ATA Hosts International Horse Transport Conference 18-21 March 2012 Vancouver, BC

Feb. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- February 2012
                                                                                            Sharon Cregier, Chairman
                                                                                            ATA Equine Committee
                                                                                            703.234.4106 ext 4106

                                                                                             
   

ATA Hosts International Horse Transport Conference March 18-21, 2012

   Transport is the most stressful event in the life of a horse.  Researching, training, and applying the best standards to horse transport is the goal of the international Animal Transportation Association.    

   In the first three-day conference of its kind, the ATA offers l horsemen the opportunity to contribute to continuing improvements.  Held in Vancouver, B.C.  the ATA March 18-21, 2012 conference topics cover transport by sea, land and air.

   Among the presenters is  Dr. Dorothe Meyer of iWest, Hohenpeissenberg, Germany (http://www.iwest.de).  Dr. Meyer will be speaking on reducing stress through better feeding practices.

            “Dr. Meyer’s approach to nutrition and behavior helps horses of all breeds and ages to maintain active lives,” notes ATA Equine Committee Chairman, Prof. Sharon Cregier. “Transport requires especially careful evaluation of the horses’ health and behavior.

            “For example, Dr. Meyer’s remarkable work has kept a stallion with only half its large intestine traveling and competing throughout Europe.  Interestingly, Dr. Meyer’s approach to equine nutrition is being adopted for human research.”   
   
   Dr. Meyer and her husband, Herr Gerhard Meyer, are well known in North America and Europe for their equine behavioral and nutritional consultation work.  They work with Olympic equestrian team members in six countries, racehorse, pleasure, dressage, eventing and show jumping interests.  Dr. Meyer was one of two official nutrition consultants for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.

   Also speaking is Maj. Rebecca Gimenez, co-founder of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (www.tlaer.org).  TLAER trains fire, police, and emergency responders world wide in rescuing large animals from road and aircraft accidents.  Maj. Gimenez has studied over 800 horsetrailer accidents for a United States insurance company.

   Other featured speakers, from New Zealand to India, will describe the first university course dedicated to the transport of horses; safer trailer loading; the historical and business aspects of horse transport; transporting horses by sea; transporting rare breeds to the Falklands after the 1982 Falklands war; the physiology of stress and the performance horse; regulations affecting road and sea transport of horses; advances in transport designs to increase horse and human safety; educating the horseman to better handling practices; and the registered flight groom program to ensure the safety of horses on land and in the air.

   Students, commercial and private horse transporters, horsemen, horse owners at all levels of interest, emergency workers, humane society members, veterinarians, horse behaviorists, and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

   The ATA conference offers new insights on disaster preparedness, practical and technical tips, business and service excellence ideas, and the large and small practical approaches that make the most stressful event your horse will face, less stressful.

   Visit www.animaltransportationassociation.org for more information about registering for the conference and sponsorship opportunities.
                                                       
                                                                    - END -

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Working, travelling (Middle East, Europe, Australia, New Zealand), on horse transport issues for nearly four decades.