Going to be in the Northeast the beginning of December. Join Nick Attwood and a panel of FEI experts for the Equine Feet & Footing – FREE PRESENTATION by the country’s best experts.

A reception for sport horse enthusiasts to meet FEI sponsored scientists, followed by a discussion of equine injury prevention through the design of equine arena surfaces.

Monday, December 8, 2014, 6:00pm–8:00pm

Presentation followed by questions and open discussion with Equine Surfaces White Paper scientists led by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., University of Maine

To Register at no charge, email Elizabeth Erickson at elizabeth.erickson@umit.maine.edu and Elizabeth Creamer at equestrian@pinelandfarms.org

For more information, contact Dr. Robert Causey at robert.causey@umit.maine.edu or 207-922-7475

This event has been organized and sponsored by the University of Maine, Pineland Farms, Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory and the Laboratory for Expansion of Animal Disease Surveillance.The FEI has since 2009 supported research into the effect of arena surfaces on the orthopaedic health of sport horses. The white paper focuses on arena surfaces within the broad context of providing training and competition arenas for sport horses that facilitate maximal performance while minimizing the risk of injury. It includes a description of the physical properties of the surface that determine how the horse perceives the footing and the effects of the footing on the horse’s physiological and biomechanical responses. It also covers aspects of composition, construction, and maintenance that are necessary to build and maintain arenas with the desired physical properties. Current methods of measuring the physical properties of the surface are described using terms that are easily understood by riders, trainers, course designers and arena builders. It is hoped that this information will provide a basis to guide future progress in this area.

This white paper has been drafted as a collection of published scientific papers and data. It is considered a work in progress and will be updated as new scientific studies and surface data become available. Authored by Sarah Jane Hobbs, Ph.D., University of Central Lancashire, UK, Alison J. Northrop, M.Sc., Anglia Ruskin University, UK, Christie Mahaffey, Ph.D., Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, USA, Jaime H. Martin, Ph.D., Myerscough College, UK, Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, Ph.D., MRCVS, Michigan State University, USA, Rachel Murray, MA VetMB MS Ph.D., MRCVS, Animal Health Trust, UK, Lars Roepstorff, DVM, Ph.D., Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, and Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., University of Maine, USA.