A Panel of industry experts has been secured by the ITBA to deliver this year’s Foal Sales Preparation Workshop next Thursday, from 10am to 1pm. In keeping with Government advice, this year’s workshop will be hosted online and the ITBA has decided to make admission free of charge.

The workshop will cover key topics of stock preparation, veterinary requirements, the benefits of correct farriery and a good feeding regime. It will include an introduction on how to produce good footage of your stock for online promotion. Early registration is encouraged.

For the last number of years, the workshop has included a very popular and beneficial visit to the Irish National Stud, at which Cathal Beale and his team deliver a masterclass in pedigree analysis as well as showing a number of foals to demonstrate and discuss conformation.

While this element will not be take place next week, the ITBA is exploring the possibility of producing a video in October to cover this topic.

The workshop has been co-funded by the Department of Agriculture Equine Technical Support & Equine Breeding Schemes Project.

Register: email kryan@itba.ie now or call 045-877543

Workshop overview

• The importance of a good preparation programme to ensure your stock reach their full potential in time for the foal sales, including the importance of showing during the sales. Delivered by Clare Manning of Boherguy Stud, breeder and consignor.

• Veterinary matters to be considered when selling foals at public auction and the importance of a good vaccination programme. Delivered by veterinarian Cormac Feeney of Troytown Equine Hospital.

• Benefits and importance of a good feeding programme. Delivered by equine nutritionist Lorraine Fradl of Connolly’s Red Mills.

• The importance of correct farriery in young stock. Delivered by master farrier Martin Payne.

• Preparing and producing professional-looking video footage for online promotion and online sales catalogues. Delivered by Ciara Jordan of Fuzion Communications.

Panellists

Clare Manning

Clare consigns under Boherguy Stud, which is located just off the Curragh. She offers a number of services for the Irish thoroughbred industry; foaling, boarding, sales preparation and consigning as well as breaking and pre-training. Clare has grown up in the Irish breeding and racing industries. In 2016, she successfully completed the Irish National Stud breeding course. Prior to setting up her own operation in 2019, Clare gained great experience during her time in a number of farms both and home and abroad including Arrowfield Stud, Baroda Stud, WinStar Farm and Paca Paca Farm.

Cormac Feeney

Cormac qualified as a veterinary surgeon from UCD in 2003. Having completed his internship, he progressed to senior assistant at Troytown Equine Hospital. He completed his Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Surgical Examinations in Equine Soft Tissue Surgery in 2011 and became a partner at Troytown in 2012.

Lorraine Fradl

Lorraine has worked with Connolly’s Red Mills since 2016 after spending a number of years working with thoroughbred studs, racehorses and elite sport horses. Lorraine’s role as a senior equine nutritionist involves work at home and abroad. Her technical support schedule has brought her to many parts of Ireland and numerous countries across Europe and the Middle East region.

Maryin Payne

Martin has spent 35 years in the farriery business. He lectures on farriery lecturer at CAFRE in Enniskillen as well as running his own farriery business, which involves shoeing sport horses, young stock, and general riding horses. He is involved in remedial and corrective farriery with veterinary surgeons and physios. Martin formerly lectured at the Irish School of Farriery and has spoken previously at events organised by various organisations.

Ciara Jordan

Ciara has spent almost 10 years working in integrated public relations, communications and media. She has been engaged in both non-profit and corporate communications, integrated and digital communications campaigns, crisis management and content marketing throughout her results-driven career. As well as working as a journalist for a number of national titles, Ciara worked as an investigative journalist for the Medical Independent and as a senior journalist for Irish Pharmacy News.