7th ANNUAL NAERIC YEARLING BENEFIT AUCTION

TO BE HELD SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2006

            NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (February 1, 2006) – The Young Horse Teaching & Research Program will be holding its 7^th Annual NAERIC Yearling Benefit Auction on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey..

     Since 1999, Dr. Sarah Ralston has been in charge of a Young Horse Teaching & Research Program as part of the Equine Science program at Cook College. The program begins over the summer as sponsored students travel with Dr. Ralston to ranches in North Dakota and Canada to select twelve foals. Students are taught how to select appropriate horses for the program and how to start gentling them in the herd before making the trip to New Jersey. This makes the transition into the program easier on foals and inexperienced student handlers.

     During the school year, the students learn to train and handle their young horse and to assist in research. Through care of the horses the students also learn practical horse-keeping skills. The research is designed to provide information on the nutritional requirements of rapidly growing young horses with special emphasis on optimizing nutritional management to prevent developmental orthopedic disease. George H Cook Honors students also design and execute studies of their own, typically looking at some aspect of behavior, stress during travel, or nutrition. 

     The culmination of the year is Ag-Field Day on April 29 and the Young Horse Auction on April 30.  As the big days approach, the horses are turned over to the Animal Fitting and Handling Course to learn more advanced in-hand work as the handlers learn more about grooming and showmanship in preparation for the in-hand classes at Cook College’s Ag-Field Day. After the high of the horse classes at Ag-Field Day comes the bittersweet joy of the auction, when students will see their charges move on to find a new home. Proceeds of the auction are used to fund the next year’s program, student research and Equine Science programs.

     On auction day, the student handlers are available to discuss their horses with potential buyers during the Auction Preview beginning at 11:00 a.m. and then show them off during the Auction at 1:00 p.m.

     Auction buyers can look forward to a horse with a head start on training in these yearlings.  All work well in-hand with both experienced and supervised novice handlers.  They lead, tie, clip, have been bathed, and work well with the vet and farrier.  They are accustomed to group turnout and to spending part of their time in a stall. Six are registered with the North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC), three are double registered with the Performance Horse Society, and the rest will be registered with the American Warmblood Society. They are sired by Hanoverian, Quarter Horse and American Paint stallions out of Belgian or Percheron cross mares.

     The young horses can be seen before Ag Field Day and the Auction by calling 732-932-9404 to arrange a visit or on-line at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruhorse/index.html.