By Dr. Jessica Leatherwood, leatherwood@tamu.edu or 979.862.3654

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) in conjunction with the Asociacion Mexicana Cuarto de Milla (AMCM) welcomed over 60 participants to their second annual educational seminar at the Hipódromo de las Américas racetrack in Mexico City, Mexico, on November 16-18, 2018. These international educational seminars allow for industry professionals to interact and to share their experiences and knowledge with youth, amateur and professional riders, as well as owners, trainers, and veterinarians. This event also helps promote the Quarter Horse breed internationally. The Hipódromo de las Americas houses nearly 1000 horses and 300 of which are registered American Quarter Horses that are mainly used for racing.

The topics of this year’s seminar consisted of training racehorses and equine reproduction.  Presenters included, the All-Time Money Earner in AQHA Racing G.R. Carter and Rafael Martinez, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree with Dr. Jessica Leatherwood, in Equine Nutrition in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University with a focus on L-arginine supplementation in the pregnant aged mare. Over 60 participants from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines attended the seminar. In regards to Equine Reproduction, topics included general reproductive anatomy of the mare and stallion, artificial insemination techniques, semen collection and evaluation, mare management, embryo transfers, hormone therapy and estrous cycle manipulation. At the end of the seminar, attendees and presenters were invited to attend Quarter Horse races, which were named in honor of Carter and Martinez.

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For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Berger at maggielberger@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.