Month: September 2022

The Secretariat Center is excited to announce its first-ever “Bluegrass Brunch and Bubbles” event featuring a silent auction fundraiser to benefit the rehabilitation and rehoming of Thoroughbred racehorses. Join us for the unique experience of an outdoor brunch on a real working horse farm, surrounded by retired racehorses. The event will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Sept. 24, 2022, at the Secretariat Center farm located within the Kentucky Horse Park.

Each ticket includes all-inclusive access to an amazing Winner's Circle Bluegrass Brunch catered by DV8 Kitchen, a bottomless Bloody Mary and Mimosa bar, pastries by Magee's Bakery, and coffee by Thoroughbred Coffee Station all generously sponsored by Brad Cox Racing, Michael Stidham Racing, Paramount Sales LLC, and Hallway Feeds. Further support provided by Equine Medial Associates, PSC, Foxwood Equine Sports Medicine, Godolphin, Machmer Hall Sales, and Midway Point Thoroughbreds and additional sponsors are welcome.

This can't-miss event also includes live demos from the OTTB Gold Standard Reschooling showcase and access to a Q & A panel of equine experts in veterinary, nutrition, and competition judging. Guests will have opportunities to meet the adoptable horses and chat with owners, trainers, and previous adopters while bidding on exclusive items in the silent auction. Not-to-be-missed items up for bid include everything from vacation packages and experience tickets to artwork, halters, saddles, sports memorabilia, and more. Bidding is currently live at https://app.galabid.com/brunchandbubbles/items

Tickets for this unique brunch experience are $50 per person and are on sale now at www.secretariatcenter.org. All proceeds go toward supporting the Secretariat Center's mission of preparing off-track Thoroughbreds for happy, healthy, and successful post-track careers through rehabilitation and retraining. The Secretariat Center advocates for the athleticism and versatility of the Thoroughbred by providing a broad training foundation for its retired racehorses and educational horsemanship opportunities aimed at achieving harmonious adoption matches. Those interested in supporting the Secretariat Center's efforts through donation or sponsorship can contact Shelley Mann at executivedirector@secretariatcenter.org.

Shelley Mann, the Secretariat Center's Executive Director, shared her excitement: “This event is a first for us and we hope to raise community awareness and support for the equine industry and aftercare efforts. The racehorse industry is a huge part of Lexington, and Kentucky as a whole. It is important to us to share with the community how these wonderful horses can be cared for and thrive after their racing career. We are so excited to host this educational and entertaining event.”

Located at 4155 Walt Robertson Rd., Lexington, KY in the Kentucky Horse Park, the Secretariat Center was founded in 2004 as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization to showcase adoptable Thoroughbreds and uses its illustrious location to herald the athleticism of this amazing breed by teaching new skill sets to horses of all levels of ability. Visit www.secretariatcenter.org to find your next partner, make a donation, or get involved today.

For more information contact Secretariat Center at (859) 246-3080 or info@secretariatcenter.org.

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A group of scientists in Poland created a study to determine whether the loneliness horses feel when isolated could be minimized through contact with different animal species, specifically goats. 

Dr. Anna Wiśniewska and her fellow researchers at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, used three castrated goats and 20 Warmbloods that lived in a herd. The horses were often exercised in groups, with limited individual riding. 

The horses were divided into four groups of five and underwent four 15-minute tests. They were monitored for the amount of standing, walking, trotting, and cantering. Their heart rate and heart-rate variability parameters were also recorded in order to measure the horses' emotional excitability. 

The first test was a herd control test, in which each group of horses was let into a paddock with an area that would hold goats in future tests. 

The second test started 48 hours later. Each of the 20 horses was let out individually into the same paddock for 15 minutes. 

Two days after the isolation test, the goats were allowed into the aisle way so the horses could get used to them. 

The third test, 24 hours after the horses saw the goats, involved letting the horses out in groups in the paddock with the goats in the corral. 

The fourth test repeated the initial 15-minute isolation test, but with the goats in the corral.

The scientists found that the presence of goats prolonged the amount of standing the horses did, whether they were alone or in groups. The amount of standing was shortest when the horses were completely alone.

However, there was no evidence that the presence of the goats had any positive impact on the horses' heart rates or heart rate variability.

The team determined that having the goats as company limited an individual horse's movement, but did not directly decrease the horse's emotional excitability, which is a reaction to isolation. 

Read more at HorseTalk. 

The post Social Isolation: Goat Company May Not Soothe Horses’ Emotional Excitability appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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