It’s a busy and exciting time at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in our 135th year of existence! In the Fertility Unit (we are optimists, though the vast majority of our patients are subfertile), we are seeing a steady stream of mares barren from the 2011 breeding season, working with researchers to find solutions for barren mares, and still breeding non-racing sport horses and Southern hemisphere Thoroughbreds. The remaining time is currently being filled with freezing semen from Standardbreds and Warmbloods for both domestic and overseas use. We have recently updated our breeding shed including modifying our phantom with hydraulic lifts to improve fine adjustability as we see a disproportionate number of stallions with musculoskeletal deficits.
We are all ambulatory veterinarians as well, and there is a lot going on in our neighborhood. The Kentucky Horse Park has been busy with events and shows with the Kentucky National horse show currently ongoing (September 21-25). The Kentucky National is the final show in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series that will culminate in a $45,000 leading rider bonus award. 
The Keeneland September Yearling sale is in its final week as well with the 13th and final day on September 24 when the last hip #4319 walks through the ring. As of today’s (September 21) Keeneland.com update, 2,248 horses have been sold for gross sales of over $215 million, which is an 11.5% increase from last year. The average price is up by 18.4% and the median is up by 25% from last year.
We’ve been busy developing other aspects of our practice as well, including our pharmacy. Check out our recently launched online pharmacy at www.hagyardpharmacy.com, staffed by our 5 super registered pharmacists. We are excited about this added convenience to clients. For the veterinarians, there’s a mobile/online formulary to make practice life just a little easier.
Our veterinarians are also busy organizing continuing education meetings for Fall 2011. The 13th Annual Hagyard Bluegrass Equine Symposium is taking place September 24-26, with the 2011 meeting focused on Medicine and Surgery, featuring some of our veterinarians as well as other experts from around the country. Stay tuned for the 2012 Hagyard Bluegrass Symposium, which will once again feature equine reproduction! In October, we are hosting the International Society for Equine Locomotor Pathology, of which our very own Dr. Duncan Peters is Director at Large.
In a blink of an eye, it’s going to be breeding season again! Was it ever not?
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