A Series of 10 videos has been produced by Teagasc in collaboration with the Irish Equine Centre, and UCD School of Veterinary Medicine focusing on the practical steps YOU can take to protect equine health.
Industry ambassadors Cathal Beale (Irish National Stud); Sarah Ennis (Sarah Ennis Eventing), Neilus Hayes (Knockainey Stud), Andrew Hughes (Ennisnag Stud), Cian O’Connor (Karlswood Stables), John O’Connor (Ballylinch Stud), and Richard Sheane (Cooley Farm) supported the video series. The messages encapsulated are relevant to the care of ALL equines in the national herd. Other farms who provided locations to film are Dermot Weld Racing, Gordon Elliot Racing, Ross O’Sullivan Racing and Staffordstown Stud.
Whether you own a child’s pony or an international sport horse, have a private or public stud farm, train point to pointers or racehorses, own donkeys or happy hackers it really doesn’t matter - infection or disease will treat each with equal disdain. The role of owners, managers, grooms, caretakers, riders, health professionals, and all who care for their most basic needs is to pay attention to the small things first, which lay the foundations for healthier horses in the longer term, and protect your pockets also in the process.
Blended Learning Short Courses - booking closing soon
Autumn 2024 Courses
Booking is now open!
A short unaccredited course in 'Foaling & Neonatal Health' and another in 'Equine Breeding & Reproductive Husbandry' commence in October and November 2024 respectively.
To learn more including dates, course outline, and to register follow the link below.
Young Breeder training continues as a 'double delight' on Saturday October 5th. First a visit to Joseph O'Brien racing, followed by Belline Estate Equestrian, both in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny and closing the training calendar for 2024.
If you are aged 15 - 30 years of age you are more than welcome to join us.
What does it take to train winners - a lot of attention to detail ! Are you curious to find out more about the breeding, training, and sales production activities at Joseph O'Brien racing. This is your chance for a behind the scenes insight.
The stunning Belline Estate provides a fabulous backdrop to their breeding and production programme which has experienced some super successes in 2024 such as homebred RCA Patron Saint and Lucy Latta finishing third at Badminton Horse Trials, and stable rider Robbie Kearns finishing as part of the winning Nations Cup team at Millstreet with Ballyvillane OBOS, subsequently also competing with both Ballyvillane OBOS and Chance Encounter at Luhmuhlen CCI5*L.
If interested in learning about about assessing the conformation and athleticism (movement and jumping) traits of sport horses then do follow the link below to book your place. We chat about a few other things too ;-). Newcomers are always welcome !
Staying abreast of permissible dates for various farm activities can be challenging. To help you out here are some dates for the calendar:
The opening date for the hedge cutting season was Sunday, September 1 and remains open until Friday, February 28 (2025).
The prohibited period for the application of chemical fertilisers for all zones commences on Sunday, September 15.
For organic fertilisers, (excluding farm yard manure (FYM)), such as slurry, the prohibited application period for all zones begins on Tuesday, October 1.
For farmyard manure, the prohibited application period for all zones begins on Friday, November 1.
The closed period for spreading soiled water will begin on December 1. Soiled water (as relevant to equine holdings) is defined as water that has been collected from unroofed temporary holding yards, washing machinery, and runoff from silage/ haylage bases. It includes water from concreted areas, hardstanding areas, holding areas for livestock, and other farmyard areas where such water is contaminated by contact with any of the following: livestock faeces, urine or silage effluent; chemical fertilisers; water used in washing farm equipment. Soiled water does not include any liquid with a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) exceeding 2,500mg/L, or a dry matter (DM) content exceeding 1% (10 g/L). If it is stored together with slurry, it is considered slurry for the purpose of the regulation – and is therefore subject to the same storage and management requirements.
September Actions
Apply lime to correct soil pH deficiencies
Lime remains the forgotten fertiliser. Lime is a key input not only to manage pH, but to increase efficiency of N, P and K. Waiting until Oct/Nov/Dec will likely result in poorer, less trafficable soil conditions and opportunity to apply lime could be missed. Use soil test results to guide.
Get your hay and haylage tested
Know the nutritional and hygiene values of your winter forage. Plan ahead both in terms of concentrate feed required to balance the forage, and to budget if additional forage may still be required. Good quality forage remains the cheapest form of feed.
Introduce creep feed ahead of weaning to minimise stress and maintain a smooth growth curve
Ensure that foals are handled before weaning, accustomed to hard feed, and in a safe environment for weaning with adequate observation of both foals and mares after weaning.
From Teagasc Equine Specialist Team Wendy Conlon and Seán Keane
