Horseman’s Seminar Scheduled for Ocala in Early February

Kentucky Equine Research is pleased to announce the Horseman’s Seminar, scheduled for the evening of Monday, February 5, at the Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club. Intended for riders and trainers in all disciplines, this in-person seminar, titled Fitness and Conditioning in Sport Horses: Applying the Science, will feature three important but different perspectives on preparing sport horses for competition.

Guest speakers for the Horseman’s Seminar include Drs. Hilary Clayton, Katie Young, and Emmanuelle Van Erck.

Dr. Hilary Clayton will differentiate training and conditioning, two basic concepts of sport horse development, and will address targeted conditioning for specific disciplines. While all horses require baseline conditioning to boost aerobic capacity and strengthen muscles, specialized training and conditioning are then required based on the desired discipline. Levels of endurance, strength, and work intensity differ among disciplines, and horses must be appropriately conditioned for maximal performance and soundness.

Dr. Katie Young will identify nutritional factors that can optimize performance. Understanding how various energy sources can be manipulated to provide or replace the energy used during exercise will help trainers and owners choose the best feeding strategy for sport horses. These discipline-specific nutritional approaches are underscored by years of exercise physiology research and, more importantly, through everyday use on top-flight sport horses.

Dr. Emmanuelle Van Erk will discuss the importance of exercise monitoring, which is defined as the tracking of objective measures to ensure horses are not overtrained or pushed beyond their physical limits when preparing for competition or returning to training after lay-up. By beginning with baseline measurements, such as heart rate, lactate levels, and recovery trends, and continuing with routine measurements, the fitness of sport horses can be followed over time, which may alert riders to potential setbacks as training progresses.

Reserve your spot for the Horseman’s Seminar now.

The Horseman’s Seminar is an offshoot, in-person acitivity of the 27th Equine Health and Nutrition Conference, to be held February 5-6, 2024, at the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Florida. This two-day scientific symposium is intended for veterinarians, nutritionists, and researchers, and features a roster of world-renowned speakers, each presenting cutting-edge information about specific aspects of performance horse health. In addition to Drs. Clayton and Van Erck, this conference will host presentations from leading researchers, including Drs. Stephanie Valberg, Warwick Bayly, Mike Davis, and Joe Pagan. Learn more about this two-day conference.