UK's Largest Equestrian Center to be Built near Edward Martin's Home in Scotland

News about Mr. Edward Martin is sparse, but thanks to farrier Jean Meneley of Nevada, we do receive occasional reports. For those who don't know him, Edward Martin is the senior statesman of the worldwide farrier industry and a friend to all in the horseshoeing and blacksmithing worlds. Among Edward's many accomplishments and honors include the MBE, "Member of the British Empire", awarded by the Queen for his services to farriery. I could do a blog just about Edward!

Edward is still quite weak from the complications of Parkinson's disease, but thanks to the efforts of his sister, Jane, is still able to live at home in the little village of Closeburn in the Scottish borders district. Edward enjoys hearing from old friends, so please write to him. The fact that you may not receive a response does not lessen the value of your effort in writing to him.

Edward's neighborhood is buzzing today! Former British Olympic event rider Karen Dixon is a neighbor of Edward's, and I believe one of his former clients, as well. According to a report received from Horse & Hound (UK magazine) today, Karen and her husband Andrew have just announced plans to build the largest equestrian center in all the United Kingdom, at a cost of 30 million pounds...somewhere around $65 million. In addition to stabling, arenas, and a cross country course, the plan also calls for a village, presumably with an equestrian theme.

The location is the town of Lockerbie, site of the horrific Pan Am aircraft bombing about ten years ago, and just up the road from Edward's village. With my tongue set firmly in my cheek, I can't help but wonder if it will be called "The Robert Burns Equestrian Center", after the area's beloved native poet.

Here's a PS from Horse & Hound that I thought was interesting: "The development trend comes on the back of a recent British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) survey which found the number of people riding in Britain has nearly doubled from 2.4m in 1999 to 4.3m in 2006."

Those are numbers that you could take to the bank.

Barbaro Funds Will Help Laminitis Research

This is second-hand news, so please wait for an official announcement before believing it, but...

In an interview in the Philadelphia Inquirer this weekend, owner Gretchen Jackson reported that she expects half of the donations to the Barbaro Fund at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center will go to laminitis research.

"Isn't that nice?" you may be musing..."Bring me some real news!" But wait...generous people have already donated more than $1.25 million to the fund, which means that roughly $600,000 will go to research.

But whose research? Chances are, the funds will stay right at New Bolton Center, where a laminitis research initiative has been on the wish list anyway.

Here's a quote lifted from the article: One of her (Gretchen Jackson, owner of Babaro) top priorities, she said, is New Bolton's Barbaro Fund, which has received 1,500 contributions totaling $1,225,000. Jackson said half the fund is slated to go for laminitis research, in the grandest-scale attempt yet to eradicate the disease. She's had a conversation with Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, about the disease, because Secretariat died from it.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/special_packages/latest/15592399.htm

In the photo: jockey Edgar Prado visiting with Barbaro and surgeon Dean Richardson on September 19. Photo by Sabina Louise Pierce/University of Pennsylvania.

Walking Horses May Have a 2006 World Champion After All

The Associated Press reported this afternoon that the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association has organized a last-minute championship show for Thanksgiving weekend. The news was first reported in, oddly enough, the International Herald Tribune. One can only imagine what people in Paris and Prague and Stockholm thought of the report.

Only three of nine finalist horses at the recent Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee were allowed to compete; the other six were turned down by USDA veterinarians and inspectors, who said that their inspections found that the horses' feet or pasterns showed signs of "soring" and were in violation of the Horse Protection Act.

The three horses that did pass inspection never made it into the ring because an angry owner of a disqualified horse offered to pay them not to go in. Earlier in the show, classes had been cancelled for more than 24 hours after disagreements between trainers and inspectors erupted.

Called the Tennessee Walking Horse Invitational, the new show will be held at the Tennessee Miller Stadium, which I think is in Nashville; it will have 50 classes and a purse for the grand champion of $15,000. Horses must first pass inspection before they can compete.

Check the archives for August 2006 to read more about the fireworks at the Celebration.

2006 Kentucky Walking Horse Celebration Cancelled in Advance; USDA Inspection Cited as Reason

According to a report posted on www.tennessean.com, the 42nd Annual Kentucky Celebration Tennessee Walking Horse Show, which was to have been held this week, has been cancelled.

To quote tennessean.com: "Jerry Hoskins, a member of the board of the Show, said the decision to call off the show was based on what organizers believed to be unfair and inconsistent inspections by federal officials.

"We decided it's in the best interest of trainers and owners to not even try to show," said Hoskins of Liberty, Kentucky, where the show was to be held for the first time. "We do feel like the USDA would be very hard on us."

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation "Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit" Planned for Keeneland in October

A two-day workshop concerning the safety and soundness of the Thoroughbred racehorse, will be held on Monday, October 16, and Tuesday, October 17, at Keeneland racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky.

Three dozen individuals representing a cross-section of the breeding, racing and veterinary community have agreed to participate in the "Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit", which is sponsored by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

The first morning session will be open to the public. There is no admission, but a voluntary donation to Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will be accepted.

The open session will be followed by a closed round table discussion and subsequent breakout groups. Monday afternoon, each group will give a 30-minute presentation on their ideas. Participants will meet in a closed session again Tuesday to develop and recommend definitive action plans.

The open session will include panel discussions and presentations by the following participants:

* Dr. Rick Arthur and Dr. Larry Bramlage, “Trends in Thoroughbred Racing by the Numbers”

* Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, “Joint Trauma and Osteoarthritis (DJD) — A Major Cause of Attrition in Thoroughbred Racehorses”

* Dr. Michael “Mick” Peterson, “Extending the Careers of Racehorses Through Engineered Racing Surfaces”

* Dr. Sue Stover, “Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries” and “Race Surface Preliminary Findings”

“To gain further public insight, we propose that anyone with suggestions is welcome to submit a one- to three-page summary of their ideas,” the Foundation's Ed Bowen said. “We will provide these summaries to the participants prior to the summit.”

Summaries should be sent in Word or WordPerfect to khix@jockeyclub.com no later than October 1.

“Horses are the core of the racing industry, and their safety and soundness is paramount to the industry’s success,” said Dell Hancock, chairman, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “We hope our findings also benefit horses of all breeds and disciplines.”

To learn more, please visit: http://www.jockeyclub.com/mediaCenter.asp?story=254A Jockey Club press release was used as the primary source of this post.

BEVA Congress in the UK

The news is coming in from the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, which ended yesterday at the National Exhibition Center at Birmingham, England.

Hoofcare & Lameness Consulting Editor Dr. Hilary Clayton, McPhail Chair in Sport Horse Lameness at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, was a popular speaker. Her lecture "Current Trends in Equine Gait Analysis" was sponsored by Equinalysis and will be summarized here as soon as possible.

Our British correspondent, Mark Andrews MRCVS, was at the conference and will provide his usual succinct reports.