On the back of a very successful Autumn/Winter Seminar in December 2022, ITBA was delighted to hold the first event, a Breeding Season Preparation Workshop, earlier this week where there was over 150 in attendance. The Breeding Season Preparation Workshop is a key fixture in the ITBA’s Education Programme, and this year the event was held in a hybrid format where we welcomed guests back at ITBA HQ and also streamed live.
A panel of industry experts addressed all the key and relevant issues in this important topic with the aim to assist breeders in making their breeding season as successful as possible. Topics discussed on the day included , ‘Postnatal Care’ by Andrea Ryan, Veterinary Surgeon with Kilcash Equine Clinic, where Andrea discussed what happens post birth and the different problems to look out for. Olive O’Connor, consignor and breeder, followed and talked about ‘Assisting During Foaling’. This entailed how to prepare in the weeks before foaling and how to assist the mare and foal.
After the break the attendees heard from Lorraine Fradl of Connolly’s RED MILLS on the topic of ‘Nutrition for Mares & Foals’. Lorraine delved into the best feeding plans in the run up to foaling and for the months after. The last speaker of the day was MicheálOrlandi of Starfield Stud and Compas Equine who discussed ‘Mating Plans & Stallion Selection’. Micheál went into detail about vetting, stallion selection, and the important decision of whether or not to cover your mare.
Hannah Marks, ITBA Education Coordinator commented, “A massive thank you to all the speakers for giving us their time and very informative presentations. It was great to welcome so many attendees back to the ITBA and be able to hold a hybrid event online. We will produce a Follow-on-Guide with all the details from the presentations in the coming days, and we hope to see you at future ITBA events.”
To watch back the workshop click here.
Read the Follow-On-Guide here.
