September 2011

The League Board of Directors met in Lexington, KY July 11-13 for its annual summer retreat. The golf game got rained out, but the meeting was still productive.

We continued our talks with Leigh Anne Claywell from USEF and Melynda Ackley from AQHA, who were speakers at the Lexington symposium, about event calendars and the possibility of coordinating the major association dates and date keeping systems. Brian Dygert commented “with the large amount of annual sanctioned shows, trying to coordinate dates is virtually impossible.”

University and student membership is another hot topic that has been on the board’s agenda all year. A motion was made to join the National Association of Equine Affiliated Academics to explore this concept.

The League has signed on with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association to offer benefits to our members. See the NTRA flyer inside.

Our new website is still under construction. We continue to explore webinars as a means for obtaining certification hours.

Bill Allen from the Oklahoma State Fair Park has been appointed to fulfill the unexpired term of Carrel Haught. Carrel is continuing to seek a position with another facility and hopes to attend the symposium in Scottsdale.

If you have news to share with other facility members, contact the League office at (859) 887-0033 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The 2011 EHV-1 outbreak finally settled down, but a lot of tragedy and loss occurred before it did. Thirteen horses died in seven states. Over seventy confirmed cases were diagnosed in nine states and two provinces. State fairs, major NCHA cuttings, the NRCHA Derby and countless other equine events were canceled or postponed. Literally millions of dollars were lost as well as more than a dozen of God's most beautiful creations.

After an event such as this, we are left asking some pretty serious questions. What exactly happened and what could have been done, if anything? As facility managers, do we have a role to play and if so, what should that role be?

One of the important characteristics of EHV-1 is its tendency to go dormant in the horse for long periods until the host horse is put under stress, like competition, and then move into an active phase. Of course competition is a very stressful situation for horses, new surroundings, often twenty-four hour activity, being schooled in an intense manner in conditions that are often far more crowded than normal. The ultimate stress is the competition itself. If EHV-1, or other diseases, can be awakened from its dormant phase by stress, then there is a great likelihood the disease would go active at our facilities. That is what happened at the NCHA's Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah this spring. Nearly every infected horse traced back to that show and then radiated out into new shows or training facilities.

For an infectious disease to start at your facility is terrible. To have that disease leave your facility and scatter to the four corners of the earth is a potential catastrophe. The likelihood that such a problem could occur at any of our facilities is way too good. The possibility of stopping it from happening is slim. So what should we do?

First we need to have health certificate requirements that insure horses attending events at our venues have been screened. Then we need to have any horses that develop symptoms at our shows brought to our attention. If we can identify horses in the early stages of infection, we can make a massive contribution toward containment of an epidemic.

Once an sick horse is identified, we can move him to a quarantine stall, a stall or set of stalls at least sixty feet away from other stalls, and have him observed and treated. All horses known to be in close contact with the infected horse can also be observed. The facility would need to be quarantined and horse would be okayed for release as veterinarians, more than likely state veterinarians, allowed.

If we institute a system of reporting illness, establishing isolation stalls and quarantining shows until cleared by a vet, we stand a good chance of shutting down epidemics at the start. However, and here is the rub, many if not most horsemen faced with the expense of being quarantined away from home will go a long way to conceal an infected horse. Cooperation may only be skin deep.

Even if we are fighting an uphill battle getting cooperation from horsemen, we need to develop policies and procedures to deal with bio-emergencies. To not do so invites, at the very least, a potential public relations disaster that will certainly negatively affect our operations.

Tim Lynch is the General Manager at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center, Queen Creek, AZ. He can be reached at (480) 358-3793.

Welcome New League Members

The Washington State Horse Park lies off I-90 in Cle Elum with easy access from all over the state. The site has 112 acres of gently sloping terrain and is five minutes from Suncadia Resort which offers amenities and recreational opportunities in addition to those in surrounding areas.

The Horse Park will be the premier equestrian facility in Washington state, serving the recreational, competitive and educational needs of riders and horse enthusiasts in all disciplines, age groups and skill levels. The venue will provide ample facilities to accommodate large horse events, as well as cater to smaller and less formal activities such as trail riding and back country packing.

With three large arenas in place, the Horse Park facilities currently are able to accommodate one or more small to moderate sized events at a time. At full build-out, the Horse Park will be able to host a large event such as the regional dressage championships, an "A" rated hunter/jumper show, regional Arabian and Quarter Horse shows, the North American Young Riders’ program, World Cup competitions, and much more.

People of all ages and skill levels will be drawn to the Horse Park, and special consideration will be given to youth programs and therapeutic riding. Emphasis will also be on fostering education and training through clinics, demonstrations, seminars and camps.

Leslie Thurston is the executive director. Contact her at (425) 486-0272 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The William "Bill" Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center at Murray State University in Murray, KY provides a versatile surface for a wide variety of events from livestock and horse shows to circuses, RV and boat shows, tractor and truck pulls, arts and crafts festivals, farm fairs, automobile and machinery shows, and a variety of other activities. Over 25,000 people from West Kentucky and surrounding states attend a variety of events at the Exposition Center annually.

Livestock stalls are available for rent in association with scheduled events at the Exposition Center. Meeting rooms are available for groups or organizational gatherings. Audio visual equipment can be provided upon request. The Exposition Center staff can assist in event planning and preparation.

Dwayne Driskill is the assistant dean of the Ag Science Department. He can be reached at (270) 809-3125.