Compound Medications & AAEP
The Drug Compounding Task Force of the American Association of Equine
Practitioners (AAEP) has released guidelines regarding the responsible use
of compounded medications by veterinarians. The guidelines are the result of
the association’s commitment to educating its members on this increasingly
important topic within the animal health industry.

Issues addressed in the guidelines include the negative effects on efficacy
that can result from using products not held to the government’s standards
for compounding as well as the appropriate use of bulk drugs in the
preparation of compounded medications. To view a copy of the guidelines,
visit www.aaep.org and select "Drug Compounding" under the "Resources"
heading on the home page.

The AAEP is one of the first organizations to directly address the mounting
ethical dilemmas and consequences related to illegal compounding. While drug
compounding serves a very legitimate and important purpose in animal health,
manufacturers must abide by federal regulations in order to create a
high-quality, safe product and encourage a fair marketplace for animal
health products.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in
Lexington, Kentucky, was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization
dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches
more than 5 million horse owners through its over 8,000 members worldwide
and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and
continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.

National Riding Instructors Convention to be held October 20-23 in Orlando

The American Riding Instructors Association’s annual Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida, October 20-23, 2005. The Florida Mall Hotel, in the center of all Orlando’s excitement, will host the event. The Convention is open to all riding instructors as well as those who want to learn more about the profession. Attendees will find a friendly, positive and professional atmosphere and large dedicated, helpful staff. More than 20 speakers from around the world will cover topics of interest rarely found at horse industry conventions.

The Convention is devoted to education and one-on-one consultations. Speakers will cover a wide range of topics designed to help you make your horse business a success, including: “Riding Instruction 101 – Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Teaching Riding,” the importance of integrity in your business, running riding clinics, methods for teaching new adult riders, marketing yourself & your business, mounted police work, successfully instructing children, starting & running a summer riding camp, fitting saddlery, helmet use, equine health & veterinary issues, maximizing riding pleasure, the mechanics of how a rider’s body works, running a lesson and boarding barn, and a variety of other topics dealing with legal and insurance issues related to your equine business. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and offer their own tips to other instructors, with awards given to those ideas voted most helpful. The speaker presentations, round-table workshops and personal, one-on-one counseling sessions are sure to help resolve any problems an instructor may have in his/her horse business.

ARIA will hold an Instructor Certification Test Center on Thursday, October 20th, prior to the opening event of the convention. A Welcoming Reception, the convention’s opening event, will follow. Instructors passing the testing will gain nationally-recognized credentials. Certification is offered at three levels: Instructor in Training (Level I), Instructor of Beginner through Intermediate (Level II) and Instructor of Beginner through Advanced (Level III) and in 14 disciplines: Hunt Seat, Western Equitation & Pleasure, Dressage, Eventing, Reining, Driving, Side-Saddle, Show Jumping, Saddle Seat, Distance Riding, Mounted Patrol Training Officer, Riding to Hounds, Recreational Riding and Stable Management.
The mission of the American Riding Instructors Association, which was established in 1984, is to promote excellence in the teaching of horseback riding, based on a solid foundation of knowledge, safety, and personal and professional integrity. Its quarterly award-winning magazine, Riding Instructor, is considered a vital source of information for riding instructors at all levels and in all disciplines.

ARIA has experienced significant growth in the past few years, reports Charlotte Kneeland, ARIA Director. “We strive to give superb customer service, with an emphasis on integrity, quality and honor in every aspect of what we do, and there’s a huge number of people out there who share our ideals.”

ARIA’s work is supported in large part by its Corporate Sponsors, selected for their equally high dedication to quality: Absorbine, Corona-Lexol, Corta-Flx, Equisure, Inc., Griffin NuuMed, JPC Equestrian Inc., Markel Insurance Company, Oster Professional Products, Practical Horseman, Schleese Saddlery Service Ltd., SmartPak Equine, State Line Tack and Supracor, Inc.

For more information about The American Riding Instructors Association and The National Riding instructors Convention, visit their web site: www.riding-instructor.com or call 239-948-3232.

Readers Write

I just read the latest issue of ec magazine, and I noticed the request for
” funny character traits.” WH Bodacious (“Bo”), the grey stallion that was
prevalent in the Whitehaven article (ec magazine, summer ’04), sticks his tongue out and likes it to be pet. He actually will stick it out and start pushing on people until the
pet it! The odd thing is, this seems to be a family trait. WH Manassas, his half-brother, sticks his tongue out and sucks on it – he’ll actually turn it blue! And I've spoken to at least two other people that own sons of El Halimaar that stick their tongues out.

We’re still very happy with Seminole Feed. WH Manassas eats a combination of
Perfect 10, Senior Feed, and Beet Pulp. WH Bodacious has problems with
chronic colic, so his diet is a bit more complicated – Perfect 10 and beet
pulp for weight, and Meadow Herb and Seminole Alfalfa cubes to help his
delicate digestion.

~Trisha Dingle
Whitehaven Plantation
Bishopville, South Carolina

Sweet PDZ Turns Twenty
Introducing Sweet, the new “Spokes-mare”

Spokane, Washington – Join the celebration as Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher turns 20 years old. That’s right, the leading stall freshener on the market is “hoopin’ it up” for its 20th Birthday.

Sweet PDZ’s market debut, some twenty years ago, was quite revolutionary considering it was the pioneering product that created the ‘stall freshener’ product category. Up until that time, hydrated lime and barn lime were the only choices (and bad ones at that) consumers had as these products only attempted to cover up or hide the odor. Sweet PDZ trumped that approach and demonstrated that it will eliminate harmful levels of ammonia and odors; through it’s unique mineral composition and neutralizing process.

Creative Advertising Messages, Bold Marketing Action, Meaty Promotional Offers - This is what we need to mark this twenty year milestone in appropriate fashion, and drive your Sweet PDZ sales to new end-users while creating greater and more regular usage of the brand. And this is precisely what we are committed to accomplish in 2005.

We have created a new illustrated character/”spokes-mare” named Sweet Pea, which will bring a new and fun dynamic to our Sweet PDZ brand. Visit Sweet PDZ on the web at www.sweetpdz.com.

Equine First Aid Kits
EquiMedic USA announces the newest edition to its full line of equine first aid kits: the Professional Kit. The new “Pro Kit” is designed for the professional horse person: equestrians who mix together large numbers of horses and people. This kit features 85 products and more than 865 items for both horse and rider / handler, or possibly even spectator. This mobile floor standing caddy was designed to meet the needs of the professional equine community.

The fifth kit in a line of specialty equine first aid kits by EquiMedic USA, this is the ultimate unit to care for large numbers of both horses and humans. From minor scrapes and injuries to more serious accidents, this kit is outfitted with air splints, Sam Splints and even a head vise; as well as a full spectrum of horse related first aid needs. The Pro Kit is the prime choice for serious horse professionals, clinicians, owners of stables, clubs, associations and equine event venues.

Dedicated to getting emergency medical supplies into the hands of horse owners, EquiMedic has made this task easy and simple for all equestrians. In addition to purchasing complete kits, horse handlers can also purchase kit contents only, or they can purchase empty soft sided and hard sided kits, choose to add optional and supplemental supplies, buy restocking supplies over time, or they can build their own kit on the company’s dynamic web site, which serves as their virtual catalog.

EquiMedic USA believes that pressure from liability insurance companies and even OSHA will eventually force the equine community to seek out this type of protection sooner than later.
Visit the EquiMedic USA web site: www.equimedic.com.

Seminole Feed Recognized
Seminole Feed, a family-owned, premium horse feed company, has been known as a top industry supporter for decades. During and following the 2004 hurricane season, Seminole Feed was a consistent benefactor again, donating tons of feed, hundreds of hours of volunteer time and company resources. The Florida State Agricultural Response Team and the State Emergency Response Team/ESF 17 honored Seminole for its efforts.

“At Seminole Feed, we feel we are a member of all the communities that we serve through our Seminole-owned stores and our dealer-partners,” said Jimmie Glisson, Seminole Feed Vice President of Sales. “We understand how our customers feel about their animals and after a natural disaster, whether wildfires or hurricanes, we want to do what we can to assist them.”