Brigita's Blog: Attention All Horse Owners! Equine Short Courses Offered in Lehigh Valley, PA

Here are some great short courses offered in the Lehigh Valley, PA, for horse owners and anyone involved with horses. Anyone that wants to learn more equine information can register. 

Horse Owners Listen Up-Things are Changing:
Equine Environmental Stewardship
March 7, 14, 21, and 28 - Lehigh County Ag Center, Allentown, PA

All sessions are evenings, 7:00PM - 9:30PM
Cost: $45 for all four sessions at each location

• Are you aware that all farms with animals in PA are required to have either a certified nutrient management or a manure management plan?
• Do you know how pastures can benefit your horses and how and when grazing may put some horses at risk?
• Do you know how to manage your pastures to increase forage quality and reduce weeds and toxic plants?
• Do you know how to compost manure so that it is a resource that you can use in your pastures?
• Do you know how to feed your horses to supply the proper levels of nutrients in their diet?

The Equine Environmental Stewardship short course is an exciting, four-part educational series that provides practical hands-on experiences that will help farm owners develop the knowledge and skills necessary to adopt environmentally sound farm management practices. Equine research is providing new information that is generating many changes in recommendations in the management practices that have been in place for many years.

Participants in this short course will be made aware of new and emerging information that will benefit their horses, their farms, and the environment. Participants will learn about forage biology, how to reduce grazing health risks, how to rotate and rest pastures to increase plant growth, how to identify grasses, weeds, and toxic plants, how to properly fertilize soil, how manure and nutrient management regulations will impact their farm, how to properly store, compost, and apply manure, and how to develop a feeding program for horses that meet but do not exceed nutritional requirements.

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Horse Owners Listen Up-Things are Changing:
Caring for the Geriatric and Aging Horse
March 10, 2012
9:00AM - 3:30PM
Best Western Conference Center, 300 Gateway Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18017-9076
Cost: $45

This short course provides the latest information on managing the health and well-being of geriatric and older performance horses. Owners of older horses usually have cared for them for a long time and have developed a special bond with their animals. Research in the field of geriatric medicine has increased due to the interest of equine caretakers in enhancing the comfort, mobility and health of older horses. 

This short course will present the latest information on how to meet the nutritional needs of geriatric, underweight, and metabolically challenged horses. Other topics include: dealing with equine metabolic diseases, adopting practices to increase comfort and manage pain in older horses, understanding diseases associated with the aging process, developing appropriate vaccination, dentistry and deworming programs, and addressing the mental and physical needs of  geriatric and/or rescued horses.

This short course has been developed for barn managers, non-profit groups that care for older and/or neglected horses, and anyone that rides or cares for older horses.

Registration information, etc.:

http://bit.ly/sYkCDn

or contact

Donna Foulk

dfs5@psu.edu or 610-746-1970