Page 29 - The Game February 2006

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, February 2006 29
SUNNY RIDGE - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
FEEDING FOR TWO - CONT. FROM PG. 27
Some veterinarians recommend that brood- mares receive beta-carotene (the precursor to vitamin A) injections on a regular basis whenev- er they are pregnant and not grazing on fresh pasture; consult your vet for specific recommen- dations.
Vitamin E, which is closely tied to reproduc- tive function in mares, is another nutrient your broodmare could benefit from having a little more of during her pregnancy. Ordinarily, she would glean plenty of vitamin E from grazing on fresh grass -- but in winter, her intake will be substantially less. If your mare has a vitamin E or selenium deficiency while she's nursing, chances are her foal will also come down with a deficiency, usually before one month of age.
However, it's important to point out that vitamin E deficiencies have not been shown to have any adverse impact on a mare's fertility, as they have in other species -- and thus far, there is no evi- dence that giving large doses of vitamin E will help a mare become pregnant or carry a foal. So there's no need for heroic measures -- any gen- eral vitamin/mineral supplement which contains vitamin E will likely be appropriate for your mare.
The principles of feeding pregnant mares aren't particularly complicated. Suffice to say, a little attention to your broodmare's increased nutritional requirements now can pay off with a stress-free gestation and delivery, and a mare who looks like a million bucks even when she's nursing her foal.
Did You Know....
That according to the ECTA’s President, MaryEllen Kennedy, wearing golf shoes with the metal (or rubber) spikes on the bottom are a great way to cope with the ice while walking horses out to the paddocks.
Did You Know.....
That a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book, Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul II, will be donated to the Thoroughbred Charities of America. They will received 5 cents from every book sold up to $1,000,000. The book is due out in March 2006.
"The racehorses will have their shoes pulled off and turned out at Mark Disteleul's farm in Oshawa, and then we'll bring them back to Bernie's in late February."
LaFountaine will be tending to his own Thoroughbreds until then. A long-time horseman, he started his farm while he was an ironworker, dabbling in Quarter Horses to show and pleasure horses as a hobby. "Little by little Thoroughbred trainers began renting stalls here," he explained, "and I became interested in becom- ing a trainer myself." Trainers who have been based at Sunny Ridge in the off-season in years past have included Nick Gonzalez, George Nagy and Candace Warwick.
LaFountaine became licensed four years ago and has been training at his center at at Fort Erie ever since. "I like to get the babies pretty well educated first," he said. "I keep the starting gate in the indoor arena so they get comfortable with it before they ever see it on the track. I try to educate them while I'm riding a 'pony' as much as possible -- that's just my belief that it's the best way to do things. I don't yell at them and I don't slap them. They have to learn the basics before you start race training. The young ones should appear as if they want to be there (on the track) rather than being forced to be there."
One of LaFountaine's favorites is Candyator, a five- year-old maiden who he described as "still promising." Before LaFountaine obtained him: "He was completely uncooperative with other trainers. The first 11 days I had him, he wouldn't leave his stall. I'd describe my approach as just tender, loving care -- soft, easy-mov- ing hands and voice. He was second in his first start for me." Another favorite is Angel Nine, who had three wins in nine starts -- one for LaFountaine -- and is now a broodmare, in foal to Foxtrail.