Laequine augsep2017

Check Out Our New And Improved Website: www.theequinereport.com Therapeutic Riding...................................20 4-H..............................................................22 Cattle Producers of Louisiana...............................................36

FEATURED ARTICLES Q & A with Dr. Ty Theriot of B-Line Equine............................... Cover Meet The Member Stephanie Rodrigue............................ Cover LQHBA Insider.................................. Cover Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association...................................5 Oil Helps Things Run Smoother .............9 Gastric (Stomach) Ulcers: A Pain in the Gut!......................................18 LA High School Rodeo State Finals Results ..................................26 Horsemen’s Laboratory............................34 Six Problems that can be due to worms..............................................35 Delta Downs..............................................43 Harrah’s Louisiana Downs......................53 Horse Breeder’s Corner . .........................54 Executive Actions on Immigration and the Horse Industry............................48

Q & A with Dr. Ty Theriot of B-Line Equine by Barbara Newtown

Ty Theriot, DVM, graduated this May from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and right away joined Dr. Brendt Bonura’s mobile practice, B-Line Equine Veterinary Services. B-Line, located in Sunset, Louisiana, serves the Acadiana region of the state, from northwest of Opelousas to southeast of Lafayette.

Tell me about your background with large animals.

My parents have four acres in Carencro. When I was growing up, we had cows, horses, and pigs. I participated in the 4-H livestock shows.

My parents didn’t rodeo, but they had horse experience. We had an arena, and friends would come over after school to practice. We didn’t raise cattle for market, until about four years ago. Before then, we conditioned roping calves, used them for practice, and then sold them to other ropers. Continued on page 32...

Small Changes

LQHBA Insider-

[Emily McAtee continues her journey with Champagne, her “Retired Racehorse Project.”

Her goal is to compete with him in the Thoroughbred Makeover, October 5 – 8, 2017, at the Kentucky Horse Park. Visit https://www. retired racehorseproject.org/2017-thoroughbredmakeover for schedule, tickets, and profiles of all the trainers and their horses.]

THE WINS KEEP COMING FOR KENNETH ROBERTS, SR.

by Martha Claussen

by Emily McAtee

A little while ago I was bragging to someone about how much progress my little Retired Racehorse Project horse was making and how proud I was of him. And then this person asked what I’ve done with him so far, and my answer was so spectacularly profound, thoughtful, and clearly inspired by that moment that I still clearly remember exactly what I said. Continued on page 16...

Top Louisiana horseman Kenneth Roberts, Sr. was honored on Saturday, July 8 with his eighth Delta Downs leading trainer trophy! Unlike last year, when he edged Michael Taylor by one win, Roberts was out in front for much of the season. He won 61 races and was also the top money earning conditioner with $1.5 million in purses. His top performer, TM Ranch’s Heza Louisiana Dash won three stakes, culminating with an impressive victory in the $100,000 Louisiana Classic (G2). Continued on page 51...

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2 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

2017 LQHBA Yearling Sale A Huge Success We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who made the 2017 LQHBA Yearling Sale a huge success!

Thank you to our loyal consignors for your continued support, our buyers for their faith in our yearlings and our hard working staff for their sacrifices to make this all possible. www.robicheauxranchinc.com #LQHBAYearlingSale

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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4 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association would like to share the following list of dates of interest to Louisiana horsemen and women.

Brought to you by Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Whispering Oaks Farm, Texas Thoroughbred Assoc., and Equine Sales Company.

Aug 31 • Accreditation Applications Due • Equine Sales Consignor Select Yearling Sale

Reminder: 2017-18 LTBA Regular Membership Applications and Renewals Due. $75 before Sept. 30/$85 after Sept 30.

August 1

• Jockey Club Report of Mares Bred Due Would you like to sponsor a newsletter? Reach more than 3,000 readers.

Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, linda@louisianabred.com or Roger August 5 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.com for cost and availability.

• Stallion Awards to be Mailed Do you have a date pertaining to Louisiana-breds that you would like

included in an upcoming calendar? Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, August 5 • LTBA Board of Directors Meeting. Holiday Inn Express, Bossier linda@louisianabred.com or Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred. com for consideration.

City, 12:00 noon.

• Louisiana Cup Day. Louisiana Downs, Bossier City. 1st Post 3:15 p.m. Six stakes races for Accredited Louisiana Bred Thoroughbreds Any questions or need more info call Roger A. Heitzmann III, Secretary/Treasurer worth total purses of $300,000 Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association

504-947-4676, 800-772-1195 August 14 • Delta Downs stall applications due for 2017-18 Thoroughbred Meet August 21 • Texas Yearling Sale

August 18 • Fair Grounds Quarter Horse Meet Opens

The Louisiana Equine Report •August | September 2017

5

THE Part III

OF THE

by Dr. Kelly Hudspeth, DVM

Food Animal Changes for 2017

Tale

Last week we discussed getting a veterinarian to write something up to get a food for your cattle that has a VFD label on it. The VFD stands for veterinary feed directive. There are medicated foods in feed stores that are used on everything from chickens to cows and if the label has VFD on it, you can no longer buy it without a veterinarian.

These rules are new and will be enforced by the FDA. No longer is a veterinarian in danger of losing a certification or license. If the rules are not followed, a veterinarian can go to jail if these new restrictions are ignored.

Last week we reviewed an imaginary case where the VFD could not be given by the veterinarian.

This week we will go through an example of a case where the VFD could be done.

Mr. Williams had a sick calf that was in with a group of 10 calves he bought about a month ago.

Dr. Vet was called out and the calf showed respiratory signs, so Dr. Vet examined and sent off a culture that came back positive for Pasturella. Dr. Vet treated appropriately and the calf seemed to improve. Fast forward a couple of weeks. Another calf in the group is showing signs consistent with respiratory problems. Mr. Williams decides since this is the second time he is having trouble with this group of calves, he would like to feed a round of medicated food to the group of calves. Mr. Williams calls Dr. Vet and explains the situation and his wishes. Dr. Vet must go to the farm and examine the calf in question as well as the group even though he/she was just there a few weeks back.

Once Dr. Vet looks at the calves, it is likely that they could also be suffering from Pasturella. Since Dr. Vet has a culture confirming Pasturella in one of the group earlier, this is enough evidence to justify putting the group of calves on a food that has VFD on the label. The food that is chosen is labeled for respiratory problems and specifically for Pasturella. Dr. Vet may also want to do a culture on the calf showing the worse signs so that it can also be put in the record, but there is enough evidence to go ahead and write the VFD for the 10 calves at Mr. Williams farm.

Once the VFD is written, it must be kept for two years by Mr. Williams, Dr. Vet, and the feed store owner. Next week we will go over what must be done to write a VFD. Remember these are individual situations and all will be different and apply to owners of any animal, not just cows, that will need an antibiotic in food that is on the list of antibiotics that are allowed for use in food animals.

Food animals are any animal that can be eaten. This even applies to those that are only pets and will never be anyone’s lunch. These new rules that are in effect for 2017 are new for everyone including your veterinarian.

This is just the tip of the tale!

6 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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8 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Oil Helps Things Run Smoother

by Dr. Kelly Hudspeth, DVM

We oil our cars, our machines, and a lot of other stuff to keep them running smooth. What about our horses?

For many of you who know me on a personal basis or visit the clinic, you know that I have developed a love of essential oils. For those who do not, this is how essential oils made it into my veterinary clinic.

It did not really start in the clinic. It actually started with my feet.

About two years ago, I walked in some really bad shoes up and down our gravel driveway and ended up with what felt like multiple stone bruises that night. The next day the pain in my feet had not subsided and to cut the story short, my sister, a pharmacist, told me about an oil she had used for her feet and I purchased it that day. I have been exposed to essential oils since 2007 but had always attended continuing education classes on acupuncture and did not ever research the oils. I had a few sitting around my house and intended to use them for air fresheners. I bought the oil she used and I applied the oil that night and the next morning – Happy Feet! It actually was pretty amazing and I had no anti-inflammatories on board so the oil got the credit. That is the beginning.

I still did not know enough about oils to bring them into the clinic but I started reading about the use in animals. I am constantly looking for new technology or substances that improve health with no side effects. Also there are some things that conventional medicine simply has nothing to offer.

For example, my daughter was about to embark on her senior year in high school rodeo, and although we had a seasoned roping horse for her to use, she decided to compete on her home grown soulmate that had developed definite issues in the roping box.

Lelo had been Bethany’s all around horse for ten years. She started riding her as a three year old and had used her successfully in breakaway. But as time passed, Lelo would get anxious in the box after about 3-5 consecutive weeks of roping and it would end in front feet off the ground which is unnerving for the rider and parents. We had bought her an older horse for breakaway and she only used Lelo occasionally for roping.

To try to get Lelo ready for the senior year, all the training techniques and possibilities of injury had been ruled out and we were searching for something to reduce anxiety. And I did not want a drug. She

was perfect at home in the practice pen – the problem only came up at the rodeos. I had already started looking “outside the box” (pardon the pun) and had moved from acupuncture needles to patches that were helping with anxiety.

After the episode with my feet, I started researching anti-anxiety oils and essential oil use on horses.

Another long story short, I found some and with the oils and patches combined, Bethany not only competed on Lelo her entire senior year, but also made it to the National finals and ended up 29th out of 179 breakaway ropers. She was two for two at the finals and fell short by nine spots to make it to the short go. She got to do it on her horse that she had owned since birth and grew up with.

Both of these two experiences opened up my love of essential oils not only for myself and family, but also for my animals. “My animals” refers to mine personally and my patients.

The method I chose to use on Lelo was extremely simple and cost effective. I simply used my personal oil kit that was stocked with a lot of anti- anxiety oils already plus a variety of others. I opened a bottle of oil and offered it to Lelo as soon as she unloaded at the rodeo pen. By offering, I mean opened the bottle and put in front of her nose – not letting her touch it but very close so she could smell. If she immediately turned her head away, I put that oil up.

If she smelled the oil, I left it there for her until she turned away. By turning away, I mean completely turning her head away from me and the oil. Then I would offer another oil until she had accepted five oils. Continued on page 15...

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

9

HAY is for HOOVES! by: Mike Milazzo

Did you know that restricting forage (hay) is the MOST stressful thing you can do to your horse? And, as such, to his hooves?

OK, so your horse is ‘footy’ and is developing or has developed a hard, cresty neck. Your horse is fat. He is exhibiting signs of **EMS at worst or Insulin Resistance (IR) at the least.

We’re usually told to restrict hay, soak it down, keep the horse off grass and feed a no sugar, low carb (which can’t be true at all cause simple carbs turn to sugar in the body!) feed and then myriads of supplements are suggested of various kinds and types.

Yo! ... that is the opposite of what the horse and its hooves actually needs!

Food deprivation in humans has been well studied and shown to INCREASE fat. Studies in equine are less numerous but shows the same effects.

When horses are deprived of food it can lead to pain throughout their bodies but, in particularly, in their gut. Pain causes cortisol to increase thereby causing more stress. Over long term, the hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal axis is affected and the hormones are totally messed up in the body.

Interestingly, researchers from Louisiana State University found that mares having enough hay during the day but deprived of hay overnight showed the greatest degree of IR. IR leads to Laminitic attacks causing more pain and the cycle continues going round and round and round.

Restricting forage also results in loss of muscle mass. It is so common to propose forage restriction as an effective way to lose weight and the cresty necks and fat pockets. But it was shown that even though horses lost weight there were no changes in the body condition, the neck or even the girth circumference and fat pockets in the rum BUT ... instead, the longissimus dorsi muscle thickness was reduced. Continued on page 59...

10 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

THE Part IV

OF THE

by Dr. Kelly Hudspeth, DVM

New Regulations involving food animals in 2017

Tale

• Where the medicated food will be purchased • Product label

This is part four in explaining the new rules that are in effect this year for food animals. We have discussed the restrictions that exist starting January of this year regarding feeding medicated food to your animals that are considered food animals. Some, but not all, are fish, chickens, turkeys, pigs(even mini pigs), sheep, goats, and cows.

In previous articles we reviewed cases that show a diagnosis by a veterinarian is required for producers to feed a VFD labeled food. VFD will be on the label.

If it is not, this does not apply. The diagnosis must match the label. For example, if the label has VFD on it and the food is only labeled for anaplasmosis, then a diagnosis of anaplasmosis must be proven to feed the food.

A veterinary client patient relationship (VCPR) is required of any situation where a veterinarian is going to write a VFD form. This means that the veterinarian must see the animal and the environment the animal is kept in and know the client well enough to judge if that client will follow the veterinary recommendations and, in the case of medicated food, keep all necessary records. This means even if you have been bringing your dogs to the veterinarian for years and have a veterinary client patient relationship for the dogs, the veterinarian still has to make a trip to your farm and establish that same relationship with the cows or pigs or whatever the food animal may be. Just because it exists with the dogs does not cover the farm animals.

Assuming all requirements have been met and a VFD form is going to be written, there are certain things that must be included on the form. It is not a prescription(Rx). Prescriptions will be required for water additives. It has been recommended to use an electronic form so that it will not let you leave out required information.

The client will need to provide the following for the veterinarian: • Production class of animals • Approximate number of animals to be fed the medicated feed prior to the expiration date.

• Weight of the animals • Feed intake • Location of the animals • If using other food additives

There will be an expiration date and a duration on the VFD. The expiration will give a length of time that the VFD is good. The duration is how long the food will be fed. For example if 90 days is the expiration and 5 days is the duration then the producer can give the food for five days in a 90 day period. After 90 days, a new VFD is required.

The label information must be a company in the USA. Once the veterinarian has the VFD completed, a copy must be given to the producer/owner and the provider/ feedstore. The veterinarian must retain a copy in the original form for two years. If the original form is printed, that is the form that must be maintained. If electronic, that is the form that must be kept. The buyer and seller of the medicated food must also keep a copy and have it available.

The owner must also keep a written record of what they used and how. So record keeping not only falls on the veterinarian. The owner must follow the veterinarian’s recommendations.

Remember, there is no allowance for verbal VFD communication in the VFD rule, even temporary.

Authorization will have to wait until you are able to provide the VFD to the client and distributor in an appropriate format. That means you can not pick up the food and do the paperwork later!

These rules were not put in place by veterinarians. In fact, many veterinary groups fought against these regulations. The FDA now has ways to track the use of medicated food. The distributors are required to report sales by species. VFD records and other records including veterinarian’s and owner’s will be under scrutiny.

Because many owners will elect to eliminate medicated feed, and a lot of veterinarians will choose not to participate in issuing VFDs, there will be a smaller pool to draw from so be prepared for the FDA to check you. Remember, misuse is illegal.

I hope that veterinarians can provide guidance and help to plan good preventative programs with vaccinations, deworming, and management advice to help eliminate the need for medicated food.

This is just the tip of the Tale concerning medicated food regulations for 2017.

This is just the tip of the tale!

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

11

12 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Meet the Member Stephanie Rodrigue

by Siri Stevens

Stephanie Rodrigue was selected as the 2016 Person of the Year for the National High School Rodeo Association. She has dedicated the past 20 years to rodeo, starting out as a secretary at the Louisiana High School rodeos and local amateur events. “She was married to me, and that’s what I did,” said her husband, Nicky. “She’s serious about anything she does.”

Stephanie was born in Crowley, Louisiana. She grew up reading books and studying to become a teacher. She worked her way up to Special Ed Supervisor, Elementary Supervisor, and then retiring two years ago as Parish School Superintendent. Her involvement in rodeo came through her husband.

“I was teaching ag, and I had kids that rodeoed that I taught and that’s how we got started,” said Nicky. “She figured if she was going to them, she would do something.”

She is the secretary for the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association and secretaries more than half of their rodeos.

“She is one of the hardest working, most dedicated people to high school rodeo that I know,” said Theresa Carpenter, who has worked with Stephanie for thirteen years through rodeo. “She volunteers for the Corbin Foundation as secretary for every event that we have. If you want to know something about the junior high or high school rodeo, ask her – she knows.”

Stephanie has served as the office secretary for the National High School Finals for ten years. Her days start real early in the morning and last late into the night. “Then she got involved in the foundation and is the current secretary of the foundation,” shared Nicky. “She puts out the minutes and she writes an article for the Times about the Foundation. She does all the correspondence for it. She was an English teacher and speech teacher, so she fell into it.” Stephanie has been married to Nicky for 25 years, and even though the couple have no children of their own, they consider all the kids they work with to be “their kids.” She volunteers for the Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles, which involves different fund raisers, and is president of the Lions Club. “She never relaxes,” says Nicky.

Stephanie and Nicky attend the WNFR every year … to work. Stephanie works with Kent Sturman and the PRCA at the Gold Card room. Along with the Gold Card Room, she helps with the other events produced by Hall of Fame, including the golf tournament and the Gala.

“She’s our hostess,” said Kent. “This will be her third year doing this. She’s courteous and takes care of all the little details with the caterers, door prizes, and all the needs of the 200 plus that eat there every night.” The Gold Card room has been a part of the WNFR for at least 30 years. Sponsored by Boyd Gaming, it is a place for Gold Card Members and one guest to go before the performance for dinner, trivia from prior years, and door prizes. The rodeo is available live stream for those that don’t have tickets and Stephanie stays there the entire time. Nicky helps Jennings Rodeo Photography at the World Series Finale at the South Point identify photos.

For Stephanie, her work is her passion and her passion is volunteering and helping others, she never thinks about herself first. Her plans for the future will be much of the same as it the past 30 years, volunteering, helping at any and all functions that involve her family, friends, and friends of family or friends.

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

13

THE Part V

OF THE

by Dr. Kelly Hudspeth, DVM

New regulations in Food Animal Medicine 2017

Tale

The past four articles have been on the new regulations involving medicated food in food animals. We have reviewed requirements for the legal use of food containing antibiotics that are considered important in human medicine. The reason for the regulations are based on antibiotic resistance and super bugs that are emerging.

This week I want to give you a list of food additives that are not going to be regulated and require a VFD form.

These are the drugs that are not “medically important” antibiotics: • Monensun( Rumensin) • Lasalocid (Bovatec) • Laidomycin (Catalyst) • Decoquinate (Deccox) •Amprolium (Corid) • Bacitracin • Mecadox (Carbadox) These should not have a VFD label. If the food is regulated it will have this statement, “Caution: Federal law restricts medicated feed containing this veterinary feed directive(VFD) drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.”

There may be one situation where VFD is not on the label. Some medicated food may still be out there that got labeled before the law went into effect.

You should still get a VFD for that food if it is on the list of “medically important drugs”. If in doubt, always call your veterinarian.

These are the medically important antimicrobials in feed that require a VFD: • Penicillins • Tetracyclines

Chloretracycline

Oxytetracycline • Macrolides

Tylosin

Timicosin

Erythromycin • Lincosamides

Lincomycin • Streptogrammins

Virginiamycin • Aminoglycosides

Gentamycin

Neomycin • Sulfonamides Only potentiated solfonamides are listed in GFI 152 however the FDA-CVM has indicated all sulfas are medically important.

This is the last part of this series on the medicated food regulations. As usual, it is only the tip of the tail in the vast amount of information on this subject.

14 The Louisiana Equine Report •August | September 2017

Continued from page 9...

Oil Helps Things Run Smoother by Dr. Kelly Hudspeth, DVM If needed, I would wait at least 20 minutes and repeat the process. I never did it more than twice.

The response to the oils would vary from a quiet response of simply smelling it to a dramatic response of literally trying to eat it by taking it out of my hand.

If you try this, be sure to hold on solid to the bottle!!! Afterward she would do anything from shake her head, stomp her feet, snort, or chew, to multiple yawns.

Once she literally yawned 11 times in a row! Her eyes would also change. For horse people, you can tell by looking into your horse’s eye to get a hint of how they are feeling. I call the relaxed look a soft look.

As a result of allowing her to basically choose her own oils, our horse went from anxious on arrival at the rodeo pen to relaxed. Sometimes she would actually yawn when she unloaded before the oils were introduced. I considered it to be similar to the “Pavlov’s Dog” behavior. Although we were also using patches that were applied before she loaded, the oils worked well with them.

Another important aspect of essential oil use is to get a therapeutic grade. Other grades may only contain 3% of the essential oil and be 97% synthetic products and still make a claim of pure on the label. So research the company. The bottles should be dark. Once the oil is applied, your skin should not be “oily”.

Essential oils are absorbed really fast. I personally would never use anything less than 100% essential oil with my animals.

Some might worry that for a performance horse, too much relaxation would not be good. That was not the case for us. She had plenty of fire in the box, just not the negative kind.

Exploring the use of essential oils can be exciting and fun for you and your horse. Talk to your veterinarian for further information.

With all that being said, it is really important to research the essential oils before using them on your pets. There are numerous ways and techniques to use. They can be diffused, applied topically, given orally, and simply smelled out of the bottle which worked great for us.

I have since used the oils topically also. Everyone at the clinic loves to get the oils out when we have a horse that is anxious over being in the stocks or getting blood drawn. Some horses respond great and others not so much. We have only had one occasion when the oils were not accepted by the horse at all.

Because oils are not regulated and anyone can purchase these oils, you really need to educate yourself. There are some good books available, but my favorite so far, is the Animal Desk Reference on essential oils for animals. This book is written by a veterinarian, Dr. Melissa Shelton, DVM. The most important thing to remember is that you should read, read, read! Oils are expensive and range from $10.00 to over $100.00 a bottle with most falling in the $25.00 range. The good thing is there are virtually no side effects but you want to get good results.

Catahoula Veterinary Clinic: 2606 4th Street | Jena, LA 71343 318-339-9643 DISCLAIMER:

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this article are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this article is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various topics, included but not limited to health and other essential oil benefits. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this article.

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

15

Continued from cover..

Small Changes

by Emily McAtee

“Eeeeerrrrgh.”

Fortunately, we changed the subject right after that.

But this bothered me. After a month of work I knew that Champagne had made a lot of positive changes, but trying to put them into words made them seem absolutely insignificant. Unlike the progress of many of the RRP trainers I see who are already taking their horses to competitions, my successes seem small in comparison. What was I supposed to say? “I taught my horse how to trot!” “He’s learned to let me touch his ears!” “We walked around the arena today and didn’t die!” They seem so insignificant compared to the things that other trainers are doing. I’m not doing flying lead changes or half passes or jumping or cutting cattle or anything so big and flashy and praiseworthy.

There are plenty of days when I’m lucky to work with Champagne at all. But after a few weeks of feeling ridiculous, I finally remembered something.

This is my journey. I’m not a professional with a $4000 horse training a world class jumper. I’m an amateur taking a $500 Rescued OTTB with all kinds of physical and emotional baggage and rehabilitating him. I’m using whatever knowledge and skills I’ve managed to acquire to give Champagne a life that doesn’t end at the kill pen. Champagne and I are genuinely doing our best, and to pretend that we should somehow be giving more would be doing us both a disservice.

So now we’re at about week 10 of our training (22 weeks to go!), and I can give a much clearer answer about the changes that we’ve made.

Training In terms of traditional training, I started with a horse that could be groomed and saddled and bridled and walk and gallop in a straight line. In all fairness, it’s not a bad place to start. Now I have a horse who can • Quietly allow a rider to mount (not his strong suit starting out) • Walk, trot, canter, and halt calmly according to my aids on the lunge line •Walk, trot, sidepass, back, do turns on the forehand and haunches, and perform some beginning lateral work • Hack out solo • Ride in groups without being absolutely convinced that he must race the rest of the horses

athletically and correctly is an entirely different story.

The movements can be learned in a pretty short time.

Athleticism can take years to develop, and training a horse to carry him/herself correctly is a work of art.

This has been a lot of the emphasis of our training (which is why Champagne and I haven’t even started cantering under saddle- he’s not quite strong enough yet). Coupled with good nutrition, a much needed visit from the equine dentist, and massage therapy (just what I can do myself- I dream on a budget, remember), the changes in just two months have been phenomenal.

Week 8

When I first got him, Champagne had horribly tight hamstrings and his poll was essentially locked into one position. Trying to ride him was like trying to maneuver box springs up three flights of stairs and through two narrow doorways set at different angles.

He would be heavy on the forehand, pull you forward with the reins, and absolutely gnaw on the bit, which was impressive considering how high he usually carried his head. On the rare occasion that he did bend his neck, it wasn’t a nice, pretty curve. It was three jagged lines dispersed somewhere between his head and his shoulders. He absolutely could run for a good long while (not because I asked, mind you), but a half hour walk/trot lunge session over poles would be absolutely exhausting. I had to focus on stretching and strengthening and developing his musculoskeletal structure if I wanted to even have a rideable horse, let alone one I could ever hope to take to a competition.

I think that Champagne looks much less like a stick horse and much more like the real thing, and my boss no longer cringes when she looks at him. I think he might even be slightly less cowhocked than before, but that might be wishful thinking. There’s still plenty to be done, but I think that’s a pretty good start.

Now Champagne • listens first to my seat, not my hands • moves quietly off of my legs • seeks contact, but no longer braces • is supple • is quick on the aids •can stretch • is starting to lift his back •can lengthen or shorten his gaits somewhat • is significantly more balanced • has developed flexibility in the poll and hamstrings And of course, in terms of what it’s done for him physically, well, the lighting isn’t good, but take a look.

Week 1

Physical Fitness Teaching a horse a particular set of movements is easy. Teaching a horse to perform those movements

16 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Emotional Health One of the most common things I hear about horses is that they have about the mentalities of two year old children. They don’t really know how to lie yet, they poop everywhere, everything goes into their mouth, and when there’s something they want, they can be surprisingly creative about how to get it. And just like two year old children, I think it’s important to nurture healthy relationship skills with our training horses.

Champagne is a bit of a timid soul and not particularly inclined to express himself. As a matter of fact, when he first came in, I’m not entirely certain that he actually knew how to express himself. One of the first days I had him I brought him inside and had him in the cross ties for grooming. We had some kids around the barn, and as soon as a new horse appeared, they were instantly fascinated and everyone wanted to come and pet his face and be his friend. Champagne was still for a few minutes, and I thought he was okay.

Then suddenly he freaked out, pulled backwards, and slipped right out of the halter and ran to the back of the barn to hide. Amanda herded all of the kids away and I herded my horse back to his stall, shaking my head at this disaster and thanking the powers that be that it wasn’t worse.

Fortunately, I at least knew that he wasn’t trying to be naughty or mean. All of those kids with all of their crazy kid energy freaked him out, and he was suffering from what I can only describe as “Stranger Danger.” He had never learned to express his discomfort quietly, like a toddler turning his head away from a new person and hiding behind his mom.

Champagne had learned to bottle it up until it was too much for him, and then when he had passed his stress threshold, he exploded and ran. Continued on page 24...

Equine Health

by Neely

Neely Walker, PhD: LSU Ag Center | Equine Extension Specialist

Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) in Horses Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) formerly known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Heaves a disease of the equine lung. RAO is a chronic, non-infectious airway condition in horses that is a result of an allergic reaction to inhaled particles such as mold or dust found in feed or bedding. Horses also suffer from another similar respiratory disease, summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease or SPAOD, which is also caused by the inhalation of allergens present specifically during the summer months. Once these allergens are inhaled, a reaction causes the small airways within the horse’s lung to constrict. As a result of the allergic reaction, lung tissue becomes inflamed and thickened, and excess mucus production occurs. RAO usually occurs in horses 6 years or older.

Symptoms of heaves include: • Coughing • Exercise Intolerance • Increased Respiratory Rate • Nasal Discharge • Wheezing • Weight loss •Flaring of the nostrils • Presence of a “Heave line”- enlarged abdominal muscles resulting from the horse “heaving” or pushing out the last bit of air out of the lungs at the end of exhalation.

it is recommended to move the horse out to pasture with fresh grass as its primary source of roughage. If the source of the allergens are pasture related moving the horse into a stall with low dust producing bedding such as peat moss, shredded paper, or cardboard might be beneficial. Feeding a “dust-free” diet may also be necessary. This may require soaking all hay in water prior to feeding, feeding a completely pelletized feed such as a complete feed, hay pellet, hay cube, or fermented hay products may also increase the chances of reducing the presence of allergens.

Medical treatments may also be required to alleviate the difficulty in breathing. Anti-inflammatory medicines, such as corticosteroids and bronchodilators are traditionally used orally or injected. Recently aerosolized medicines have been prescribed after the development of the Aeromask (a tight fitting mask placed over the horse’s nose that works much like an inhaler in humans). While the aerosolized treatments are somewhat cost prohibitive, they are very effective and have less risk of adverse side effects.

Unfortunately once a horse has been diagnosed with Heaves, it will have the disease for life. The long-term course of the disease depends upon management, improvement of air-quality, and reduced exposure to allergens. Despite the lack of a permanent cure for this disease, complete or near complete recovery from the clinical symptoms can be achieved with appropriate environment management and medical treatment. If As the disease progresses it becomes more difficult for the horse to you think your horse is suffering from recurrent airway obstruction or exhale, leaving the lungs overinflated. If this condition is left untreated, summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease contact your irreversible damage may occur to the lung resulting in permanent loss of veterinarian immediately. lung function.

While one specific cause of Heaves has yet to be determined, it is thought that this disease is the result of a hypersensitivity/allergic reaction to inhalants found in the barn (hay, straw, bedding, barn dust, etc.). Heaves primarily affects horses who are stalled for a long period of time, increasing the exposure to allergens. The two primary agents suspected in causing the hypersensitivity are mold, Aspergillus fumigatus and Micropolyspora faeni found in hay. The pasture associated allergens have yet to be narrowed down, but it is likely a combination of pollens.

References 1. Costa, L.R.R., Johnson, J., & C.H. Swiderski 2008. Managing Summer Pasture-Associated Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, an “Asthma-like” Disease of Horses. Respiratory Conditions. www.AAEP.org 2. Landolt, G. Treating your horse for Heaves. Colorado State University Equine Hospital Fact Sheet.

3. Seahorn, T.L. & R. E. Beadle. 1993. Summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease in horses: 21 cases (1983-1991). JAVMA 202(5):779-782

While there is no definitive cure for heaves, change in management techniques to reduce or eliminate the allergens from the affected horse’s environment often reduces or even resolves the clinical symptoms. If the horse is experiencing hypersensitivity to factors in its stall such as bedding,

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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Gastric (Stomach) Ulcers: A Pain in the Gut! Frank M. Andrews, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM LVMA Equine Committee Professor and Director Equine Health Studies Program Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803 • Email: fandrews@lsu.edu

Gastric (stomach) ulcers are common in horses and can lead to decreased performance, vague clinical signs and may go undiagnosed for months. Stomach ulcers are caused by stomach acids. However, the anatomy of the stomach, diet, restricted feed intake, exercise, stress (stall or transport), and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs; i.e. Bute and Banamine) are risk factors for development of ulcers. Because many factors are involved in their cause, the term Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) was coined in 1999 to describe the condition of erosions and ulcerations occurring in the esophagus (food tube), nonglandular (1st part of the stomach), glandular stomach, and proximal duodenum (small intestine).

All ages and breeds of horses are susceptible to ulcers and current treatment focuses on blocking stomach acid secretion and raising stomach pH. Drugs are needed to treat these conditions, however, a comprehensive approach including correcting the underlying cause, environmental management, and dietary manipulation is needed for successful prevention.

Horses continuously make stomach acid and acid exposure is the primary cause of ulcers. Also, performance horses are typically fed diets high in grain which can cause or exacerbate ulcers.

Stomach bacteria will ferment sugars and produce by-products, such as short-chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic and butyric acids), alcohol, and lactic acid which damages the stomach lining. Several species of bacteria (Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, E. coli) live in the stomach and contribute to ulcer formation. Stomach ulcers in horses are similar to the condition in people called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is caused by stomach acid splashing up and damaging the tender esophageal tissue leading to heartburn and ulcers.

Several risk factors for stomach ulcers in horses have been identified. These include exercise (especially

high speeds), feeding, diet, stall confinement, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Horses in training and racing are at high risk of developing ulcers. Compression of the stomach during running allowed acids from the lower part of the stomach to splash up onto the tender esophageal region of the stomach, a term called “acid splash”, and this leads to ulcers.

Horses grazing at pasture have fewer ulcers. During grazing, there is a continuous flow of saliva and feedstuffs that buffers stomach acid and maintain stomach pH > 4 for a large portion of the day.

Conversely, when feed is withheld from horses before competition, stomach acid decreases rapidly and ulcers occur. Studies have shown that stomach pH drops 6 h after feeding, thus horses should be fed hay continuously or every 5 to 6 h to buffer stomach acids.

Diets that are high in grain can lead to ulcers, however, this can be counteracted by feeding alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay buffers stomach contents and prevents ulcers. This also goes along with stall confinement, as horses that are confined to a stall usually get high grain diets and have limited access to pasture. Mixing alfalfa hay with grass hay is also helpful in preventing ulcers, especially in those horses that get “hot” on alfalfa hay.

Horses with chronic arthritis or lameness that are on NSAIDs (aspirin-like drugs) should be checked frequently, especially if they have vague clinical signs, or at least every 6 months to determine if they have ulcers. Phenylbutazone “Bute” or flunixin meglumine “Banamine” are typically given to control pain but can lead to stomach ulcers if used too long or too frequently. They increase acid secretion and decrease mucus protection in the stomach.

18 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Bacteria (Helicobacter spp.) has not been implicated in stomach ulcers in horses so the use of antibiotics is not indicated as in people with ulcers.

However, check with your veterinarian on the use of antibiotics, as he or she may recommend them to treat an underlying infection in some other part of the horse, as ulcers may be secondary to other diseases.

CLINICAL SIGNS (Symptoms) Clinical signs associated with stomach ulcers are often vague and include partial loss of appetite, mild colic, dull and/or rough hair coat, weight loss, poor performance, change in behavior, and halitosis (bad breath). Ulcers are more common in horses showing clinical signs. Of horses with a client complaint of conditions associated with stomach ulcers, or showing subtle signs of poor health, ulcers were identified in 88-92% compared to 3752% identified in horse’s not showing clinical signs.

In addition to an increased prevalence of ulcers in clinically affected horses, the severity of ulceration is correlated with the severity of the symptoms.

DIAGNOSIS Diagnosis of EGUS requires a thorough history, identification of risk factors, physical examination, and in some cases blood work. However, gastroscopy (endoscopy of the stomach) is the only sure way to diagnose stomach ulcers. An endoscope is a long tube (6-9 feet) attached to a bright light source with a camera at the end to see inside the stomach and view ulcers (Figure 1). Continued on page 19...

Figure 1.

Endoscopic view of the horse stomach.

Note the severe Stomach ulcers in the lesser curvature of a horse with loss of appetite.

Continued from page 18...

Figure 2.

Endoscopic view of the same horse after GastroGard® paste treatment. Note the absence of ulcers in the lesser curvature.

When gastroscopy is not available and ulcers are strongly suspected, it may be worthwhile to start empirical treatment and observe for resolution of clinical signs. If the horse does not respond to treatment, further evaluation by your veterinarian is indicated.

MANAGEMENT The mainstay of pharmacologic treatment of EGUS is to suppress hydrochloric acid (HCl) secretion and increase stomach pH. Because of the high recurrence rate, effective acid control should be followed by nutritional and dietary management strategies to prevent ulcer recurrence.

Omeprazole Omeprazole paste (GastrogardÆ, Merial Limited, Duluth, GA) is FDA-approved to treat stomach ulcers in horses. There is also a preventative dose of omeprazole paste (UlcerGard®, Merial Limited, Duluth, GA). Consult your veterinarian on which product is best for your horse.

Duration of Treatment It is difficult to predict how long stomach ulcer will take to heal, but the initial recommended treatment time for omeprazole paste is 28 days. Consult your veterinarian on the length of treatment that is best for your horse. In addition, management changes can help heal ulcers. For example, horses with stomach ulcers should be turned out to pasture and this will, in many cases, result in rapid healing. Treatment with omeprazole paste, in most cases, results if complete healing of stomach ulcers (Figure 2).

Environmental, Nutritional and Dietary Management Pharmacologic therapy may be necessary to heal

stomach ulcers, but ulcers may return within several days if management changes are not instituted. Environmental, nutritional, and dietary management can be initiated during therapy to help facilitate ulcer healing and prevent ulcer recurrence.

Adding alfalfa hay to the diet and pasture turn-out facilitate stomach buffering and saliva production, respectively. In addition, several supplements have been used with success to help maintain stomach health once ulcers are healed. These products contain natural ingredients such as sea buckthorn berry, pectin and lecithin, aloe vera, L-glutamine, Slippery Elm, and calcium carbonate.

Seabuckthorn berries and Pulp Figure 3. Sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides) growing in Tibet.

There is an increasing interest in the use of herbs and berries that have therapeutic application in man and animals. Berries and pulp from the seabuckthorn plant (Hippophae rhamnoides) are high in vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and other bioactive substances (Figure 3). Adding 4 ounces of sea buckthorn berries (SeaBuckTM Complete, Seabuck LLC, Midvale, UT) will help with stomach health and has been shown to prevent an increase in number and severity of stomach ulcers.

There are many supplements on the market containing pectin, lecithin and antacid (calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate).

The author recently evaluated a supplement containing pectin, lecithin and antacids (Egusin® SLH and 250; Centaur Corporation, Oakland Park, KS). These products, when mixed with sweet feed (4 ounces, twice daily) and fed to horses led to fewer ulcers after 5 weeks of feeding.

In addition, recently a supplement (SmartGut® Ultra) made by SmartPak, Inc., a proprietary mixture of sea buckthorn berries, pectin and lecithin, aloe

vera and glutamine reduced the number of ulcers after omeprazole treatment (https://www.smartpakequine.com/pdfs/SmartGut_ Ultra_Research_Summary.pdf). This product is ideal to use with and after omeprazole treatment to maintain stomach health. These natural products should not be used to treat stomach ulcers, but as an adjunct to maintain stomach health.

In summary, stomach ulcers are common in horses and leads to vague clinical signs. Feeding more hay and less grain (Figure 3) will help maintain a healthy stomach. Always weight your grain before feeding to make sure you are feeding the correct amount. Remember, consult your veterinarian if you think your horse has stomach ulcers and for the best treatment options.

Figure 3: Recommendations for horses to prevent Stomach ulcers.

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The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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20 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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4-H, FFA State Horse Show results released

Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu Western events, 13 years and under: Riley Brumfield, Lafourche Parish.

Western events, 14 years and older: Gabrielle Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish.

(07/13/17) GONZALES, La. – Results have been released from the 48th annual Louisiana 4-H and FFA State Horse Show held July 8-12, 2017, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.

Coordinated by the LSU AgCenter, the event was held at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.

Premier Exhibitor awards sponsored by the Gerry Lane Foundation are given to participants who display a true knowledge of the horse program. Each exhibitor is tested on skills and knowledge of horses through an exam, interview and résumé.

The 2016 Horse Premier Exhibitor is Caitlyn Dionne, of Calcasieu Parish, who received $50, a Premier Exhibitor jacket and belt buckle.

Other finishers were second, Delani Lasseigne, of Terrebonne Parish; third, Sarah Truett, of St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Eden Robinson, of East Feliciana Parish; fifth, Amy Claire Boudreaux, of Lafayette Parish. Each was presented a trophy.

The Louisiana Equine Council presented $125 scholarship awards to the following all-around high point winners: Timed events, 13 years and under: Bailey Gauthier, Catahoula Parish.

Timed events, 14 years and older: Delani Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish.

Ranch events, 13 years and under: Isabelle Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish.

Ranch events, 14 years and older: Gabrielle Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish.

Hunter events, 13 years and under: Cathryn Dionne, Calcasieu Parish.

Hunter events, 14 years and older: Caitlyn Dionne, Calcasieu Parish.

In addition to Gerry Lane Enterprises and the Louisiana Equine Council, other horse show sponsors included PotashCorp, Sunshine Quality Solutions, First South Farm Credit, Mosaic, Louisiana Land Bank and the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association.

Heather Dionne, from Calcasieu Parish, was named the LSU AgCenter Horse Leader of the Year. Dionne has had a seven-year career as a horse project leader, during which she participated in numerous club meetings, clinics, workshops and education tours, assisting 4-H members in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes to make the best better through their horse projects.

One of the founders of SOAR Therapeutic Riding, which offers a therapy program to disabled children and their families, Dionne also is active with the Louisiana Equine Council. Each year, her group organizes a public stick horse rodeo during the Southwest District Livestock Show and Rodeo.

A Master Horseman graduate and a certified therapeutic riding instructor, Dionne organizes overnight trail rides for interested members of the horse project group with which she is affiliated.

She has been an essential part of the Calcasieu Parish program for many years and is passionate about the program that helps youth develop many life skills, said AgCenter horse specialist Howard Cormier.

Other award winners are: Public Speaking, Junior Division: First, Hayley

22 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Hillman, Lafayette Parish.

Public Speaking, Senior Division: First, Amie Lobo, Livingston Parish.

The first-place senior division public speaking winner received a $125 scholarship premium.

Individual Demonstration, Junior Division: First, Zoe Cazayoux, Lafayette Parish; second, Hailey Hillman, Lafayette Parish.

Individual Demonstration, Senior Division: First, Jon Tucker Henderson, Natchitoches Parish; second, Theodora Dawson, Richland Parish; third, Isabella Dawson, Richland Parish.

The first-place senior division winner received a $125 scholarship premium.

Team Demonstrations, Junior Division: First, Kinsey Waits and Shelby Buroker, Vermilion Parish; second, Celine Auzenne and Haylee Bourque, Vermilion Parish; third, Juliana Easley and Abigail Lobo, Livingston Parish; fourth, Katelyn Schlang and Alyssa Gary, Calcasieu Parish.

The first-place senior division team winners each received a $125 scholarship premium.

Quiz Bowl, Junior Division: First, Hayley Hillman, Isabelle Gonzalez and Hailey Privat, Lafayette Parish; second, Shaoey Martin, Zoe Cazayoux and Everett Hillman, Lafayette Parish; third, Kaitie Schlang, Alyssa Gary and Cathryn Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fourth, Lily Robinson, Emma Knight and Katherine Guttziet, East Feliciana Parish.

Quiz Bowl, Open Division: First, Isabel Dawson, Theadora Dawson, Camille Watts, Taylor Nolan and C.J. Welch, Richland Parish; second, Sadie Prejean, Caitlyn Dionne and Cathryn Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Emily Lanie, Jacob Martin and Ryann Simon, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Eden Robinson, Julie Knight and Lily Robinson, Continued on page 23...

Continued from page 22...

4-H, FFA State Horse Show results released Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu

East Feliciana Parish; fifth, Aaron Blackmer, Ethan Blackmer, Hunter Bourque and Bradley Christ, Vermilion Parish.

The first-place senior division winners received $125 scholarship premiums.

Junior Horse Judging Junior Individual Halter: First, Isabelle Gonzales, Lafayette Parish; second, Kylee Triche, Lafourche Parish; third, Kaylie Ordoyne, Lafourche Parish; fourth, Alaina Lyons, Lafourche Parish; fifth, Haylee Bourque, Vermilion Parish.

Junior Team Halter: First, Kylee Triche, Alaina Lyons and Kaylie Ordoyne, Lafourche Parish; second, Carter Aucoin, Isabelle Gonzales and Hailey Privat, Lafayette Parish; third, Lane Frederick, Haylee Bourque, Jillian Broussard and Nathan Mouton, Vermilion Parish.

Junior Individual Performance: First, Jillian Broussard, Vermilion Parish; second, Haylee Bourque, Vermilion Parish; third, Isabelle Gonzales, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Carter Aucoin, Lafayette Parish; fifth, Kylee Triche, Lafourche Parish.

Junior Team Performance: First, Lane Frederick, Haylee Bourque, Jillian Broussard and Nathan Mouton, Vermilion Parish; second, Kylee Triche, Alaina Lyons and Kaylie Ordoyne, Lafourche Parish; third, Carter Aucoin, Isabelle Gonzales and Hailey Privat, Lafayette Parish.

High Individual Junior: First, Isabelle Gonzales, Lafayette Parish; second, Kylee Triche, Lafourche Parish; third, Kaylie Ordoyne, Lafourche Parish; fourth, Haylee Bourque, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Jillian Broussard, Vermilion Parish.

High Team Junior: First, Kylee Triche, Alaina Lyons and Kaylie Ordoyne, Lafourche Parish; second, Lane Frederick, Haylee Bourque, Jillian Broussard and Nathan Mouton, Vermilion Parish; third, Carter Aucoin, Isabelle Gonzales and Hailey Privat, Lafayette Parish.

Open Horse Judging Open Individual Halter: First, Charlote Streat, Livingston Parish; second, Tristan Forent, Lafourche Parish; third, Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; fourth, Lily Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; fifth, Ashlie Tycer, West Feliciana Parish.

Open Team Halter: First, Maelyn Sicard, Charlote Streat and Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; second, Lily

Robinson, Edan Robinson, Emma Knight and Julia Knight, East Feliciana Parish; third, Hunter Bourque, Cyla Covah, Clay Zaunbrecher and Bailey Christ, Vermilion Parish; fourth, Lauren Mendenall, Ashlie Tycer, Madison Pollet and Callie Delee, West Feliciana Parish.

Open Individual Performance: First, Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; second, Charlote Streat, Livingston Parish; third, Maelyn Sicard, Livingston Parish; fourth, Bradley Christ, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Callie Delee, West Feliciana Parish.

Open Team Performance: First, Maelyn Sicard, Charlote Streat and Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; second, Hunter Bourque, Cyla Covah, Clay Zaunbrecher and Bailey Christ, Vermilion Parish; third, Lauren Mendenall, Ashlie Tycer, Madison Pollet and Callie Delee, West Feliciana Parish; fourth, Lily Robinson, Edan Robinson, Emma Knight and Julia Knight, East Feliciana Parish.

Overall High Individual Senior: First, Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; second, Charlotte Streat, Livingston Parish; third, Tristan Foret, Lafourche Parish; fourth, Lily Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; fifth, Ashlie Tycer, West Feliciana Parish.

Overall High Team Senior: First, Maelyn Sicard, Charlote Streat and Malorie Langlois, Livingston Parish; second, Hunter Bourque, Cyla Covah, Clay Zaunbrecher and Bailey Christ, Vermilion Parish; third, Lily Robinson, Edan Robinson, Emma Knight and Julia Knight, East Feliciana Parish; fourth, Lauren Mendenall, Ashlie Tycer, Madison Pollet and Callie Delee, West Feliciana Parish.

A $125 scholarship premium was presented to each member of the first-place team.

Breakaway roping, 13 and under: First, Luke J. Dubois, Lafayette Parish; second, Kylie M. Cliburn, Ascension Parish; third, Alexis M. Lege, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Calvin J. “C.J.” Covalt, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Trevor J. Delee, West Feliciana Parish; Parish; sixth, Grace M. Dubois, Lafayette Parish.

Breakaway roping, 14 and over: First, Dominic R. Broussard, Iberia Parish; second, Bradley P. Christ, Vermilion Parish; third, Cody J. Waguespack, Ascension Parish; fourth, Coby J. Covalt, Vermilion Parish.

Tie-down roping, 13 and under: First, Calvin J. “C.J.” Covalt, Vermilion Parish; second, Luke J. Dubois, Lafayette Parish; third, Trevor J. Delee, West Feliciana Parish; Parish.

Tie-down roping, 14 and over: First, Cody J. Waguespack, Ascension Parish; second, Wyatt D. Broussard, Vermilion Parish; third, Coby J. Covalt,

Vermilion Parish; fourth, Dominic R. Broussard, Iberia Parish.

Stake race, 13 and under: First, Taylor C. Theriot, Terrebonne Parish; second, Madeline E, Hagan, Vernon Parish; third, Sierra R. Parrish, St. Martin Parish; fourth, Bailey M. Gauthier, Catahoula Parish; fifth, Logan G. Krieg, Lafayette Parish; sixth, Ashlé Hudspeth, Livingston Parish; seventh, Matthew G. Mahler, Lafourche Parish; eighth, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; ninth, Faith Dubois, Lafayette Parish; 10th, Emma Bankston, Tangipahoa Parish.

Stake race, 14 and over: First, Delani E. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish; second, Allison P. Copeland, West Carroll Parish; third, Lani Y. Trahan, Vermilion Parish; fourth, Kristen A. Domingue, Lafayette Parish; fifth, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; sixth, Jessi L. Bruno, Lafourche Parish; seventh, Isabel S. Dawson, Richland Parish; eighth, Lauren M. Mendenall, West Feliciana Parish; Parish; ninth, Lessie C. Neal, Catahoula Parish; 10th, Desi M. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish.

Pole bending, 13 and under: First, Allie B. Cliburn, Ascension Parish; second, Bailey M. Gauthier, Catahoula Parish; third, Kylie M. Cliburn, Ascension Parish; fourth, Katherine K. Guttzeit, East Feliciana Parish; fifth, Logan G. Krieg, Lafayette Parish; sixth, Ashlé Hudspeth, Livingston Parish; seventh, Landry Brouillette, West Feliciana Parish; Parish; eighth, Sierra R. Parrish, St. Martin Parish; ninth, Madison C. Hess, Terrebonne Parish; 10th, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Pole bending, 14 and over: First, Lani Y. Trahan, Vermilion Parish; second, Joella M. Seay, Union Parish; third, Delani E. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish; fourth, Kristen A. Domingue, Lafayette Parish; fifth, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; sixth, Cassidy L. Gros, Lafourche Parish; seventh, Desi M. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish; eighth, Isabel S. Dawson, Richland Parish; ninth, Jessi L. Bruno, Lafourche Parish; 10th, Jolea G. Simpson, Jackson Parish.

Barrel racing, 13 and under: First, Hayley E. Hillman, Lafayette Parish; second, Madison C. Hess, Terrebonne Parish; third, Ashlé Hudspeth, Livingston Parish; fourth, Matthew G. Mahler, Lafourche Parish; fifth, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; sixth, Bailey M. Gauthier, Catahoula Parish; seventh, Sierra R. Parrish, St. Martin Parish; eighth, Logan G. Krieg, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Tatum K. Malone, Bossier Parish; 10th, Taylor C. Theriot, Terrebonne Parish.

Barrel racing, 14 and over: First, Isabel A. Dawson, Richland Parish; second, Delani E. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish; third, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; fourth, Continued on page 25...

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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Continued from page 16...

Small Changes

by Emily McAtee

Essentially, he skipped right past “I can’t see you, you can’t see me” straight to screaming “Stop, Stranger, Stay AWAY!” and there wasn’t much I could do about it.

So essentially, I had to start this whole “human interaction” thing all over. For about a week or two, I just groomed him. That was it. I groomed him and I watched very carefully for any social cues telling me what he was feeling, and as soon as I saw them, I responded. It was extraordinary, because I don’t think that he was even aware of the signals he had been sending. Obviously I don’t know for certain, but I can only guess that no one had ever really listened to those signals, so he stopped using them. Most likely he had been ignored up until he acted “naughty” and then punished for his naughty behavior. (Just to be clear, I’m not accusing anyone of abuse: I think that someone was probably a little too goal oriented about getting him on the racetrack. It’s an easy enough mistake to make, and one I am inclined to make myself.) But here I was, retraining him to know that I was hearing him, and I would do my best to do right by him. Basically, my goal was to remind him that he had a voice in this conversation too.

Here’s how I know that we made progress. Fast forward to week 9, and once again, he and I are working together while there are some kids nearby. Some of them ask me if they can pet him, and I say “Sure, fine by me.” Instantly, he’s swarmed by three at once. He pulls his face away and looks at me, feeling a little bit panicked. I stop the girls and start again. “If you want to

24 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

pet him, you can try, but you should probably go one at a time and ask his permission first. Try holding out your hand and letting him smell you. If he doesn’t pull away, you can pet him. If he does, respect his space and maybe ask him again later.” (He’s not mouthy or treat-sour, so I trust him to not nip anyone. If he was, I wouldn’t suggest holding out hands.) It was wonderful to watch, for two reasons. The first was that he used a quieter behavior to display his discomfort. The second was that after I told them to ask for his permission first, the way the girls approached him changed instantly. He was no longer a curiosity to pet and snuggle, like a new stuffed animal.

These girls suddenly approached him as an individual being with his own unique personality that needed to be respected. Looking back on it, I can’t help but cheer a little bit for that small, seemingly insignificant moment.

But three girls started to learn how important it can be to listen when it would be easier to speak, and a horse learned that someone else besides his trainer was listening too.

Of course, with all of these areas, Champagne and I have a long way to go. Obviously there is more to learn (like canter departs, for one), more ways to strengthen and improve (more lateral work and pole work wouldn’t go amiss), and more things to talk about (he’s starting to tell me what he doesn’t like; now I’d like to find out more about what he does like). But if he improves at even half the rate that he has, I’ll be ecstatic. Meanwhile, I think I’ll learn to savor the small changes. They are pretty sweet.

Continued from page 23...

4-H, FFA State Horse Show results released Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu

Jessi L. Bruno, Lafourche Parish; fifth, Allison P. Copeland, West Carroll Parish; sixth, Desi M. Lasseigne, Terrebonne Parish; seventh, Abby G. Chavalitlekha, East Baton Rouge Parish; eighth, Lani Y. Trahan, Vermilion Parish; ninth, Danae N. Cowart, East Baton Rouge Parish; 10th, Lessie C. Neal, Catahoula Parish.

Ground work, 13 and under: First, Isabelle L. Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish; second, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Hayley E. Hillman, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish; fifth, Haylee R. Bourque, Vermilion Parish; sixth, Layla N. Pellegrin, Terrebonne Parish; seventh, Luke J. Dubois, Lafayette Parish; eighth, Zoe G. Cazayoux, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Celine P. Auzenne, Vermilion Parish; 10th, Keradyn Y. Spears, St. Landry Parish.

Ground work, 14 and over: First, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; second, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; third, Eden R. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; fourth, Gwendolyn M. Hebert, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Cody J. Waguespack, Ascension Parish; sixth, Claire E. Zaunbrecher, Cameron Parish; seventh, Ethan J. Blackmer, Vermilion Parish; eighth, Hunter J. Bourque, Vermilion Parish; ninth, Wyatt D. Broussard, Vermilion Parish; 10th, Lanie A. Richard, Vermilion Parish.

Stock horse, pleasure, 13 and under: First, Audry C. Blackwell, Tangipahoa Parish; second, Isabelle L. Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish; third, Alexis M. Lege, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fifth, Lily G. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; sixth, Hayley E. Hillman, Lafayette Parish; seventh, Celine P. Auzenne, Vermilion Parish; eighth, Layla N. Pellegrin, Terrebonne Parish; ninth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; 10th, Kinsey C. Waits, Vermilion Parish.

Stock horse, pleasure, 14 and over: First, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; second, Emily D. Short, Pointe Coupee Parish; third, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fourth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; fifth, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; sixth, Abby G. Chavalitlekha, East Baton Rouge Parish; seventh, Claire E. Zaunbrecher, Cameron Parish; eighth, Wyatt D. Broussard, Vermilion Parish; ninth, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; 10th, Amy C. Boudreaux, Lafayette Parish.

Working cow horse, All Ages: First, Isabel S. Dawson, Richland Parish; second, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; third, Eden R. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; fourth, Isabelle L. Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish; fifth, Callie J. Delee, West Feliciana Parish; Parish; sixth, Cody J. Waguespack, Ascension Parish; seventh, Ethan J. Blackmer, Vermilion Parish; eighth, Hunter J. Bourque, Vermilion Parish; ninth,

Lanie A. Richard, Vermilion Parish; 10th, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish.

Ranch trail, 13 and under: First, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Hayley E. Hillman, Lafayette Parish; third, Luke J. Dubois, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Celine P. Auzenne, Vermilion Parish; sixth, Haylee R. Bourque, Vermilion Parish; seventh, Lily G. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; eighth, Faith Dubois, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Lexann M. York, East Baton Rouge Parish; 10th, Grace M. Dubois, Lafayette Parish.

Ranch trail, 14 and over: First, Hunter J. Bourque, Vermilion Parish; second, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Lanie A. Richard, Vermilion Parish; fourth, Ethan J. Blackmer, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; sixth, Cody J. Waguespack, Ascension Parish; seventh, Gwendolyn M. Hebert, Vermilion Parish; eighth, Theadora S. Dawson, Richland Parish; ninth, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; 10th, Emily D. Short, Pointe Coupee Parish.

Ranch roping, 13 and under: First, Luke J. Dubois, Lafayette Parish.

Ranch roping, 14 and over: First, Clay A. Zaunbrecher, Vermilion Parish; second, Wyatt D. Broussard, Vermilion Parish; third, Coby J. Covalt, Vermilion Parish; fourth, Aaron P. Blackmer, Vermilion Parish; fifth, Bradley P. Christ, Vermilion Parish; sixth, Isabel S. Dawson, Richland Parish.

Ranch/team sorting: Western pleasure, 13 and under: First, Isabelle B. Dunn, Rapides Parish; second, Cecelia T. Kora, East Baton Rouge Parish; third, Shelby G. Wendt, East Baton Rouge Parish; fourth, Chase Baker, St. Tammany Parish; fifth, Aleigh R. Jean, St. Tammany Parish; sixth, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; seventh, Lily G. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; eighth, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; ninth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; 10th, Katherine K. Guttzeit, East Feliciana Parish.

Western pleasure, 14 and over: First, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; second, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; third, Callie P. Naquin, St. Charles Parish; fourth, Marianne E. Coenen, Ouachita Parish; fifth, Logan Adams, St. Tammany Parish; sixth, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish; seventh, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; eighth, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; ninth, Jon T. “Tucker” Henderson, Natchitoches Parish; 10th, Jolan E. Taylor, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Western horsemanship, 13 and under: First, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; second, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; third, Aleigh R. Jean, St. Tammany

Parish; fourth, Ava R. Kora, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Cecelia T. Kora, East Baton Rouge Parish; sixth, Lily G. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; seventh, Shelby G. Wendt, East Baton Rouge Parish; eighth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; ninth, Katherine K. Guttzeit, East Feliciana Parish; 10th, Isabelle L. Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish.

Western horsemanship, 14 and over: First, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; second, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; third, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish; fourth, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; fifth, Marianne E. Coenen, Ouachita Parish; sixth, Danae N. Cowart, East Baton Rouge Parish; seventh, Eden R. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; eighth, Callie P. Naquin, St. Charles Parish; ninth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; 10th, Jolan E. Taylor, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Western riding, 13 and under: First, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; second, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; third, Aleigh R. Jean, St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish.

Western riding, 14 and over: First, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; second, Logan Adams, St. Tammany Parish; third, Emily D. Short, Pointe Coupee Parish; fourth, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish.

Open trail, 13 and under: First, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; second, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; fourth, Shelby G. Wendt, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; sixth, Katherine K. Guttzeit, East Feliciana Parish; seventh, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish; eighth, Hayley E. Hillman, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Layla N. Pellegrin, Terrebonne Parish; 10th, Cecelia T. Kora, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Open trail, 14 and over: First, Jessi L. Bruno, Lafourche Parish; second, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; third, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Callie P. Naquin, St. Charles Parish; fifth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; sixth, Emily D. Short, Pointe Coupee Parish; seventh, Lacey A. Landry, East Baton Rouge Parish; eighth, Amy C. Boudreaux, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; 10th, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Reining, 13 and under: First, Riley R. Brumfield, Lafourche Parish; second, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; third, Isabelle L. Gonzalez, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Layla N. Pellegrin, Terrebonne Parish; fifth, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish.

Continued on page 28...

The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

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Continued from page 25...

4-H, FFA State Horse Show results released Writer: Rick Bogren at 225-578-5839 or rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu

Reining, 14 and over: First, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; second, Emily D. Short, Pointe Coupee Parish; third, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; fourth, Jessi L. Bruno, Lafourche Parish; fifth, Danae N. Cowart, East Baton Rouge Parish; sixth, Lani Y. Trahan, Vermilion Parish.

Western showmanship, 13 and under: First, Aubrie K. Vidrine, Evangeline Parish; second, Katherine K. Guttzeit, East Feliciana Parish; third, Shelby G. Wendt, East Baton Rouge Parish; fourth, Isabelle B. Dunn, Rapides Parish; fifth, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish; sixth, Layla N. Pellegrin, Terrebonne Parish; seventh, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish; eighth, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; ninth, Lexann M. York, East Baton Rouge Parish; 10th, Cecelia T. Kora, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Western showmanship, 14 and over: First, Averie L. Vidrine, Evangeline Parish; second, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; third, Gabrielle D. Ryan, Tangipahoa Parish; fourth, Amy C. Boudreaux, Lafayette Parish; fifth, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; sixth, Callie P. Naquin, St. Charles Parish; seventh, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; eighth, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish; ninth, Marianne E. Coenen, Ouachita Parish; 10th, Alexis A. Breaux, Lafayette Parish.

Open trail hunter, 13 and under: First, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; third, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish.

Open trail hunter, 14 and over: First, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; second, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; third, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fourth, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish; sixth, Eden R. Robinson, East Feliciana Parish; seventh, Claire E. Zaunbrecher, Cameron Parish; eighth, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish.

Lafayette Parish; third, Rebekah A. Hebert, Lafayette Parish; fourth, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fifth, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish.

Hunter under saddle, 13 and under: First, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish; third, Isabelle B. Dunn, Rapides Parish; fourth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; sixth, Connor C. Stegeman, Lafayette Parish; seventh, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish.

Freeman, Ouachita Parish; third, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; fifth, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; sixth, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; seventh, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; eighth, Rebekah A. Hebert, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Sarah E. Truett, St. Tammany Parish.

Quarter horse gelding: Grand Champion, Madison Bellard, Evangeline Parish; Reserve Champion, Kamerny Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish.

Hunter under saddle, 14 and over: First, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Rebekah A. Hebert, Lafayette Parish; third, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; sixth, Rosetta Costanza, Jefferson Parish; seventh, Layla M. Brillion, St. Charles Parish; eighth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; ninth, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; 10th, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish.

Quarter horse mare: Grand Champion, Alexis Lege, Lafayette Parish; Reserve Champion, Averie Vidrine, Evangeline Parish.

Hunter seat equitation, 13 and under: Bayleigh L. Sevin, St. Charles Parish; second, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish; fourth, Emma G. Marangos, East Baton Rouge Parish; fifth, Isabelle B. Dunn, Rapides Parish; sixth, Connor C. Stegeman, Lafayette Parish; seventh, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish.

Hunter seat equitation, 14 and over: First, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Rosetta Costanza, Jefferson Parish; third, Mehgan S. Hillman, St. Tammany Parish; fourth, Hailey L. Moore, St. Tammany Parish; fifth, Elizabeth M. Gilmore, Terrebonne Parish; sixth, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; seventh, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; eighth, Rebekah A. Hebert, Lafayette Parish; ninth, Sarah E. Truett, St. Tammany Parish; 10th, Paige E. Freeman, Ouachita Parish.

Dressage, 13 and under: First, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Connor C. Stegeman, Lafayette Parish.

Dressage, 14 and over: First, Caitlyn N. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; second, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; third, Sarah E. Truett, St. Tammany Parish.

Working hunter, All Ages: First, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; second, Connor C. Stegeman, Lafayette Parish; third, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; fourth, Rebekah A. Hebert, Lafayette Parish.

Hunter showmanship, 13 and under: First, Peyton N. Wooley, St. Tammany Parish; second, Cathryn M. Dionne, Calcasieu Parish; third, Anna G. Center, Avoyelles Parish.

Equitation over fences: First, Emily M. Lanie, Lafayette Parish; second, Connor C. Stegeman,

Hunter showmanship, 14 and over: First, Kameryn A. Byrd, East Baton Rouge Parish; second, Paige E.

28 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

Any other breed and grade horse gelding: Grand Champion, Rebekah Hebert, Lafayette Parish; Reserve Champion, Carrie Smith, Jackson Parish.

Any other breed and grade horse mare: Grand Champion, Derek McGraw, Vernon Parish; Reserve Champion, Zoe Cazayoux, Lafayette Parish.

Appaloosa gelding: Grand Champion, Graysen Wallace, Tangipahoa Parish.

Paint horse gelding: Grand Champion, Madison Pollet, West Feliciana Parish; Reserve Champion, Chase Baker, St Tammany Parish.

Paint horse mare: Grand Champion, Ashleigh Godke, West Feliciana Parish.

Miniature horse mare: Grand Champion, Hailey B Bellard, Evangeline Parish; Reserve Champion, Tommy Perez, Lafourche Parish.

Dwayne Nunez can be reached at 225-578-2255 or dnunez@agcente.lsu.edu Photos – A judge, center in white shirt, makes his rounds to look over horses being shown at the LSU AgCenter State Horse Show on July 11, 2017, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter A contestant receives a congratulatory high-five as he exits the arena after placing in a contest during the LSU AgCenter State Horse Show on July 11, 2017, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.

Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter A contestant leaves the arena with a ribbon during the LSU AgCenter State Horse Show on July 11, 2017, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

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Continued from cover...

Q & A with Dr. Ty Theriot of B-Line Equine by Barbara Newtown

I participated in middle school and high school rodeo competitions and local associations in calf roping and steer wrestling. I learned my skills from my dad and my good friends Jeremy Landry and Ken Bacque. Ken made it to the National Finals Rodeo in ’92. He passed several years ago. And I went for years to the roping clinic run by R. E. Josey, Martha Josey’s husband. That’s where I met Caleb Findley, who is now the stallion manager at Delta Equine. We’re good friends.

Did you have a favorite horse?

I got Hickory when I was about 7 years old. He didn’t have any calf roping experience, so we trained him ourselves. He took me through junior high and high school, and he was the best horse I could have had. I rode two or three other horses as backups, but Hickory was the best. He was a short, stocky sorrel, registered name Hickory Guitar Man, from the Doc Hickory line. I sold him to a junior high contestant, and he and that little horse made a great team.

When you were growing up, was there a veterinarian who inspired you, or who was your mentor?

We didn’t use a vet that often. We took care of our horses ourselves. I took care of wounds myself!

But I’ve known Dr. Larry Findley, Caleb’s dad, since I was little. He was always there at Martha Josey’s. And Caleb and I high school rodeo’d together What aspect of equine medicine interests you the most?

Lameness and sports medicine. Most of my patients are Western performance horses: barrel horses, reining horses. Since joining Dr. Bonura at B-Line, I’ve got to say my favorite call from a client is the emergency call. B-Line is ready to respond 24-7.

32 The Louisiana Equine Report • August | September 2017

With a mobile practice, you don’t do major surgery. If a colic requires surgery, we are fortunate that we can refer our patients to several great equine hospitals in South Louisiana. But Dr. Bonura and I do perform small surgeries, such as castrations, hernia repairs, and enucleations, or eye removals.

Is there a medicine that you think every horse owner should have in the barn?

Definitely electrolytes.

Horses lose electrolytes in their sweat and need to have them replenished. You can administer electrolytes in the feed or in the water.

How did you meet Dr. Brendt Bonura?

She got her DVM from LSU, too, but she’s been a veterinarian for about six years. I met her when I was doing “Out-Rotations” during my clinical year.

[The Out-Rotation program at LSU is designed for veterinary students interested in ambulatory or mobile equine medicine.]

Is your wife Chynna a horse person?

Not really, but she loves animals. In fact, she started at LSU in the Animal Science program. Now she’s working in accounting.

I hear you have a little daughter.

Mackenzie is six months old. I can’t wait until she can hop in the truck with me and go out on a call!

Thank you, Dr. Theriot!

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Horsemen’s Laboratory was started in 1992 by John W. Byrd, DVM to make it convenient for horse owners to check their horses for worm rather than just routinely deworming their horses. The fecal egg count test performed by Horsemen’s Laboratory will provide information that owners can use to determine if and when their horses need to be dewormed.

This information will also help them decide which deworming medication they need to use by identifying the worm eggs produced by the adult worms in the horse’s digestive track.

The Fecal egg count also gives the owner an estimate of how severe the worm infection is. For the first 15 years it was difficult to convince owners to test their horses. Then about 7-9 years ago researchers began to see worms that appeared to have developed resistance to some of the most common dewormers. These researchers began to change their recommendations for the best worm control and started recommending doing fecal egg count to determine which horses should be dewormed. It was felt that deworming all their horses every 6 weeks to 2 months was killing all the sensitive worm to the medication but there was a small population of worms that were resistant to the deworm that then mated with each other and their offspring were resistant to the medication as well. This caused the population of worms that were resistant to increase. Eventually the resistant population was larger than the sensitive population and the dewormer was no longer effective on that farm. Recent studies done have shown that on over 70% of the farms in some areas deworming medications once used are no longer effective at controlling certain worms.

I began checking horses I was caring for in Orange county California for my own information in 1991 to see what percentage of horses actually had worm eggs in their stool to indicate they were infected. The reason I did this study was because the daily deworm came on the market and many of my clients started requesting I get it for their horses. The horses I was caring for were kept in clean box stalls nearly 24 hours a day except when they were being ridden, groomed or exercised.

I found that only 1 out of 20 horses were passing any worm eggs and those positive horses had counts of less than 100 strongyle eggs/gm. I contacted several veterinarians who were known for their expertise in equine parasitology and ask them why no one had ever

started a laboratory to do fecal egg counts as a way of helping horse owners evaluate the effectiveness of their horses worm control program. They thought it was a good idea so after a couple of week of serious thought I decided to start Horsemen’s Laboratory to make convenient for horse owners to evaluate the effectiveness of their horses worm control program.

will give horse owners the same peace of mind that their horses are being protected from tapeworms that the fecal egg counts have given them that their horses are being protected from strongyles and round worms.

Horsemen’s Laboratory now has clients in all 50 states and Canada. We have processed over 70,000 fecal samples. Approximately 30-33% of the samples over the years have been positive with over 95% of the positive samples being positive for strongyles.

Over 90% of the horses we check are over 4 years old. Therefore, we see very few samples positive for round worms. Strongyle eggs are by far the most common eggs found in the samples sent to Horsemen’s Laboratory. The egg counts vary from 25eggs/gm to 8000 eggs/gm of stool. Pinworm eggs are rarely found in a fecal egg count because the female lays her eggs around the rectal ring so they are not mixed into the stool sample. Tapeworm eggs are occasionally found in the stool sample. There has not been a good reliable test for tapeworms in the USA until just recently (last few weeks).

Horsemen’s Laboratory can also provide you information about the EquiSal test as well as Fecal egg counts.

Horsemen’s Laboratory has just introduced the Salivary Antibody Test for tapeworms.

This is a test developed by Dr. Corrine Austin of Austin Davis Biologics in England that tests for antibodies against tapeworms in saliva of horses. Dr. Austin has been marketing the test England for 3 years to test for tapeworms in horses and has found that 26% need to be dewormed for tapeworms. Dr. Austin has done considerable research in developing this test and has proven its accuracy. I am excited to be able to provide the revolutionary new Equisal Test for tapeworms to horse owners in the USA. This test

34 The Louisiana Equine Report •August | September 2017

For more information about the new EquiSal Test you may visit equisal.co.uk

You may make arrangement to have your horse’s fecal egg count done and tested for tapeworms using the new EquiSal test by contacting Horsemen’s Laboratory through our website www.horsemenslab.com then go to our blog equinefealeggcount and shop in our store, or by calling 1 800 544 0599 or by emailing hlab@ horsemenslab.com

Six Problems That Can Be Due To Worms

John Byrd, DVM | Horsemen’s Laboratory (907 Westbrook Drive | Mahomet, Il 61853) Edited by: Dr. Frank M. Andrews | LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803) Problem #1: Colic Colic is defined as “abdominal pain” and could be caused by parasites among other things. Round (milk [large white]) worms can cause pain in a young horse, such as a weanling or yearling, that is heavily infected with the adult round worms. Young horses seem to become heavily infected at an early age because their immune system is not as developed as an adult horse. Worms can become very large and completely block the small intestine (Fig 1), in rare cases; they can cause a rupture of the small intestine. The colic seen with round worms is most common shortly after dewormer is given and all the worms die at the same time leading to an entangled mass in the small intestine. Early deworming, before the worms build up can decrease the blockage. Fecal egg counts on young horses over 3-4 months of age can assist an owner in evaluating what the likelihood of having an infection of adult round worm may be.

Fig 1. Ascarids (large “milk” worms) blocking the small intestine of a horse. (from https://www. naturaljuices.co.uk) Strongylus vulgaris (large strongyles) used to be a very important cause of colic in horses. However, with the introduction of ivermectin, large strongyles are less of a problem today.

However, if horses are not dewormed on a regular basis, these worms can build up and lead to colic. The larvae (immature forms) migrate through the large artery that supplies blood to the small intestine and these large clots can plug up smaller vessels and compromise blood supply to the small intestine.

A decreased blood supply will prevent normal small intestinal function and lead to impaction of feed and colic. Fortunately the use of Ivermectin has nearly eliminated Strongyle vulgaris and this cause of colic.

Small strongyles (cyathostomes), on the other hand, burrow into the large intestine wall where they form cysts as part of the normal life cycle. If there are large numbers of these encysted larvae and many of them leave their cysts all at the same time this process may cause enough inflammation and signs of colic such as occasionally rolling, restlessness, getting up and down often, not eating, depression listlessness, or slow to no GI sounds. What causes the larvae to stay encysted and then leave the cysts at one time is not well understood. One theory is that there are a large number of adults in the intestine so the larvae wait until there are fewer adults to compete with.

Sometimes it appears to be seasonal, in the early spring or late fall when there are many adults in the digestive tract to lay eggs when horses go on pasture in the spring so the contamination is at its highest rate. Another time seems to be when a horse is dewormed and the adults are all killed off.

Tapeworms are large numbers found in the area of the intestine where the small intestine empties into the large intestine. It appears that large numbers of tapeworms that attach to the lining of the intestine can cause enough inflammation and swelling in the area to prevent the normal progression

of manure and gas to pass through this area. This restriction of movement causes distention of the intestinal wall, which can become great enough to cause colic.

Problem #2: Wormy horse syndrome Weight Loss, Diarrhea, Stunting, Poor Hair Coat, Lethargy (Depression), Poor Appetite, and Potbelly appearance I have elected to discuss all these problems together because they all appear to occur together. The problems are generally seen in young horses less than 2 years of age. They are most often seen in poorly managed breeding operations where young horses have been raised in the same pasture or paddocks for several years. There are 3 major factors that seem to be responsible for this.

1. A young horse’s immune system has not developed the ability to fight off the worm infections or other infections that often complicate worm infections by adding stress to the young horse’s life.

2. The exposure to the infective stages of the worms is highest at this time in the life of a young horse.

3. For weanlings, autumn is when they are weaned, adding more stress to their life and causing the immune system to be less effective at protecting them.

Weight loss, stunting, poor hair coat, and Lethargy (depression) can also be due to the heavy load of worms using up a great deal of the energy that these young horses need to grow. Roundworms in the small intestine can interfere with the absorption of nutrients that takes place in the small intestine. Due to the lack of needed nutrients the horse will become lethargic with a decreased appetite. Often these young horses are infected with several different types of worms. The worms are competing with the young horse for the nutrients. The large strongyles also called “blood worms” (because of their red color) are particularly bad because the adults attach to the intestinal wall and actually suck the horse’s blood. During heavy infestation, fresh manure piles may contain “red streaks” which are dead large strongyle larvae in the manure (Fig 2).

Fig 2. Adult Strongyles (blood worms) in the manure of a horse after deworming. (From http:// www.stableexpress.com) Diarrhea can occur when there are extremely large numbers of encysted small strongyle larvae in the wall of the large intestine in a horse. The cysts can cause an interference with the absorption of fluid from the large intestine thereby causing the fluid to be passed in the manure as diarrhea. In addition, diarrhea also can occur when a large number of larvae all leave their cysts in a relatively short period of time. This is called Larval Cyathostminosis and can occur at any age, but is more prevalent in horses between 1 and 4 years of age.

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Summer Time!

by Dave Foster

Well, we have made it to summer. One thing we can say about the first six months of 2016, is that everything is late. Ma Nature has had us on a weather roller coaster. Looking back we have had the moisture! Speaking of looking back, let’s take a look at the cattle market this time last year. Maybe we can put some perspective into all the confusion that the present cattle market is showing.

calf crop in Sept./Oct. figure what your calves gain during June, July and August. When you have this figure be aware that the market supply for calves increases from Sept. to Nov. which means prices are historically lower. So one may consider selling calves in July instead of September. Team up with you marketing rep NOW and have that discussion.

Looking at last May’s prices for 4, 5, and 6 weight calves they were bringing $600.00 to $650.00 per head more than they did this May. Remember, the last couple of weeks in June last year when for whatever reason the market started to weaken and it has continued to go lower. For us in a cow-calf state where our fall born calves come to market now, it is just in time for our “summer grass grazers” to start to purchase light weight calves (under 600 lbs.) to graze their summer grass. We usually see a little “uptick” in prices. Grass in the Let’s also hope that demand for beef increases this summer and the grazing states is abundant so maybe our current market will benefit retailers will lower their prices to increase movement for our productbeef. With huge slaughter rates in May (and lower prices) retailers from this demand. were blessed with lower priced beef. Will they pass the savings on However, the market has not been following “market fundamentals” to the customer? From this point on we in the cattle business look so if you have not got your cattle sold check with your marketing toward a barn full of hay, a plentiful corn crop in the U.S., good fall agent to get their consul and you better know your breakeven price so for ryegrass and a great demand for beef. if you only sell once a year you won’t have “sticker shock” on today’s Enjoy the beginning of summer and contact Cattle Producers of prices (compared to what they sold for last year).

Louisiana 888-528-6999 or www.lacattle.org for information.

Now is the time for you cow/calf ranchers who have spring- born calves to make a very important decision. If you normally sell your

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Six Problems That Can Be Due To Worms John Byrd, DVM | Horsemen’s Laboratory (907 Westbrook Drive | Mahomet, Il 61853) Edited by: Dr. Frank M. Andrews | LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803)

Problem #3: Chronic cough, Runny nose Round worms can also be responsible for coughs and runny noses, especially in young horses, less than one year of age, but also in slightly older horses.

Round worm larvae (Ascarids) migrate through the lungs before being coughed up and swallowed to eventually live in the small intestine. During the migration the larvae may cause considerable inflammation, which can lead to pneumonialike signs. Pneumonia can be complicated by concurrent viral and/or bacterial infections. Checking for these worms and timely deworming can prevent permanent damage to the lungs.

Chronic coughs can also occur from the infestation by lungworms in any age horses. This commonly occurs when horses are housed with donkeys. It seems that the lungworm causes little if any problems for donkeys, but when a horse gets them they cause a dry chronic cough. The larvae are coughed up and passed in manure, but are seldom found. In donkeys the larva develops into adults in the lungs and passes eggs that can infect horses that are grazing with the donkeys. However, in the horse the larvae do not develop into adults and pass infective eggs, therefore; the horse is considered a dead end host. In order to make a diagnosis of lungworms a sample should be taken from the donkeys that are grazing with the horses.

See Problems 4 through 6 in our next issue.

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2017 Event Schedule AUGUST 2017 Friday, August 4 Finally Friday Barrel Race Saturday, August 5 Run for the Pearl Barrel Race Saturday, August 19 NBHA Barrel Races Saturday, August 26 Team Roping SEPTEMBER 2017 Friday & Saturday September 8-9 Ponchatoula FFA Youth Rodeo Saturday, September 16 Team Roping Friday, September 22 Open Jackpot Barrel Race

OCTOBER 2017 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, October 4-8 Tangipahoa Parish Fair Friday, October 13 Finally Friday Barrel Race Saturday, October 14 NBHA Barrel Race Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October 20-22 Vintage Market Days Saturday & Sunday October 28-29 3-Dots Team Sorting NOVEMBER 2017 Saturday, November 11 NBHA Barrel Racing

Saturday, September 23 NBHA Barrel Race

Saturday & Sunday November 18 Jambalaya Classic Show

Friday & Saturday September 29-30 TPSO Mounted Division Rodeo

DECEMBER 2017 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

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HAMILTON, ROBERTS, SR. AND MARQUEZ, JR. CAPTURE LEADING HORSEMEN TITLES AT DELTA DOWNS FOR THE 2017 QUARTER HORSE SEASON

- 2017 CHAMPIONS HONORED DURING LOUISIANA SHOWCASE NIGHT VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs wrapped up its 2017 American Quarter Horse season on Saturday night. During the special 12-race program called Louisiana Showcase Night the track honored its leading horsemen for the 46-day stand which began on April 21.

John Hamilton won 59 races on the season while capturing his fifth leading rider title at Delta Downs. The 53-year-old Newton, Texas resident had won four consecutive titles between 2012 and 2015 before finishing fourth in 2016. Hamilton also led all riders in terms of mount earnings this year with a total of $851,225.

Following Hamilton in the standings were Noe Castaneda (35), Damian Martinez (32), Rolando Cabrera (30), Donald Watson (27), Alfonso Lujan (25), Everardo Rodriguez (25), Santiago Mendez (19), Gilbert Ortiz (19) and David Alvarez (18).

Kenneth Roberts, Sr. saddled 61 winners on the season to take his eighth leading trainer title this year. The 63-year-old resident of Vinton, Louisiana also set a Quarter Horse single season record for purses won by a conditioner with $1,515,184. That total smashed the old record of $1,113,666 established by Heath Taylor during the 2005 season.

Rounding out the top 10 trainers in terms of wins for the season were Michael Taylor (47), Orlando Orozco (20), Kenneth Weeks (18), Lanny Keith (17), Jose Sanchez (17), Martin Trejo (15), Vann Haywood (14), Gary Shane Mason (13) and Jose A. Garcia (12).

Rogelio Marquez, Jr. took home his first leading owner title at Delta Downs this year as he saw 12 of his 33 starters make it to the winner’s circle. The 23-yearold Texas native also won the two richest races of the meet with his 2-year-old filly Dashnunder Afullmoon, who won all four of her starts during the season including the $322,285 Lassie Futurity (RG2) on May 19 and the $705,495 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) on closing night. The Lee Berwick Futurity set a record as the richest Quarter Horse race contested at Delta Downs since the track opened its doors in 1973.

Following Marquez, Jr. in the owner standings this year were Tony Doughtie (10), Joseph Landreneau (7), Luis Armando Castellanos (7), T M Ranch (Robert S. Holland) (7), Lester Colomb, Jr. (6), Triple C Racing Stables, LLC (Ricardo Saul Castillo) (5), Double H Racing Investments, LLC (Herminio Gonzalez, Sr. & Herminio Gonzalez, Jr.) (5), Jose O. Barron (5), and Jerry Deville (5).

Delta Downs will now prepare for its 2017-18 Thoroughbred season which runs from October 18 through March 10. The track will conduct live racing each Wednesday through Saturday night beginning at 5:30 pm Central Time. The season highlight will come on Saturday, November 18 when the track hosts the 15th running of the $1,000,000 Delta Downs Jackpot (Gr. 3) on the ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby’.

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Month 3 Check-up

By Emily McAtee

Month 3 was moderately disastrous.

Just before the last week of April, Champagne had his first creek crossing, which really went surprisingly well. His second creek crossing (back over the same creek) did not go so well. He banged up his leg and pulled his back, which wasn’t particularly strong in the first place. I spent a week stretching him back out and getting smooth motion again, thinking that I could go back to riding gently.

I’ve dropped the Scarlet Oil from the treatment routine as the open wound part of the equation has healed well. The thrush part I’m still treating with Tomorrow and Iodine, but it’s actually healing remarkably fast and well. Once the last of the thrushy split tissue heals, I think I can drop the Tomorrow from the treatment routine and only use the Iodine for a few more days after that before allowing it to heal up the rest of the way on its own. Thank goodness Champagne has remained sound on that hoof and has been healing quickly so that we could keep working. I’m not sure how much more time off I could handle.

This week we’re kicking it up another notch and adding in more canter work, more stretching, higher poles, more transitions, changes in the size of the lunge circles, and so on. I’m still giving him massages to keep him comfortable so that he can get stronger faster. Theoretically by the end of this week he should be strong enough to take my weight again, and we can go back to riding. I can’t wait: a month of not riding is giving me the jitters.

The optimistic side of me says that this has all been a great learning experience and I will definitely benefit from it further down the road. The pessimistic side of me says that I would have preferred fewer life lessons and more ride time.

(Banged up Leg, Without and With Scarlet Oil) Those hopes and dreams were crushed when the farrier came out and holding up his feet restrained Champagne’s back. So we spent a week on muscle relaxants, bute, turnout time or light lunging, and massages. This was then followed up by a week of normal lunge work, including work in walk, trot, canter, up and down hills, over poles, lengthening and shortening strides, etc.

By my calculations, I have now owned Champagne for 91 days. During that time I have recorded 96 hours of work, making an average of 1 hour 3 minutes 18 seconds of training per day. In reality, I have actually only recorded training for 63 days out of those 91, which means that on average training sessions go for 1 hour 31 minutes 26 seconds.

Has all of the lunging, riding, massaging, hot rice bags, muscle relaxants, vet consultations, extra feed, farrier appointments, dental visits, physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion been worth it?

Month 0

During that time, I saw some of the hoof peeling away on the lateral side of the left front heel and saw that there was some thrush underneath. I pulled out my hoof knife and decided to open it up to help deter the thrush and make it easier to treat. I didn’t quite comprehend how deep the thrush really went though, so opening it up landed me with a mostly open, thrushy wound. Confused about whether to treat it as an open wound or thrush, I called Amanda. We didn’t cover it, which was actually a wise decision (two or three hours of bandaging made it pretty soft and thrushy and icky), and treated it with a funky combination of: • Tomorrow (cephapirin benzathine) - technically meant for cow udders, but handy for treating thrush when it’s found in tight or deep spots, such as split bulbs • Iodine - good for sterilizing both thrush and open wounds, which was nice • Scarlet Oil - a pretty good antiseptic that also keeps the flesh supple enough to keep from cracking and bleeding in order to promote even healing of open wounds

Month 3 I don’t think he’ll ever bulk out the way a quarter horse would: his build is just a little too refined for that. But he looks and feels much better, so yes, I’d say this has been worth it.

13 Weeks Down. Approximately 20 to go. I think we can make it.

(Thrushy Open Wound, Undergoing Early Treatment)

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Illusionofreality Notches Her First Stakes Win in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff

Illusionofreality with Alexander Castillo aboard pulls away over the turf to capture the 33rd running of the Louisiana Cup Distaff at Louisiana Downs. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

Louisiana Cup Distaff Louisiana Downs, 8-5-17, One mile and one sixteenth, turf Louisiana Bred 3YO and Upwards Fillies and Mares, Purse $50,000 ILLUSIONOFREALITY Yankee Gentleman–Our Dalila, by Our Emblem Breeder: Brett A. Brinkman Owner: Maury and Leslie Harrington Trainer: Joseph M. Foster Jockey: Alexander Castillo 2nd Safari Calamari Half Ours–Zaafira, by A.P. Indy Breeder: Brittlyn Stables, Inc. Owner: Brittlyn Stables, Inc. Trainer: Ron Faucheux Jockey: Richard E. Eramia 3rd Inveniam Viam Half Ours–Haliburton Honey, by Regal Classic

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Breeder: Paul E Mullen Owner: Allied Racing Stable, LLC Trainer: Brad H. Cox Jockey: Colby J. Hernandez

A full field of 12 accredited Louisiana-bred fillies and mares took to the Franks Turf Course in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff.

Leading Louisiana Downs trainer Joey Foster clinched the win with Illusionofreality, who added her fourth consecutive win of the meet and the first stakes of her career. The 4-year-old filly sired by Yankee Gentleman, is owned by Maury and Leslie Harrington.

With regular rider Alexander Castillo aboard, Illusionofreality ($16.40) broke from the far outside post and held off the late charge of Safari Calamari. Her final time for the mile and one-sixteenth turf route was 1:42.56. Post time favorite Inveniam Viam ran third and P Boo completed the superfecta.

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Executive Actions on Immigration and the Horse Industry From The American Horse Council Newsroom:

Recently, President Trump issued several executive orders relating to increased immigration enforcement and border security. These actions will impact many employers, including those in the racing and showing segments of the horse industry, even those that rely on legal foreign workers.

For many years horse farms, horse shows, trainers and others have had difficulty recruiting American workers. This has forced many to rely on foreign workers and utilize both the H-2B non-agricultural and H-2A agricultural temporary foreign worker programs to meet their labor needs even though these programs are often extremely burdensome to use. Additionally, many of the workers employed in the industry may lack legal status.

Most foreign workers in the industry are directly responsible for the care of the horses upon which the entire horse industry is dependent. Without these workers to raise, train, and care for the industry’s horses, many other jobs held by Americans not only in the horse industry, but also supported by the horse industry will be in jeopardy.

Generally speaking, increased enforcement, increased competition for legal workers and greater demand for H-2B and H-2A workers will make it more difficult for horse industry employers to fill many positions.

Learn More President Trump’s new executive actions call for a wall along the southern border, increased detention and expedited removal of undocumented immigrants, and will enlist the local law enforcement in these efforts. There are still many questions regarding the magnitude of the impact President Trump’s actions will have. However, it is likely there will be an increase of audits and raids to identify and deport undocumented immigrants. It is also possible many workers will leave the country on their own and fewer will come due to increased enforcement.

Many employers in industries like agriculture and the horse industry who have a large percentage of foreign workers will face increasing pressure to find legal workers and stiff competition for workers that are available.

Already, the cap for H-2B visas for the first half of the fiscal year was reached on January 10th. There is a statutory cap on the total number of to H-2B visas issued each year. Currently, Congress has set the H-2B cap at 66,000 per fiscal year, with 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the first half of the fiscal year (October 1 – March 31) and 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the second half of the fiscal year (April 1 – September 30).

Because the cap has already been reached, for many employers that means no H-2B workers will be available if they are needed in 2017. There is no cap on the H-2A agricultural visa program, but those workers can only be employed by horse breeding farms and cannot be utilized by trainers at race

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tracks or horse shows.

Simply put these executive orders, and existing problems with the H-2B program will make find workers for many positions in the horse industry much more difficult.

What should members of the horse industry do?

First, horse industry employers should be prepared for increased worksite enforcement and make certain all required paper work is in order. This means that employers should make sure all Form I-9s are complete and accurate.

Second, the most immediate need for the horse industry is H-2B cap relief and restoring the returning worker exemption. If you, your business or members of your organization rely on H-2B workers, please contact your Senators and Representative and let them know that it is vital Congress reinstate the H-2B returning worker exemption.

• Call your Senators and Representative today. If you do not know their direct numbers, you can reach them through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Once connected to the office, ask to speak to the person who handles H-2B issues and tell him or her how important the H-2B program is to you. Ask them to work with their party leadership to restore the H-2B returning worker exemption at the earliest opportunity.

• Tell them horse farms, trainers, horseshows, and others in the horse industry are often unable able to find Americans who are willing and able to take jobs as grooms, and stable attendants.

• And despite substantial efforts to recruit American workers the industry has been forced to rely on foreign workers and the H-2B temporary worker program to meet their labor needs.

• The cap for H-2B visas for the first half of the fiscal year was reached on January 10th. For many employers that means no H-2B workers will be available if they are needed in 2017.

Or email them here: app.muster.com/take-action/1KBtiFGTnz/ There continues to be many questions regarding the impact of these executive actions and the possibility of more executive actions and immigration legislation. The AHC will continue to monitor this issue. Additionally, The AHC has worked for many years with a broad coalition of users to make both the H-2B and H-2A programs less burdensome and to ensure the programs are available to the horse industry. The AHC will continue this work and look for new opportunities to address the immigrant labor problem facing the industry.

“On Point” Hits the High Point: Colt Breaks Auction Record at LQHBA Sale by Barbara Newtown On Point, Hip #411, a sorrel yearling by Five Bar Cartel, sold for $182,000 on the last day of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association sale in Kinder, Louisiana. The colt was prepped and consigned

by Robicheaux Ranch and bought by T M Ranch.

On Point’s sire is Five Bar Cartel, Grade 1 winner of $1,068,825 and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in 2013. His first crop are yearlings in 2017.

Five Bar Cartel:

On Point’s dam line is strong: his dam sire is Streakin La Jolla, sire of Mr Jess Perry.

Streakin La Jolla:

Second dam sire is First Down Dash, AQHA All-Time Leading Sire of Money Earners.

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LQHBA Insider

have to work hard and give your all,” Roberts said. “I think it gave us both the foundation for what we do now.”

Continued from cover..

LQHBA Insider- by Martha Claussen Roberts was pleased with the success of his stable at Delta Downs, but acknowledged one other event on the final night of the meet that meant a great deal to him.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser made an appearance in support of Louisiana racing. Not only did he participate in the LQHBA Youth Scholarship drawings, but the prominent Louisiana politician visited with fans and horsemen during the races. He spoke of his new initiative on behalf of the Louisiana Office of Tourism and his goal to keep Louisiana as a leader in the equine industry.

Nungesser’s enthusiasm impressed Roberts greatly.

“For the Lt. Governor to come to the races and lend his support means a lot,” said Roberts. “He saw, first hand, what this industry means to the people of Louisiana. It’s another step forward for racing and we could not succeed without our legislators.”

Roberts is the backside representative for his fellow horsemen and is currently serving a four-year term on the HBPA Board of Directors. He is the lone Quarter Horse member, and is pleased to lend his time.

“Everyone is working together in Louisiana,” added Roberts. “It’s probably the best state in the country to run horses.”

Tony Patterson, executive director of the LQHBA, recognizes the loyalty that Roberts has shown to Louisiana Quarter Horse racing.

“We are very fortunate to have Kenny as one of our leading horsemen,” said Patterson. “He is tremendously respected by owners, fans and his fellow horsemen. It was a pleasure to honor him again at our annual LQHBA Awards Banquet and to see the admiration that so many of our association members have for his excellence.”

Inspired by Another Roberts Roberts gives credit to Kenny Roberts Jr., a former football coach in Dayton, Texas, who breaks a lot of the Roberts runners on his farm.

“We’re not kin,” Roberts said. “But he is someone I respect and have learned from. Kenny knows horses and communicates what he sees; whether they tend to be aggressive or will need more time to mature. That makes my job much easier.”

One common bond the two men have is football.

Kenneth Roberts was a high school athlete at Kashmere High School in Houston, Texas, and “Coach” Roberts was the guiding force with his students in Dayton.

“We have football in common, and whether you play or coach, you know you

Team Work in Mornings and Race Time Jockey Donald Watson has tremendous respect for Roberts “Kenny is a true horseman and always gives 110%,” said the veteran rider.

“The reason that he is so successful is that he works hard and knows his horses.

And they know him!”

Watson adds that for the Roberts barn, it starts in the very beginning.

“When he first gets the horses, he monitors them very closely and figures out each as an individual,” said Watson. “Same thing for morning works; Kenny is out there every morning, watching and making sure things are going well.”

It’s a team effort for Roberts beginning with his owners, to his assistants, grooms and jockeys. Watson knows that his feedback on runners is important to Roberts.

“I will tell him if I feel a horse needs to shorten up, or with a horse like B and G Fast Dash, that he would really be good stretching out,” adds Watson. “We work well together and sometimes two heads are better than one.”

Sale Prospects Roberts just returned from the TQHA Yearling Sale in San Antonio and will be very busy evaluating the 625 prospects in the annual LQHBA Yearling Sale in Kinder. He has a wealth of experience in helping his owners identify potential champions.

While his process might begin with pedigree, conformation and soundness, an intangible usually seals the deal.

“When I go look at a horse, I have to get a sense about him,” said Roberts. “It’s a feeling that I get that makes me believe there is something special. Those are the horses I will tell my owners I really want.”

Of course, once he begins to train his sale graduates, each has his or her own timeline in developing as a racehorse. Last year, Roberts and Steve Holland of TM Ranch selected the sale topper, Cant Catchacorona, a full brother to AQHA champion aged stallion Open Me A Corona. The $105,000 sale price for the colt, by Coronas Leaving You and out of the Mr Eye Opener mare In The Open, was the highest in the 2016 LQHBA Yearling Sale.

“He had a little problem and we had to back off and not push him,” stated Roberts. “He made his debut in the Lee Berwick trials and ran a decent third.

We gave him a race the last day of the Delta meet and now we are pointing to the LQHBA Sale Futurity in New Orleans.”

The gray colt broke his maiden on July 8 at Delta Downs and will make his next start on August 18, which is opening day for the 2017 Quarter Horse meet at Fair Grounds. The card will be filled with trials for the $150,000-added LQHBA Sale Futurity.

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Continued from page 51.

LQHBA Insider- by Martha Claussen Roberts acknowledges that each yearling is different in their development and stands firmly against rushing young horses. He is grateful to Holland for supporting his decision-making on when to race or back off for a few months.

“I respect Steve a great deal for that,” acknowledged Roberts. “My goal is always to do the right thing for the horse and the owner. I want them to have their trust in me and am so blessed to have good owners who have faith in me.”

Fair Grounds Bound Roberts heads into August with 40 horses stabled at Fair Grounds for their upcoming live racing season, which begins on August 18.

“It’s a shorter meet, but by that time of the year, you have a pretty good idea what you have in your barn,” said Roberts.

The Fair Grounds meet wraps on September 9 with the final of the LQHBA Sale Futurity. Roberts has won the stakes five time, beginning in 1985 with Flashy Hemp, and most recently with Telarosa in 2015.

He is currently the leading AQHA trainer in wins for 2017 and will certainly keep his momentum going as he heads to Evangeline Downs.

We wish Kenneth Roberts all the best in the months to come and thank him for his many contributions to Louisiana Quarter Horse racing!

The LQHBA Insider is a monthly feature written by Martha Claussen for www.lqhba.com. She served as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park for ten years. She continues to be active in writing, fan education and Quarter Horse racing publicity in Texas, Louisiana and other regions in North America.

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MR. MISUNDERSTOOD PUNCHES HIS TICKET TO THE $200,000 SUPER DERBY WITH A VICTORY IN THE $60,000 SUPER DERBY PRELUDE AT HARRAH’S LOUISIANA DOWNS Trainer Brad Cox Wins of the Nine Louisiana Cup Day Stakes Bossier City, LA – A very exciting edition of Louisiana Cup Day at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs took place on Saturday, August 5. Thecard featured nine stakes and purses of $460,000, was highlighted by the running of the $60,000 Super Derby Prelude.

The stakes for 3-year-olds on the Franks Turf Course at the distance of a mile and one-sixteenth attracted a competitive field of eight. The added incentive to the winner was a berth to the $200,000 Super Derby on Saturday, September 9; the richest race of the 2017 Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred racing season.

out in the Illinois Derby that it was not going to happen,” joked Giannini. “He has such a great turn of foot on the turf and relishes that surface. We’ll van back to Churchill Downs, our home base and van back down for the Super Derby.”

Fast Talkin Man, a Texas-bred son of Oratory, trained by Danny Pish, closed for second under rider Luis Quinonez.

“He looked good,” said Pish. “This horse is a deep closer and the fractions did not set him up today.

“He always comes home like a monster.”

Trainer Brad Cox had confidence in the gelded son of Archarcharch, who came into the Prelude undefeated on the turf and rebounded gamely from his loss in the Grade 3, Illinois Derby on April 22. His assistant Ricky Giannini saddled the dark brown gelding.

“We keep trying to make him a dirt horse, but found

Big Changes Solid Victory in the $50,000 John Henry A field of seven took to the Franks Turf Course in the $50,000 John Henry; one of the two features transferred from Evangeline Downs for the Louisiana Cup Day card.

Paternal Pride, ridden by Richard Eramia, rallied for second followed by multiple-stakes winner Ibaka and West Village.

There’s a few years of friendship behind this horse,” said Rosier. “Brad and his team did a great job bringing this horse off a layoff. Staton did his best to get them to leave me on this horse.”

“I’m glad we got this guy a stakes win,” he said of his friend Rosier. “The horse ran great; undefeated on the turf and I hope we can keep on rolling in the Super Derby. This feels good!”

Aceguitar ($240) covered six furlongs in 1:12.47.

Drewcitable, under Colby Hernandez, dueled with the winner, but settled for second, followed by Smokin’ Truth and Roaring Star Fire.

Big Changes (3.80), was sent off as the heavy favorite, and did not disappoint, winning by a margin of 1 ½ lengths under jockey Diego Saenz. The Florida-bred son of Shipman crossed the wire of the mile and one-sixteenth feature in 1.41.43 over the firm. Trained by Brad Cox, Big Changes won his fourth race and the first stakes of his career.

Flurry Racing Stable LLC’s Mr. Misunderstood ($7.00) accepted that challenge and handled it with ease, coming off the pace under jockey Chris Rosier to score by 2 ½ lengths. Covering the first-quarter mile in :24.56 and the half-mile in :48.73, Mr. Misunderstood’s final time over the firm turf course was 1.41.88.

Staton Flurry was on hand to accept the trophy for the $130,000 purchase at the Ocala Sale.

finish in the $105,000 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park on July 22.

Magic Vow, a son of Private Vow owned by Evelyn Benoit of Brittlyn Stable, Inc. ran a game third in his turf debut, followed by Cox’s other trainee Royal by Nature. The remainder of the field included Mizztic Tale, Jilotopec, Queeten and Score’s Choice.

Front-Running Score by Aceguitar in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile The first stakes of the afternoon was the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile for Louisiana-bred 2-yearold colts and geldings.

Scott Brown’s Aceguitar, a son of noted Louisiana champion Star Guitar, dug in gamely for jockey Ted Gondron. He wheeled back following his runner-up

Sunny Oak Wires the Field in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Sunny Oak, owned by Keith Plaisance turned back eight challengers in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

With confident handling by rider Emmanuel Nieves, the 4-year-old filly by Live Oak won by 5 ¾ lengths over longshot Can’t Touch Me under Ashley Broussard. Defending champion Look Into My Eyes was third and Mr. Al’s Gal completed the superfecta.

Sunny Oak ($10.80) is trained by Edward Johnston and picked up her sixth win from 15 starts.

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Horse Breeder’s Corner: Why Do We Keep Doing This?

by George Newtown

It’s July, and the last of our pregnant Oldenburg mares has foaled. We celebrate: all six mares remain healthy and only one foal failed to survive. The sole colt to appear alongside five fillies, he was diagnosed with dysmaturity—or, as Dr. Hewlett described it, he had cooked for eleven months at 275 degrees when the oven should have been set at 350. We understand that birth is the most dangerous moment in the lives of mares and foals. Eleven healthy survivors out of twelve is good enough.

Even when the birthing goes very wrong, we opt to keep our broodmares in production because the babies give us so much pleasure. We love breeding horses. We hate selling them, though—not out of misplaced sentiment, but because engaging in the stilted dance with potential buyers is often painful.

The best experience we ever had selling a horse resulted from an internet contact with a couple from New Jersey. After driving their horse trailer 1400 miles to Louisiana, the young husband and wife observed openmouthed as Nadja—the zaftig four-year-old grey filly whose lofty gaits they’d admired on our video—trotted in from the pasture. The lady rummaged in her purse and handed us a cashier’s check for the full asking price. She said she’d been looking for months on the east coast for a dressage prospect and had found only lame or crazy in her price range. I suppose we should have thought about revising our pricing structure, but the smooth bargain that day made everybody happy.

We treasure such pleasant sales experiences because they happen so seldom. Even nice people seem to assume that anyone hawking a horse must be a sleaze ball and should be treated accordingly. Case in point: a mom stands at the shoulder of a rangy TB gelding and asks me, “You said on the phone he’s 16.3. Is he really 16.3?” I resist suggesting she put a stick to him to confirm the measurement. Or there’s the prospective buyer who asks pointedly, “So why are you selling this horse?” I respond, “We’re breeders; it’s what we do.” “Yes, but why are you selling THIS horse? What’s wrong with him?” Ancient suspicion about “horse traders” probably pushes shoppers toward such insensitive behavior.

Sometimes it’s worse than mere insensitivity. Those who promise to come at noon and then finally appear at dusk are only mildly objectionable. The worst is the late-night call from a trainer telling us her client has enjoyed her weeklong trial with the horse, but that the girl’s dad, who is out of the country, can pay only half what we’re asking; it’s take it or leave it; and, by the way, if we don’t like the deal we need to get in the truck and drive 500 miles to pick up the horse, as the client and trainer are heading to Albuquerque in the morning and there’ll be nobody left at home to feed him.

Most sales experiences do not leave me picking up my jaw from the floor the way that one did, but unpleasant moments happen often enough to make me dread the process: • One Saturday afternoon we saddle up three of our youngsters, only to hear later that Mom apparently has secured her daughter’s happiness for an entire year by taking her to ride every horse advertised in a three state area.

• The eager amateur buyer never actually mounts our young horse because her trainer spurs him for forty-five sweat-drenched minutes—sure that he will offer something untoward—until the confused youngster finally throws in a crow hop and the trainer eats dirt.

• The “I-just-tell-it-like-it-is” trainer dismisses our two fit plain-bay eventers as “too skinny” and then advises her client to purchase a butterball—a loud paint that has never been on the bit and shows no sign he plans ever to get there.

• After our experienced campaigner never puts a foot wrong in their try-out, the prospective buyer offers half of our reasonable asking price. Ever since the advent of digital x-rays, we’ve come to expect buyers to use any pimple to beat down the seller’s price, but in this case she hasn’t even asked for films.

I do treasure the note we received from a lady twenty years after we’d sold her a sweet gelding. She told us he had just died, and she thanked us for providing her with the best friend she’d ever had. Moments like that, along with watching as the newborns play, make our efforts as breeders feel worthwhile. But selling the horses? Maybe I’m too thin-skinned, but it’s not my idea of a good time.

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MR. MISUNDERSTOOD PUNCHES HIS TICKET TO THE $200,000 SUPER DERBY WITH A VICTORY IN THE $60,000 SUPER DERBY PRELUDE AT HARRAH’S LOUISIANA DOWNS Illusionofreality Notches Her First Stakes Win in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff A full field of 12 accredited Louisiana-bred fillies and mares took to the Franks Turf Course in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff.

Leading Louisiana Downs trainer Joey Foster clinched the win with Illusionofreality, who added her fourth consecutive win of the meet and the first stakes of her career. The 4-year-old filly sired by Yankee Gentleman, is owned

by Maury and Leslie Harrington.

With regular rider Alexander Castillo aboard, Illusionofreality ($16.40) broke from the far outside post and held off the late charge of Safari Calamari. Her final time for the mile and one-sixteenth turf route was 1:42.56. Post time favorite Inveniam Viam ran third and P Boo completed the superfecta.

Emily’s Lollipop Scores in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies Another full field of 2-year-old accredited Louisiana-bred fillies set the stage for an exciting edition of the six-furlong $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Making just the second start of her career, Anton Kobacak’s Emily’s Lollipop became a stakes winner for trainer Scott Gelner. Returning off her maiden race at Prairie Meadows, she took the lead under Diego Saenz, drawing off by a margin of five lengths over longshot Sarah’s Holy Belle. Feisty Embrace ran third and recent stakes winner Janae held for fourth.

Sent off at 22-1, Berniestrike, who ran third in the 2016 edition of this stakes, paid $46.20 for the victory.

Speedy Jockamo’s Song Takes the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint The $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint, a six-furlong main track dash, attracted a full field, but none could match the prowess of Jockamo’s Song (5.20). Owned

by Dare to Dream Racing Stable LLC, the son of Half Ours entered this race off a win in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Sprint at Evangeline Downs. Gerard Melancon was the winning jockey, covering six furlongs in 1:10.83 for trainer Michael Stidham.

Nubin Ridge ran second under Ashley Broussard, followed by Icy Gentleman and Sea Vow. Sister Blues Cruises in the $50,000 Opelousas Originally scheduled at Evangeline Downs, the $50,000 Opelousas at one mile over the Franks Turf Course was the final feature of the card.

Sister Blues, a 5-year-old daughter of Pioneer of the Nile, was the winner, which was the third stakes win of the afternoon for trainer Brad Cox. Colby Hernandez piloted the mare for Lucky Seven Stable, covering the one-mile turf event in 1:35.93.

Emerald Pond closed for second, over Ski Tune and What a Reward.

The win was the fifth career victory for Sister Blues ($2.80), bred by her owner in Kentucky.

Emily’s Lollipop rewarded her supporters with a win payout of $18.40.

Live racing continues on Monday, August 7. The next major stakes day of the 2017 Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred meet is Super Derby Day on Saturday, September 9. To see a complete list of the 2017 Thoroughbred stakes schedule, click here.

Berniestrike Pulls the Upset in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Turf Classic The $50,000 Louisiana Turf Cup Classic attracted a solid field including the winner of the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Turf run here on July 17.

Berniestrike, bred and owned by James Boyd, scored the upset, under rider Eguard Tejera.

About Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Located near Shreveport in Bossier City, Louisiana, Louisiana Downs opened in 1974 and was purchased by Caesars Entertainment in December, 2002. With annual Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing seasons, the track is committed to presenting the highest quality racing programs paired with its 150,000 square foot entertainment complex offering casino gambling, dining and plasma screen televisions for sports and simulcast racing.

Trained by H. B. Johnson, the 5-year-old Louisiana-bred had not run since December 16, but gamely wore down his rivals. He won by a neck, crossing the wire of the mile and one-sixteenth turf stakes in 1.41.16. Louisiana Legends Turf winner Trust Factor was second with Colby Hernandez up, followed by Fort Pulaski and Sir Genghis.

For further information, please contact: Trent McIntosh | Assistant General Manager O 318-752-6980 | 8000 East Texas Street | Bossier City, LA 71111 | www.caesars.com

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“On Point” Hits the High Point: Colt Breaks Auction Record at LQHBA Sale by Barbara Newtown

First Down Dash:

T M Ranch is ranked 16th in 2017 earnings out of 6,001 racing Quarter Horse owners. Owned by Steve Holland of Orlando, Florida, T M Ranch is a force in Louisiana racing. T M Ranch’s two most successful performers to date have been the graded stakes winners Ol Time Preacher Man and Heza Louisiana Dash. Both horses were trained

by Kenneth Roberts, Sr. Roberts will train On Point, too. Now the colt is staying at Delta Equine Center in Vinton, Louisiana, where he will follow a fitness regimen until he’s ready for race training. Any illness or injuries will be immediately handled by the track-savvy Delta veterinarians in the state-of-the-art Delta facility.

Roberts spoke about On Point’s new owner Steve Holland. “Steve lives in Florida. He loves racing and he loves his horses. He’s good for the industry, especially in the state of Louisiana. We really appreciate him, that he can bring that kind of money. He loves running here. He’s not a breeder. He just buys horses; each year he buys nice horses.”

Holland and Roberts thought On Point looked like something they could use in their business. The high auction price was a surprise. Roberts says, “The only thing we can do now is hope for the best and hope we can get our money out of him! This is the sire’s first crop. It was hard for us to decide, because we don’t know if he is going to produce.”

Roberts bid on the horse while Holland sat in the grandstand. They don’t know who they were bidding against. Roberts looked for Holland, but couldn’t spot him.

Nevertheless, Roberts felt confident as he bid higher and higher. “We’d talked about the horse, and Mr. Steve said if I like him I should buy him. It’s an honor for Mr. Steve to trust me the way he does. I’ve just been training for him for the last three or four years. That’s a lot of trust.”

With a January 7th birthday, On Point will have the advantage of being a full two-year-old by futurity time. Roberts says, “We don’t know which futurity we’ll run him in… we haven’t talked about it. The Mardi Gras futurity isn’t even in the picture yet.” Being ready to race is more involved that just having a mature physique. On Point will let his trainer and owner know when he is ready.

On Point’s combination of black-type breeding, quality prepping by Robicheaux Ranch, and great QH conformation is enhanced by Steve Holland’s choice of a trainer.

Kenneth Roberts, Sr., is also a force to reckon with in Louisiana: he was honored on the last day of the LQHBA sale for his eighth leading trainer award.

The rest is up to On Point. [photos: Amanda Glidden, Plugged-In Equine Marketing; stallionesearch; AQHA; stallionesearch]

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HAY is for HOOVES! by: Mike Milazzo

We all know the importance of having a muscled topline.

So you have a footy horse with a hard, cresty neck. What to do? What to do?

Feeding high quality hay is one of the best and easiest ways to ensure that your horse’s diet includes sufficient quantities of essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine, which are important for the growth of healthy hoof tissue. --www.horsejournals.com

Lysine is important to hooves as it is most often the key to improving protein availability, especially in grass hay based diets. What are hooves made up of? Keratinized PROTEIN. So Lysine plays a major role in the health state of the horse hoof. Natural sources for Lysine include High lysine foods include, nuts, seeds, eggs, beans, and lentils. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seed, chia seed, cashew nuts, walnuts and almonds all are great additions to the equine diet to provide ample Lysine.

Methionine is absolutely necessary for the production of cystine, the amino acid that is needed to produce many important proteins. Through a process called transamination, the horse’s body converts dietary methionine into the cystine. Methionine is often cited as the second limiting amino acid in horse diets, after lysine. So when one sees cracking, crumbling, poor growing hoof walls, one can safely assume the body is lacking appropriate amounts of Methionine. Many types of nuts provide Methionine including Brazil nuts. Other examples of natural source for Methionine and soybeans. However, here in the US over 90% of the soybeans grown commercially are based from GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds. The long term effects of GMO plants has not been studied while short term studies do show considerable detrimental effects from sterilization to tumors. It is best to find an alternative source for adequate Methionine or feed organic soybeans.

Contrary to what is often believed, Alfalfa-grass blends are a good choice for horses because Alfalfa is protein-rich and will balance with the lower protein grass hay. Alfalfa also helps to soothe the stressed gut. A diet that includes FREE CHOICE hay will drastically reduce the stress the body has to contend with and will offer the nutrients that are not only helpful to the horses gut but to growing healthy, strong hooves, as well.

Last, but not least, for this blog post, is the importance of GRAZING for the horse ... yes, GRASS. Horses are “designed” to eat grasses. Lots and lots of varieties of grasses.

Pastures that are eons old without any chemical enhancers or fertilizers or riddled with pesticides and herbicides. When we pull a horse off grass for the sake of reducing weight, cresty neck, for the sake of EMS or IR, we are just stressing the body which will exacerbate any metabolic situation. We are depriving the horse of essential nutrients to heal and restore the hooves natural health.

Avoiding metabolic LAMINITIS should be a primary focus of all horse owners. Feeding a diet that will increase the nutrients in the diet will help to decrease the chances of metabolic syndromes and the resulting ‘footiness’ or, flat out Laminitis. Feeding free choice hay, REDUCING or completely ELIMINATING cereal-based grains and adding such fresh foods as greens, nuts, seeds that are rich in Methionine and Lysine will not only help the horse to adjust to the natural, normal weight for that individual horse but also allow the body to grow those nice, strong, rock-crushing hooves that we ALL “dream about”.

**EMS - The term Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is used to signify the condition in horses in which all three of the following exist: Insulin resistance (IR), Laminitis – may be severe, acute or low-grade and chronic, and regional fat deposition in the form of a “cresty” neck or enlarged fat pads.

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Louisiana Equine Report : Office: 225-363.6773

Mike @ 225.229.8979 | Email: mike@laequinereport.com | www.theequinereport.com