Dr. Newton ultrasounds a mare at Margaux Farm

Margaux Farm hosted the first farm visit of the weekend. Co-owner Steve Johnson, his team of general manager Michael Hardy, broodmare manager Jon Carpenter and office manager Michele Holbrook, as well as farrier Doug Parsons and Dr. Chris Newton, DVM of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, focused on the mare and foal, covering topics including pregnancy checks, ultrasounds, foal conformation and the relationship between the breeder, veterinarian and farrier during the sunny afternoon at the farm. Dr. Newton performed two ultrasounds (approximately 20 and 60 days into gestation); the latter ultrasound displayed an exciting combination of heartbeat, ribs and vertebrae of the fetus.

Midnight Lute stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms

Timber Town Stable owner Wayne Sweezey kicked off day two of the clinic with a discussion of Thoroughbreds in transition from the track to the breeding shed. The remainder of the day was spent at picturesque Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms. General manager Jared Burdine stood near Seattle Slew’s ornate grave, located at the entrance of the stallion barn, while explaining how to plan matings. The group then watched the stallion show (including such names as Midnight Lute and Stormy Atlantic), discussing the pedigree and conformation that makes them top sires at the farm. This discussion transitioned perfectly into witnessing breeding prep and live covers of three mares. The afternoon wrapped up with cocktails and appetizers at recently opened Bru Burger Bar, creating an opportunity for the attendees to discuss what they learned over the two days.

Clifford Barry discusses conformation

Day three took place at Pin Oak Stud, managed by Clifford Barry. The morning’s discussions covered the horse’s nutritional requirements, gastrointestinal tract anatomy and how to maintain a quality pasture. These two talks were led by nutritionist Amy Parker with McCauley Bros. and pasture/forage speaker Krista Lea with the University of Kentucky. Ms. Parker presented the group with a hands-on approach of teaching about the GI tract, using household utility items to build a model of the horse’s esophagus, stomach (gas can), small and large intestines (insulated tubing and flexible aluminum dryer duct, respectively), et cetera. Nancy Stephens explained the farm’s stallion nomination process and Dr. Randy Purvis (Hagyard Equine Medical Institute) discussed barren mares. The afternoon concluded with conformation evaluation of stallions Alternation and Broken Vow, followed by Mr. Barry’s illustration of a year on the farm.

Thoroughbred breeding is a vast topic that needs more than three days in order to cover all of the information available. However, the clinic provided a wealth of information for the group’s varying level of breeding experiences and resources for the attendees to continue expanding their knowledge.

TOBA’s seminar and clinic program, sponsored by The Blood-Horse, is open to anyone with an interest to learn more about a variety of aspects of the Thoroughbred industry. Topics include pedigree and conformation, breeding, and Thoroughbred ownership. Click here to learn more and register for an upcoming clinic.