Press Release

Contact: Diana M. Orban Brown

Rutgers Equine Science Center

732-932-9419

orban@aesop.rutgers.edu

RUTGERS EQUINE SCIENCE CENTER SCHEDULES
ONE-DAY HORSE MANAGEMENT SEMINAR FOR MARCH 14

Guest Speakers and Topics Focus on Competition Issues;

Also West Nile Virus Update for New Jersey Horses

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (January 20, 2004) – With the summer show season only months away, recommendations for competition horses and important new information, research, and statistics about the impact of West Nile Virus on the equine population will be featured at the annual Rutgers Equine Science Center’s Horse Management Seminar on Sunday, March 14, 2004 on the Cook College campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

The day-long seminar will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cook Campus Center, Biel and Dudley Roads, off Route 1 in New Brunswick.

Organizing the event is Dr. Carey Williams, the new extension equine specialist with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the Rutgers Department of Animal Sciences at Cook College and Rutgers Equine Science Center. Registration is being handled by the Office of Continuing Professional Education at Cook College, 732-932-9271.

According to Dr. Williams, “The seminar this year will be a ‘warm-up’ for the Athens Olympics, which will be held in August. We developed topics for owners, trainers, riders and others interested in competition, performance, and general equine exercise.”

For example, Dr. Amy Ordakowski-Burk of the University of Maryland will present on “Pre-Competition Nutritional Management,” and Dr. Rebecca Splan of Virginia Tech will discuss “Conformation of the Performance Horse.”

In addition, Dr. James Kenney will take audiences through the pros and cons of acupuncture, an increasingly popular treatment for equine athletes. And Jim Wolf, who is Director of Game Preparation and Athlete Services for the U.S. Equestrian Team, will brief attendees on the preparations for team members and horses heading to the Athens Olympics, and the special challenges that will face U.S. competitors at these games.

“One other topic that we think will be of very great interest to seminar participants is the update on West Nile Virus,” says Dr. Williams. “Jennifer Scigliano, a doctoral student in the Department of Entomology at Cook College, has been studying exactly which type or types of mosquito infect horses. Armed with this information, monitoring and controlling disease-carrying mosquitoes will likely be much more effective.”

The West Nile problem is increasingly worrisome for humans and animals in New Jersey and in virtually all states in the U.S., with more cases being reported each year. Rutgers and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers have been in the forefront of mosquito research since the turn of the century, and their research is recognized worldwide. The West Nile presentation will include present and future research that will lead to recommendations for mosquito control methods that can be adopted by horse owners.

The advance registration for the day-long seminar is $55 for adults and $35 for students. The registration fee at the door is $70 for adults and $50 for students. The fee includes continental breakfast, parking permit, handouts and access to vendor displays, door prizes and a lunchtime raffle. There will also be a lunch provided for an extra $9.

Further information about the seminar is posted on the Equine Science Center website at www.esc.rutgers.edu, which links to the Continuing Education online registration site: http://cook.rutgers.edu/~ocpe.