by Barbara Dresser, MSBOA director

Saco, ME — The Maine Standardbred Owners & Breeders Association will be hosting a Standardbred Seminar Day on January 17 at the Sable Oaks Marriott in South Portland, Maine, in conjunction with the USTA District 9 annual meeting.

Six sessions will be conducted throughout the day by nationally known experts in the field of harness racing. Speakers slated to appear include:

Dr. Jose M. Garcia-Lopez, Assistant Professor of Equine Sports Medicine at Tufts-Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Garcia-Lopez is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and is Board Certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. An expert on equine orthopedics, Garcia-Lopez will discuss new directions in the diagnosis and treatment of equine lameness and upper respiratory ailments commonly encountered by Standardbred owners and trainers.

Norman C. Hall of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Known as the “Pedigree Guru”, Hall has been active for more than 30 years in the harness racing business as an owner, trainer and breeder, and has served the industry in many capacities. He has presented seminars on Standardbred breeding throughout North America and Europe and has traveled to Australia and New Zealand to assist with breeding operations there. His Globetrotter breeding program is now in use in 28 countries and is a valuable asset to the pedigree research needs of such farms as Hanover Shoe Farms, Blue Chip Farm, Tara Hills, and Alabar, and is utilized by hundreds of small breeders around the world. A Professional Engineer by training, Hall brings his analytical skills and focus on “the facts” to the vital decisions that mare owners have to make when selecting sires. Hall will discuss the factors to be considered when determining optimal crosses for breeding, with emphasis on the pedigrees of Maine stallions and mares.

T.C. Lane, Director of Officials and Fair Liaison Officer at the United States Trotting Association. T.C. joined the USTA in 2002 following a stint with the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association for which he served as the Association’s representative to Ohio’s 73 county fairs. Lane graduated from Ohio State University where he majored in Agricultural Economics and minored in Equine Science. Lane’s position with the USTA involves working with all 270 county fair harness racing programs across the U.S. as well as supervision of the USTA’s team of Identification Technicians. Lane also served as a member of the committee which developed an internet-based system for the reporting and tracking of fines and suspensions data. Lane will discuss rule enforcement, interpretation and safety issues. He will address Maine’s whipping rule, the breaking rule, interference, lack of drive objectives, the use of cameras, and the proposed “Model Drug Rules”.

Ray Schnittker of Middletown, New York. Schnittker has been in the harness racing business for 30 years and is most famous for training and driving Deweycheatumnhowe. His horses have won nearly $30 million and have amassed more than $1 million in purses annually for the past 14 years. One of the most skilled and successful trainers in the business, Schnittker is also a noted driver and serves as a District 8 Director of the USTA. He was recently honored as Trainer of the Year and received the 2008 “Good Guy” award from the United States Harness Writers’ Association. Schnittker will conduct a question and answer session about training and driving at the top levels of competition in the United States.

Steve and Cindy Stewart of Hunterton Farm in Paris, Kentucky. The Stewarts manage Hunterton Farm, one of the most famous Standardbred breeding farms in the world. In 2008, Hunterton Farm bred 150 broodmares and the Hunterton Sales Agency sold 160 yearlings at Lexington and Harrisburg for more than $6 million. Steve and Cindy will discuss pedigrees, breeding, foaling, care of mares and foals, feeding programs, yearling conformation, sale preparation and much more.

Conny Svensson of East Windsor, New Jersey. Svensson is one of the leading Standardbred farriers of our time. He is a regular contributor to Hoof Beats on the topic of shoeing the Standardbred race horse and is the blacksmith of choice for Jimmy Takter and other top trainers. Svensson will answer questions relating to the basics of Standardbred shoeing including starting the 2-year-old trotter, shoeing for different track surfaces, the use of shoes including flip-flops and the new Swedish race shoes, and methods of corrective shoeing for various types of interference.

Anyone interested in learning more about Standardbred racing and the breeding and care of Standardbred race horses is encouraged to attend. Program details and registration forms are available for downloading online at www.meharness.com.