The Annual General Meeting in December was well attended, with lots of new faces as well as some old friends. Some took the opportunity to air views on the activities of the Group over the past few years. This is something which we encourage, as how else are the committee to know if the Group is properly representing the interests of its members.

The Committee for 2001 is:
Chairman: Jimmy Lambe
Vice Chair: Michael O Dowd
Joint Secretaries: Sarah Fitzhenry, Christine O Hare
Treasurer: Helena Connolly
PRO: Carol Lambe

Committee: Bobby Fitzhenry, Seamus & Mary Dermody, Bernice Mone, Vincent Murray, Mabel Matthews, and anyone else willing to lend a hand.

After an idea-studded meeting, it was decided to continue with the quarterly newsletter, spring and autumn seminars, and riding lessons with Lynne Williams. Committee meetings will take place on the first Tuesday of the month, in John Joe Cunningham’s, Carrickmacross, at 9pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, or to phone a committee member in advance of the meeting & ask for any topic to be addressed during the meeting.

The Committee wish to express their condolences to the families of Clement McMahon, Snr., and Dr. M.V. O’Gorman, who passed away since our last newsletter. The McMahon family and Gerrard O Gorman have been staunch supporters of the Group. The Committee was also saddened to hear of the tragic death of Yvonne & Enda McKenna’s son during the recent cold weather, and of Kevin Mallon’s sudden collapse whilst schooling one of his horses last month. May God be with them, and with those they leave behind. 

At last! The new National Development Plan for Agriculture has been announced, and as of this week, application forms have been distributed to local farm advisory services, Teagasc offices etc.

There are a few changes to the grant, which is now worth up to £10,000. However, completing the form now requires the assistance of a farm advisor or consultant, as it involves things like assessing your income in ‘farm units’.

To help you sort out what’s possible, and how to go about making an application, we will be bringing Michael O Dowd to speak at our Spring Seminar next month - see later in this bulletin for details.

At that seminar, you will also be able to get copies of notes on building all-weather arenas which were given out at the Kildalton National Horse Forum a number of years ago.

Get well soon to Kate Jackson and to Kenny Burgess, who have both had unfortunate accidents lately.

As foaling down time approaches , here are a few timely tips for preparing for the big event:

* Your mare will take about a month to build up immunity to any new bugs, so if you’re moving her for foaling, move her at least four weeks prior to foaling, so that she can pass the antibodies to the new bugs on to the foal in her colostrum.

* Raspberry leaves are said to ease foaling, and also stimulate milk production, so if your mare has had trouble foaling in the past, is a maiden, or generally puts up too little milk, track down Wendals Herbs "Mare Care". It should be fed one month before and after foaling.

* As the foal does 70% of its growing in the last three months, space is going to get tight very quickly. Avoid colic problems by starting to reduce the size of your feeds. Keep the volume the same by upping the number of times in the day that you feed.

* If you are switching to stud cubes for the last three months, they are a balanced ration, and you will not need any extra vitamin or mineral supplements. However, if you are feeding less than half the reccommended daily amount, maybe you should consider adding a supplement.

* If your mare has been stitched (Caslick’s), have a vet open the stitches a month prior to foaling - in case the mare doesn’t carry the full 340 days.

* Have the mare’s immunity boosted one month prior to foaling. Tetanus/ flu vacc. & worm.

* Get together a Foaling Kit well in advance, so that you’re ready for emergencies. Kit should include:

- Antiseptic Spray to treat umbilical stump
- surgical gloves
- large clean towel or sheet
- sterilised scissors in an airtight polythene bag
- a clean plastic jug (1 pint or more)
- a baby’s feeding bottle & two lamb’s teats, sterilised & bagged
- an old jumper (serves as a foal rug - front legs in the two sleeves!)
- a clean bucket, with soap, antiseptic liquid and towel for washing hands before & after assisting the birth
- a bloody good book to read while you’re waiting.....

Two other items you should consider having on standby:

- A syringe of pro-biotics
Useful to help mare or foal over the stress of a difficult foaling. May be a good idea to give to the foal anyway to kick start his digestive system & make sure he’s getting the full benefit of the mare’s milk

- A supply of colostrum
There are products available through Thoroughbred Remedies. Locate a supplier near you & make sure they have it. Even better, buy it, as the shop is unlikely to be open at 2am on Sunday, and you only have 6-8 hours to get colostrum into the foal before the gut lining no longer allows the antibodies through to the foal’s bloodstream. You could always arrange to share the supply with neighbours, or arrange with the retailer to return it if you don’t use it.

If your mare starts running milk prior to foaling, she will be losing that colostrum. Either collect it from her & freeze it, or locate another supply. Assume the foal got no protection in the milk and prepare accordingly.

A word on colostrum: The gut lining stops allowing antibodies through after whichever comes first: 6-8 hours after the foal is born, or after the first intake of protein (present in all milk). This means it is vital that:

- the first meal the foal gets is a decent size or it won’t get enough colostrum
- no other milk should be given while you wait for colostrum, as this will prevent the gut absorbing the colostrum when you do get it into the foal.
- if you are lucky enough to have colostrum frozen from last year, DONT microwave to defrost - it destroys all the antibodies. Instead, thaw in it's bag/ container set in a pot of hot water.

The library also houses a veterinary text book on assessing newborn foals, determining if it is at risk (e.g. if it’s immunity has been compromised by missing colostrum) and how to care for it. "Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners", which every horse person should have a copy of, is also excellent on this, as on all subjects.

You can access the library as always through Bernice Mone’s Saddlery off Glaslough St (behind HP&E Sales) Tel 047 72356. It costs just £1 to rent a book or video, so it’s the cheapest way around to increase your knowledge. The library would also be delighted to accept any books or videos you are finished with, so please think of us first if you’re giving stuff away.

For those on the Net, check out the Horseman’s Advisor at

www.horseadvice.com

Best wishes go to Tom Jones in Carrickmacross, who has recently purchased the stallion Aldato, formerly based at the Equiova Project in Necarne. Aldato won a European team gold medal for Holland in Showjumping, among many World Cup and Grand Prix wins, and is a very valuable addition to the Irish gene pool.

Tom Jones can be contacted at 042 9661001.

Congratulations also to our PRO, Carol, who last autumn was promoted to Shows Judge with the Irish Shows Association. She has also recently accepted a position as Community & Enterprise Development Officer for Monaghan County Council, so we expect the Blue Jeep to be retired any day now.

On the ISA’s Junior Judges programme, they have recently announced that there will be no more training courses for the forseeable future, as they now have a full panel of judges around the country.

Jimmy Lambe, your local dead animal collector, informed the last Committee meeting of a recent decision by the Department of Agriculture which may have serious implications for horse owners in the not too distant future.

Apparently, plans are underway to remove the subsidy on collection of horses, poultry and pigs, which may mean that you will have to pay up to £200 to have a dead horse collected in the future.

Obviously, any opportunity you might have to make it known to Those In Power that this isn’t on should be taken. We have of course written to the Minister on your behalf, but please use any influence you, or other groups you belong to, might have to rectify this latest mad scheme of some Dublin civil servant.

Norman Storey will present a review of the last 20 years of foal registrations, look at the breeding patterns and how they are changing, and discuss what the future holds for the Irish Sport Horse. He will look in particular at the introduction of foreign bred stallions into the IHR.

Niamh O Sullivan, newly appointed Teagasc Horse Adviser for Munster, will talk on the German Breeding System, with particular attention to where in that system many of the stallions now standing in Ireland might have been placed had they remained in Germany. She will also comment on the lessons the Irish Horse Register might take from the German methods.

Anyone considering bringing a mare to a foreign-bred stallion this year should make it their business to attend on the 7th.

The third speaker will be Michael O Dowd, former Teagasc Horse advisor for Monaghan, and now with the Farm Advisory Service. Michael will have a stack of application forms for the new Equestrian Facilities grant, and will explain what is required to best avail of same.