Contact: Dr. Sarah Ralston Young Horse Teaching and Research Program Rutgers-Cook College 732-932-9404 ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu

 

RUTGERS ANNUAL YEARLING AUCTION
SET FOR SUNDAY, MAY 1

 

     NAERIC-Registered Quarter Horse/Belgian Crosses Include Eight Fillies and, for the First Time in Several Years, Four Geldings

    NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (February 16, 2005) – Twelve well turned-out and well handled draft cross yearlings will be featured at the annual benefit auction that is the capstone of the NAERIC Young Horse Teaching and Research Program at Rutgers-Cook College. This year’s auction takes place at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 1, 2005, at the Round House on the Cook College campus on College Farm Road, just west of Route 1 in New Brunswick.

    The horses, registered with the North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC), have been on the Cook College campus since September 2004. They have been the subject of several student research projects and are part of the teaching program for more than 20 students enrolled in the Research in Animal Science and Practicum courses.

    This is the sixth year the auction has taken place. Proceeds go to the Equine Research and Teaching Program at Cook College. This year’s crop of yearlings includes toveros, medicine hat paints, sorrels and chestnuts, many with attractive markings. Most are half or full siblings to horses sold in previous years. Details and photos can be accessed through www.esc.rutgers.edu, the website of Rutgers Equine Science Center, or at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruhorse/index.html, the website developed and maintained by the students.

    The horses will be shown in-hand at the college’s annual Ag Field Day starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 30. They also may be previewed on May 1, starting at 11 a.m. Pre-registration for bidders is strongly encouraged and can be done by contacting Dr. Sarah Ralston, associate director-teaching at the Equine Science Center, via email at Ralston@aesop.rutgers.edu.

    Background on the Program

     The auction is the culmination of nine months of research and training for both the students and the horses. Dr. Ralston initially takes five to seven students to North Dakota each August to select the 12 Belgian/Quarter Horse foals for the program. The foals chosen are weaned in September and transported to the Cook campus, where they are greeted by their student handlers.

     This year the research is a comparison of a “total mixed ration” hay cube feed versus a standard diet of hay and grain on growth and metabolism in the young horses. Also, George H. Cook Honors student Elissa Lappostato and Princeton University student Tess Soroka are looking at indices of stress and metabolism that are measurable in horse saliva, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. Ms. Soroka’s advisor, Dr. Istvan Pelczer of Princeton, is a key collaborator in this unique project.

     In addition to helping with the research, the students also train and care for the young horses. They are responsible for all aspects of the basic care of the animals and learn how to teach the previously unhandled horses basic manners. Each weanling has at least two students assigned to it in the fall. In the spring the more experienced students help their novice classmates “learn the ropes” in the Animal Fitting and Handling course, which culminates with the Annual Ag Field Day Horse Show, held the day before the auction.

     Students also gain experience in other areas, such as marketing and web page design, as illustrated by the special NAERIC Young Horse Teaching and Research Program website. The website was designed and is maintained by Sarah Grossman, a junior in her second year with the research and teaching program, with input from the other students. The website is being generously sponsored by Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop.

     NAERIC is a national organization that works with breeders of PMU (pregnant mare urine) horses that produce the raw material for the synthesis of Premarin, a hormone replacement drug used to treat the symptoms of menopause in women. The NAERIC Incentive Program doubles cash prizes won by a NAERIC-registered horse in approved competitions. Further information about NAERIC and its incentive program is available at the organization’s website: www.naeric.org.