2007 Trainee Views
Lexington, Kentucky - February 2008
Keeneland, Kroger, Urban Active Fitness Center, Jalapenos, Beaumont Farms Apartments…Welcome to Lexington, Kentucky!
We all arrived safe and sound by January 1st, most of us in time to celebrate New Years’ Kentucky-style, and things have not slowed down since. After everyone settled in and the non-Americans get used to the super-size nature of our country (eg., thousands of options for everything from peanut butter to pasta sauce at the local Kroger grocery store) we hopped right into the thick of things.
Our first week included a host of tours to the Darley operations in the area (Jonabell, Gainsborough, James Lane and Raceland), a visit to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and a nice afternoon at Overbrook with Storm Cat, not too shabby! We finished up the week with a different sort of cat at the Boone Driving School, trying to get the non-Americans comfortable with a whole new set of rules of the road (while also reminding the Americans of what they are), although I am not sure that any amount of classroom work would prepare driver for the narrow icy roads that we were bound to encounter!
Week two was spent at the Keeneland January sale with Charlie, Gerry and Kate from nominations and various veterinarians from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. What a great introduction to the industry in Kentucky! During this week a few of us also came down with the Darley Flying Start version of a 12th Century English plague…okay, it was just the flu, but it was fairly miserable! However, after a few days in isolation and some Tamiflu we were all good to go again.
Thank goodness, because weeks three and four were spent with Mitch Taylor and gang at The Kentucky Horseshoeing School. In reading the syllabus, none of us had any idea of what was to come. Mitch, Martin and Paul worked tirelessly with us both in the classroom and in the field (literally) to help us fully understand the basics of the equine distal limb. Blood was shed (human, not equine), hooves were trimmed, pasture rolls were mastered, Devil’s Dust was snorted and fun was had! It is probably safe to say that for all of these reasons the two weeks at the KHS were unforgettable for all!
In order to solidify our hoof care knowledge, the following week we all trekked up to Cincinnati for the International Hoof Care Summit. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay up in the city Wednesday to Friday in order to take in the conference as well as the Cincinnati culture surrounding the Garfield Suites. After the Summit we all sojourned home for a weekend of preparation for the first week of practical rotations that was quickly approaching and also to have a wonderful dinner with Joe Osborne who was over from Ireland for a few days. For the next few months we will spend our mornings (or nights and mornings for those on foal watch) between Gainsborough Farm, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Jonabell (office and stallions), James Lane Farm (yearlings) and at Keeneland with Darley trainer Johnny Burke.
Finally, a special thank you to those who have spent time with us so far, Case Clay, Dr. Randy Purvis, Dr. Dickson Varner, Dr. Sue McDonnell, Geoffery Russell, Tom Thornbury, Rogers Beasely, Allen Kershaw, Dean Lavy, Tammy Masterson, Jimmy Bell, Dan Pride and Michael Banahan; you have all played an integral role in our introduction to Lexington and we are incredibly thankful.
Jordyn Brand and Leif Aaron
The 2007 group at Dalham Hall
Countdown to Kentucky Derby Day
Cathal bottle feeding
Kentucky snowball fight