotes normal growth and vigor of the developing fetus. During the first eight months of gestation, mares' energy needs are the same as those for maintenance, but energy requirements gradually increase over the last three months of pregnancy, when up to 65 percent of fetal growth occurs.

The growing fetus increasingly takes up abdominal space during the last trimester, requiring the feeding of some grain and good quality hay. Mares in late gestation also need increased protein intake: 10 percent to 12 percent percent crude protein in the last three months compared with about 8 percent for maintenance and early pregnancy.

Brendemuehl recommended focusing mineral intake on calcium and phosphorus. Mares should receive calcium at a rate of 0.2 percent for maintenance and early pregnancy and 0.4 percent for late gestation. To maintain proper phosphorus:calcium ratios for bone health, phosphorus levels should not exceed calcium levels in late gestation. Because legume hays such as alfalfa are high in both calcium and protein, feeding these in late gestation may eliminate the need for calcium and protein supplementation in the diet.

Of course, mares should always have fresh clean water and salt available.

Regular deworming is also essential for a healthy pregnancy, and is second only to good nutrition for proper management. Most deworming medications are considered safe for use during pregnancy. A deworming program should be tailored to the individual requirements of the farm or stable and monitored by periodic fecal examinations to determine parasitic egg levels. Sound pasture management, including low stocking density, pasture harrowing, and regular rotation, should be used in conjunction with deworming protocols to establish an effective anti-parasite program.

"Administer ivermectin to the mare on the day of foaling to minimize the parasitic load of Strongyloides westeri, which can be transmitted to the foal via the milk in the first few days after foaling," Brendemuehl said.

Preventive health care for the pregnant mare also includes regular immunization to protect both the mare and the newborn foal via the colostrum. To optimize colostral antibody concentrations, vaccines should be boostered 3-4 weeks before the projected foaling date.

Brendemuehl recommended the following core vaccines for pregnant mares:

• Equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1), the primary form of equine herpesvirus associated with abortion and also associated with foal mortality and encephalomyelitis in adult horses.
• Encephalomyelitis, a neurologic disease also known as sleeping sickness. Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan encephalomyelitis are of greatest concern among these diseases transmitted by mosquitoes.
• West Nile virus, another neurologic disease transmitted by mosquitoes.
• Tetanus, a disease with high exposure and life-threatening consequences to the mare and foal.
• Rabies, which has recently been detected in horses in Illinois and Texas this year.

Horse Owners Up for the ‘The Ultimate Country Wedding’

Wednesday is the last day to vote for one of four couples to win Great American Country’s “The Ultimate Country Wedding.” Two of the couples have horse backgrounds.

Lynette Stand of Lawrence, Kansas, owns a 1998 Quarter Horse gelding and is up for the wedding package with her fiancé Aaron Landis, who is also from Lawrence. Rodeo bareback rider Ryan Ehmann of Corpus Christi, Texas, and his fiancé Summer Smith are also finalists in the contest.

Click here to read about these couples and two others and cast your vote for your favorite.

Triad Specialty Products Licenses Feed-Through Fly Control Product to Pfizer

Piedmont Pharmaceuticals' wholly owned company Triad Specialty Products announced on Thursday that it has licensed its new equine feed-through fly control product to Pfizer Animal Health.

Triad developed the product and received regulatory clearance to market it early last year. Originally marketed as Serene Feed-Through Fly Control by Triad Specialty Products, it will now be marketed under the name of Solitude IGR by Pfizer Animal Health. The product is a non-organophosphate oral fly control for horses designed to drastically reduce fly populations in and around barns and stables.

The product targets immature flies--the critical gap in fly control programs. Conveniently given with a horse's feed once a day, it passes directly through the horse and is deposited in the manure where flies lay eggs and breed. Laboratory studies demonstrate 100 percent efficacy in arresting the development of both house flies and biting stable flies, and extensive use in the field confirms the product provides a high level of fly control in and around horse stables and barns.

Solitude IGR is non-toxic to horses, other mammals, and beneficial insects. It uses an advanced method of fly control that has been used extensively in other animal species.

For more information on Serene Feed-Through Fly Control, click here or call (800) 208-2270.

Q-Talk Will Return Friday

I will be out of the office for the next couple of days. Q-Talk will return on Friday.

— Tonya Ratliff-Garrison