(Seneca Falls, NY – August 2011) Three of New York’s finest horse trainers will offer live horse demonstrations at the August 9-11, 2011 Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls. A different program is set for 11am and 2pm at the Equine Center Round Pen for each of the show’s three days. Empire Farm Days and Layden Fence & Livestock Services are sponsors of the Equine Center programs.

The 2011 Equine Seminar schedule is:
Tuesday, August 9
11 am – Developing Horse-Rider Partnership Mounted Police-Style with Joann K. Long
2 pm – Obstacle & Sensory Training Mounted Police-Style with Joann K. Long

Wednesday, August 10
11 am – “Training through Trust & Confidence: Part I” with “Western NY’s Horse Whisperer” Dave Minteer
2 pm – “Training through Trust & Confidence: Part II with “Western NY’s Horse Whisperer” Dave Minteer

Thursday, August 11
11 am – Building Confidence & Comfort with your Horse with Trainer Liz Hodge-Nier
2 pm – Horse Talk: How to Communicate with Your Equine with Trainer Liz Hodge-Nier.

Joann K. Long is the only mounted police volunteer to earn the North American Police Equestrian Championship Brigadier Memorial Champion Award. Long is National Mounted Police and Toronto Police Services Certified. Now retired from 12 years of successful competition, Joann provides educational horsemanship applicable to any equine discipline through mounted-police style Obstacle Clinics , workshops, lectures, demonstrations and lessons presented by Gentle Dove Farm, Bloomfield, NY.

Joann’s 11am Tuesday, Aug. 9 Equine Center Round Pen demonstration will demonstrate the mounted police style of creating the horse-rider bond using basic obstacles. At 2pm, she and her mount will demonstrate a series of more difficult obstacles that exhibit the ultimate trust.

Building block training methods to accustom a horse to multiple obstacle and sensory experiences will be introduced in both of Joann’s seminars.

“Dave Minteer could be called Western New York’s ‘Horse Whisperer,’” said Dr. Ann E. Dwyer in presenting Dave with the Genesee Valley Equine Clinic Equine Educator of the Year Award in 2010. Minteer has studied horsemanship with John Lyons and applies Lyon’s Natural Horsemanship methods. Minteer, who trains at Wild Side Ranch in Blooomfield, NY, is especially known for his patience and success with difficult horses. The Wednesday, August 10 Round Pen Seminars at 11am and 2pm with the former rodeo rider, Cornell-trained farrier and professional horse trainer will show various techniques for developing horse-rider trust and confidence.

Minteer says, “Horses learn by the release of pressure, thereby being rewarded for the correct response. The objective is to make the horse feel calm and safe throughout the training.”

Elizabeth “Liz” Hodge-Nier is a certified Richard Shrake “Resistance Free” horse trainer. She trains horses, riders and 4-H equine club members out of Durand’s East Edge Ranch in Clayton, NY. She earned her Equine Science and Management degree specializing in Training at SUNY Morrisville, and trains in English and Western style disciplines for pleasure and competition. She holds clinics and judges open horse shows.

On Thursday, August 11, Liz will offer an 11am Round Pen seminar focusing on developing confidence and comfort for both horse and rider. In her 2pm seminar, she will present ways to “talk” with your horse to develop a strong communication relationship.

For more information, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.

(March 3, 2011) We ask our readers to bear with us at this time as we are experiencing technical difficulties with our online edition.

We will make every effort to bring the news to you with or without photos in a timely manner and will work diligently to correct the problems.

Thank you for your patience,

Onondaga County Courier Staff

(March 3, 2011) We ask our readers to bear with us at this time as we are experiencing technical difficulties with our online edition.

We will make every effort to bring the news to you with or without photos in a timely manner and will work diligently to correct the problems.

Thank you for your patience,

Onondaga County Courier Staff

(March 3, 2011) We ask our readers to bear with us at this time as we are experiencing technical difficulties with our online edition.

We will make every effort to bring the news to you with or without photos in a timely manner and will work diligently to correct the problems.

Thank you for your patience,

Onondaga County Courier Staff

Pictured is Candice King with Denise VanPatten of Baldwinsville, Jennifer Bylund of Cazenovia, Susie DeVito of Manlius, Samantha Powell of Fayetteville and Page Andrews of Fayetteville.

By James Hastie

(Syracuse, NY) On the final day of the New York State Fair, surrounded by a steady flow of curious fair-goers, 26 competitive equestrians from as far away as Rochester and Ithaca were selected to ride in the coliseum during the 2010 FarmVet.com Candice King Clinic.

Pictured is Candice King with Denise VanPatten of Baldwinsville, Jennifer Bylund of Cazenovia, Susie DeVito of Manlius, Samantha Powell of Fayetteville and Page Andrews of Fayetteville.

By James Hastie

(Syracuse, NY) On the final day of the New York State Fair, surrounded by a steady flow of curious fair-goers, 26 competitive equestrians from as far away as Rochester and Ithaca were selected to ride in the coliseum during the 2010 FarmVet.com Candice King Clinic.

Horses in History

Horses in History

Two-Year Old Oswego County Gelding Showed Symptoms; Died of Mosquito-Borne Virus

ALBANY, NY (08/27/2010)(readMedia)– New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced the State’s first confirmed equine case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE, this year. The affected horse was a two-year old gelding kept in Oswego County. EEE is a rare viral disease of horses and humans that is spread by infected mosquitoes. To date, there have been no reported or confirmed human cases of EEE in 2010.

“New York’s abundant water sources and humid climate unfortunately make the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and the EEE virus,” Commissioner Hooker said. “Therefore, we highly encourage horse owners to protect their animals and consider vaccinating for EEE. The EEE vaccine has proven to drastically reduce the incidence of the virus in horses and can be easily administered by a private veterinarian.”

The infected horse was a two-year old gelding that was purchased at a New York auction earlier this year. The young horse had an unknown vaccination history at the time of purchase and was not vaccinated after purchase. Last week, the gelding was showing typical signs of EEE, including loss of appetite, circling and leaning against the stall, and after examination by a private veterinarian, was euthanized. Brain samples were sent to the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratory and tested positive for EEE. To date, the other horses on the same premises are not showing any signs of EEE and have since been vaccinated.

EEE is found mainly along the East Coast, affects the central nervous system of horses, and usually results in death in horses. Symptoms in equines include staggering, circling, depression, loss of appetite and sometimes fever and blindness. Humans cannot become infected by handling an infected horse, nor can a horse acquire the virus from another infected horse; however, the presence of an infected horse in the area indicates that mosquitoes carrying EEE are present and infected mosquitoes pose a threat to both humans and horses.

While there is no treatment, or cure for this disease, vaccines are available and found to be effective in protecting horses from this virus. The vaccines are effective for six to twelve months, so horses should be vaccinated at least annually. In an area where the disease occurs frequently, such as Oswego County, most veterinarians recommend vaccination every six months. For the vaccine to be effective it must be handled and administered properly and be given at least two weeks before the horse is exposed to the virus.

Other methods of preventing EEE in horses and humans is to control mosquito populations, which can be done by destroying standing water, using insect repellents and removing animals from mosquito-infested areas during peak biting times, usually dusk to dawn. Horse owners and caretakers are also advised to wear light colored clothing, long sleeves and pants when tending horse in areas where mosquitoes may be present.

For more information on how to protect your horse from EEE, please visit http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AI/equine/equine.html. For information about humans and EEE, visit: http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/eastern_equine_encephalitis/fact_sheet.htm

Two-Year Old Oswego County Gelding Showed Symptoms; Died of Mosquito-Borne Virus

ALBANY, NY (08/27/2010)(readMedia)– New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced the State’s first confirmed equine case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE, this year. The affected horse was a two-year old gelding kept in Oswego County. EEE is a rare viral disease of horses and humans that is spread by infected mosquitoes. To date, there have been no reported or confirmed human cases of EEE in 2010.

“New York’s abundant water sources and humid climate unfortunately make the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and the EEE virus,” Commissioner Hooker said. “Therefore, we highly encourage horse owners to protect their animals and consider vaccinating for EEE. The EEE vaccine has proven to drastically reduce the incidence of the virus in horses and can be easily administered by a private veterinarian.”

The infected horse was a two-year old gelding that was purchased at a New York auction earlier this year. The young horse had an unknown vaccination history at the time of purchase and was not vaccinated after purchase. Last week, the gelding was showing typical signs of EEE, including loss of appetite, circling and leaning against the stall, and after examination by a private veterinarian, was euthanized. Brain samples were sent to the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratory and tested positive for EEE. To date, the other horses on the same premises are not showing any signs of EEE and have since been vaccinated.

EEE is found mainly along the East Coast, affects the central nervous system of horses, and usually results in death in horses. Symptoms in equines include staggering, circling, depression, loss of appetite and sometimes fever and blindness. Humans cannot become infected by handling an infected horse, nor can a horse acquire the virus from another infected horse; however, the presence of an infected horse in the area indicates that mosquitoes carrying EEE are present and infected mosquitoes pose a threat to both humans and horses.

While there is no treatment, or cure for this disease, vaccines are available and found to be effective in protecting horses from this virus. The vaccines are effective for six to twelve months, so horses should be vaccinated at least annually. In an area where the disease occurs frequently, such as Oswego County, most veterinarians recommend vaccination every six months. For the vaccine to be effective it must be handled and administered properly and be given at least two weeks before the horse is exposed to the virus.

Other methods of preventing EEE in horses and humans is to control mosquito populations, which can be done by destroying standing water, using insect repellents and removing animals from mosquito-infested areas during peak biting times, usually dusk to dawn. Horse owners and caretakers are also advised to wear light colored clothing, long sleeves and pants when tending horse in areas where mosquitoes may be present.

For more information on how to protect your horse from EEE, please visit http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AI/equine/equine.html. For information about humans and EEE, visit: http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/eastern_equine_encephalitis/fact_sheet.htm