UK Equine Field Day to be Held Sept. 5

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2019) — The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Ag Equine Programs will host an equine field day from 3:30-8 p.m. CDT Thursday, Sept. 5, at Weber’s Retired Horses LLC, located at 1013 Dripping Springs Road in Princeton, Kentucky. The event is free and open to the public.

“The Weber’s are an excellent example of the benefits of resource conservation on horse farms. They will highlight their successes and discuss some of the challenges of implementing Natural Resources Conservation Service practices on horse farms,” said Krista Lea, coordinator of the UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program.

“Many horse owners do not know they qualify for federal and state cost-share dollars, so the local NRCS office and extension office will be on hand to answer questions. This event is a great opportunity for the local horse community to get some new ideas and assistance for improving their farms.”

Farm managers and horse owners will have the opportunity to explore visitor booths and see displays for every aspect of horse farm management. Speakers and topics include:

• Overview of Weber’s Retired Horses, owners Rob and Kim Weber;
• Utilizing cost share on horse farms, Adam Jones, Natural Resources Conservation Service;
• Feeding from the inside out, Bob Coleman, equine extension specialist, UK Department of Animal and Food Sciences;
• Using cost share to reduce overgrazing, Lea, UK Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; 
• Establishing horse pastures, Ray Smith, forage extension specialist, UK Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; and 
• Maintaining a healthy horse, area veterinarian Libby Maddux.

"Rob and I are looking forward to the upcoming equine field day. The Regional Conservation Partnership Program has helped us reach several of the goals we have set for improvements to the farm, which ultimately gives greater quality of life for the horses retired here,” Kim Weber said. “The field day is a great opportunity for other horsemen to learn about the resources available to them and to also gain knowledge from excellent speakers."

The Caldwell County Extension office will provide a meal for those in attendance. While not required, an RSVP is appreciated for food planning purposes. Please email DL_CES_Caldwell@email.uky.edu or call the Caldwell County Extension office at 270‐365‐2787 to register.

Sponsors for the event include the Caldwell County Extension District Board, Caldwell County Conservation District, Trice Hughes Inc. and the Kentucky Horse Council. Weber’s Retired Horses is an equine retirement facility that provides committed horse owners an individualized care program for placing their treasured horses into full retirement.