CONGRESS 2008

Invited Speakers

We hope to present more details of the programme on this website soon. The following speakers have already accepted our invitation:

Dr. Bruno Goddeeris
Bruno Goddeeris will provide an introduction for the session “immunonutrition”. Researchers working in this relatively new area with horses are especially encouraged to submit free communications for this session (see below). More details about this special session will be announced during time.

Professor Bruno Goddeeris is Director of the Laboratory of Immunology of Ghent University and Chairman of the Engineering Department Biosystems, Division Gene Technology of the Faculty of Bioscience, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Leuven University (“Katholieke Universiteit Leuven”). His main research interests are the Immunology of cattle, pig and poultry,  vaccine development,  mucosal immunology,  modulation of immune responses, bacterial immunity  and  Protozoal immunity.

Dr. M. Orlandi
Mario Orlandi, is full professor of Animal Breeding at the University of Pisa, Med Vet Faculty. Dept. Animal Production. He published over more than 200 scientific publications concerning horse breeding, management, nutrition and mare milk composition and utilization. He is also an expert on disables rehabilitation by the use of the horse. In the immunonutrition session Prof. Orlandi will present a paper related to “Immune transfer through colostrums””. He will discuss theoretical and practical aspects regarding this topic.

Dr. Lori Warren
Dr. Lori K. Warren is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. At this Congress, Dr. Warren will speak about “Potential immuno-stimulatory nutrients for horses,” including fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and other compounds and their roles in modulating immune function. Warren’s research interests include investigations into omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and their effects on inflammation and immune function in broodmares and growing horses. In addition, she is pursuing methods to modify the composition of horse manure in response to increasing environmental concerns over nutrient leaching, runoff and water contamination. Prior to joining the faculty in Florida, Warren served as the Equine Extension Specialist at Colorado State University and as the Provincial Horse Specialist in Alberta, Canada. She is currently serving on a National Research Council committee to evaluate the safety of dietary supplements for horses, dogs and cats. Warren received an M.S. and Ph.D. in equine nutrition and exercise physiology from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Michael I. Lindinger
Dr. Michael I. Lindinger is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada. In the invited speaker session he will discuss the topic “Sweating, dehydration and electrolyte supplementation: Challenges for the performance horse”.  In his presentation Dr. Lindinger will provide an overview of the factors contributing to dehydration in performance horses, and to present strategies for the effective prevention of dehydration using electrolyte supplementation.  A second part to this presentation will be presented in the workshop (see below). 

More specific topics like Stress;  Exercise and transport, Factors contributing to the rate of sweating, Sweat composition, and factors that affect it, Heat storage and Performance Impairment, The need for electrolyte supplementation, Composition of effective electrolyte supplements, The need for appropriate volumes of ingested water, Practical considerations, routes of administration, feeding, how to maintain hydration, how to prevent further dehydration, effective rehydration and assessment of hydration status (workshop) will be discussed.

Dr. Pat Harris
Pat is responsible for the research carried out at the Equine Studies group at WALTHAM® providing the Science behind WINERGY and SPILLERS, the Director of Equine Science at Mars Horsecare, and an Adjunct Professor of Equine Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  At this congress Pat will speak about “Hints on nutrition for optimal growth”. Growth patterns, energy and protein requirements as well as vitamin and mineral nutrition will be discussed related to the stage of growth.

Before moving to Waltham, Pat was the Head of the Clinical Chemistry and Haematology Laboratories as well as her own Metabolic Lameness Research group at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket. She served as President of the British Equine Veterinary Association in 1999 and as executive board director of the Equine Veterinary Journal from 1999–2006. In 2002, she was awarded Diplomate status of the European College of Veterinary Clinical and Comparative Nutrition. Dr. Harris lectures worldwide on nutrition as it affects the health, welfare, behaviour, and performance of the horse. She is the author or co-author of numerous lay publications, scientific papers, abstracts, and book chapters. She was a reviewer of the NRC’ s 2007 publication, Nutrient Requirements of Horses. Harris received an M.A., a VetMB/MRCVS, and a Ph.D., all from Cambridge University.

Dr. Wendy Pearson
Dr. Wendy Pearson is now connected to CanTox Health Sciences International Mississauga (Canada). Wendy has been an earlier guest of our congress as she is one of the few researchers that has executed equine studies regarding nutraceutical applications. Wendy has finished her Ph.D. at Guelph university entitled  “Development of in vitro methods to evaluate nutraceuticals for the treatment of arthritis and other orthopedic diseases in horses”.

At this congress Wendy will speak about the “Usefulness of glucosamine, chondroitin and other nutraceuticals for the prevention and/or treatment of arthritis in horses”. This seminar will provide an overview of what is known regarding the use of nutraceuticals in horses, with a particular focus on glucosamine and chondroitin salts.  There has been a substantial amount of new research into these products over the past 2 years, and new information is now available regarding their application to cartilage protection.  Information will be presented which will allow horse people to answer many longstanding questions: what is better, glucosamine sulphate or glucosamine HCl? Is chondroitin sulphate bioavailable and does it have a different role than glucosamine?  What is an appropriate dose of these products for horses? What does the research say about if or how it works? This seminar will answer some of these important questions, and glucosamine / chondroitin research will be put into context with some other related nutraceuticals with respect to their ability to provide anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective activities to equine joints.

Ben Horsmans
Ben Horsmans was Team Veterinarian of the Dutch Pony and the Dutch Eventing Team from 1992 until 2002. Since 2002 has been working as Team Veterinarian of the Dutch Endurance and the Dutch Driving teams. In 2007 worked at the World Championship Pair Driving in Warka, Poland and the European Endurance Championship in Barocca d´Alva, Portugal. Ben is also active as a FEI Veterinarian and was head of the Veterinary Commission at the European Pony Championship in Freudenberg (Germany) in 2007.  Ben is an equine veterinarian with special interest in equine sports medicine (and equine embryo transfer). His practice and breeding farm is settled in Selfkant, Germany. (veterinary service centre.)  At this congress Ben Horsmans will give a short, practical, non-scientific (video) presentation, to provide a link for discussion between equine (top) sport medicine and (nutrition) science.

Accepted free communications

The following free communications have already been accepted (this preliminary list will be updated in the coming weeks):

Accepted mini-reviews

• G. Kaya, C. Iben - Is Prevention Of Colic Possible?
• J. D. Reilly and P.G. Leaney - The effects of biotin and lipid supplementation on hoof horn growth, growth rate and lipid chemistry in controlled nutritional trials.
• J. Vandermeiren, S. Van Weyenberg, G.P.J. Janssens , M. Hesta - Laminitis : Nutrition as cause and prevention.

Posters

• L. Calamari, A.R. Ferrari, G. Brigati, G. Bertin - Relationship between erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and blood Se in horses supplemented with organic or inorganic Se.
• M. I. Lindinger and W. Pearson - Simulated digest of a nutraceutical blend (HyalCare) modifies effect of IL-1 in a cartilage explant model of inflammation
• S.O. Hoskin , Lana Bishop, Chris W. Rogers, Patrick C. Morel and Natasha M. Swainson - Preference of different pasture grasses by horses in New Zealand
• M. van den Berg, S. O. Hoskin, C.W. Rogers, A. Grinberg and N.D. Walker - The effect of dietary transition on faecal pH and microbiology of Thoroughbred horses: preliminary results
• S. K. Robinson, L. J. Adjei and A. J. Northrop - Double blind study into the preference of the horse for dextrose and/or salt within an oral lick
• E. Verhees, P.S. van der Vaart , M. Bruining, A.F.B. van der Poel and W.F. Pellikaan - Effects of concentrate addition to equine diets on digesta passage rate
• A. Waller and M. I. Lindinger - The effect of electrolyte supplementation after prolonged moderate intensity exercise on muscle electrolyte contents and glycogen resynthesis in Standardbreds
• Van Doorn, D.A., Van Weyenberg, S., Stadeus, S., De Rycke, H. Wouterse, H., Bruggeman, G. and Janssens G.P.J. - An inventory of the nutrient content of haylage fed on different horse farms in Belgium

• Workshops

The organisation has also prepared a workshop programme. Two workshops have an “applied” character. The “applied” workshops will be given by experienced professionals and have a multidisciplinary approach regarding equine nutrition and health. The workshops provide the participant with practical skills and give the opportunity to discuss the presented topics in more detail with other equine professionals present.

Workshops will be given simultaneously and are open to 30-50 participants per session (depending on the type of workshop). The workshops presented by Dr. Michael I. Lindinger and Dr. A. M. van den Top will be programmed in such way that participants can attend both workshops. The “Feed legislation” workshop is programmed once and has a longer duration.

Combined lecture and workshop/discussion session: Current European legislation regarding animal/horse feeding stuffs and future perspectives

This session Ir. Diederik Standaert will review current European legislation regarding animal/horse feeding stuffs and discuss possible future perspectives. A new draft EU-Regulation is expected to be available at the time of the congress and consequences and possible changes for the future will be highlighted in this presentation.

Diederik Standaert works for the Directorate General for Animals, Plants and Food – Service Food, Feed and other Consumption Products of the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (Belgian Authorities). He is the representative of the Belgian delegation at the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health – Animal Nutrition Section (European Commission) and its working groups. He is also involved in Working Groups at the Council that discuss new proposals concerning feed legislation (additives, undesirable substances, compound feed). He is responsible for the transposition and/or implementation of EU Directives, Decisions and Regulations concerning animal feeding stuffs legislation into Belgian law.

Mr. Nick Hartog will give a short presentation in this session regarding the role of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).  He is a founding member of the NASC Board of Directors. http://www.nasc.cc/.

Subsequently a workshop/ discussion meeting will be organized. More information about this discussion will become available during time and will also be communicated to the feed industry by different channels. Please, send your contact details to the secretary (info@equine-congress.com) if you would like to be informed about this special workshop session.

Workshop / Demonstration: Non-invasive, quantitative assessment of dehydration using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis
Dr. Michael I. Lindinger is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph (Canada). As a follow up of his invited speaker session Dr. Lindinger will demonstrate and discuss the use of multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis to non-invasively assess hydration status.. The purposes of this workshop are to:

1. Provide an overview of what multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) is, what types of information MF-BIA is capable of providing (total body water, intracellular fluid volume, extracellular fluid volume, plasma volume, body mass, lean body mass, dehydration index), and a summary of the research behind the development of this technology.
2. Provide a hands-on demonstration using MF-BIA in horses (when possible)

This workshop is of special interest for veterinarians and horse owners dealing with exercise or climate factors resulting in increased sweat losses. This “applied” workshop will take place at the Equine Research facility of Wageningen University.

Workshop: Practical grass and forage management
Dr. A. M. van den Top is an independent consultant and is owner of the company “Adviesbureau Voer-Raad” in Groenekan, The Netherlands (E-mail: amvandentop@kliksafe.nl). In this workshop grassland and forage management are discussed from a very practical perspective. The workshop is especially designed to improve practical knowledge and skills about grass and forage management and will address botanic composition, fertilization, poisonous plants and grazing systems. The workshop is highly interactive. The workshop leader will discuss this topics using demonstration material. The workshop leader has a collection of various plants, grasses and feed examples and these will be used in this workshop together with images related to the topics addressed.

This year's congress will be at the surroundings of Wageningen University and this edition is especially organised in cooperation with the Animal Nutrition Department chaired by Prof. Wouter Hendriks. This department is part of the Animal Science Group.  More information about this university can be obtained from http://www.wur.nl.

The congress will take place at the Mathematics Centre. Address: Dreijenlaan 4 (Building No. 208; find out the exact location on the “Wageningen Location Map”).

An overview of the various locations related to this congress can be found here. There will be transport from the congress hotels (Hotel “De Wageningse Berg” and Hotel Nol In’t Bosch to the Congress Location. However, we suggest congress visitors to walk to the congress location from Hotel “De Wageningse Berg” and the WICC Hotel. Find more information regarding the logistics in the Hotel & and travel information below.

Authors can submit their work as a mini-review or submit an abstract for “single hypothesis” studies to the poster session. Below you find the submission procedures and details of these different sessions.

Session: Poster presentations

The abstracts in this session deal with a scientific study about equine nutrition, with relevance to equine health or performance.  Abstract submitted to the poster session are dealing with experimental work (“single hypothesis experimental studies”).

Length of the abstract should be two A4 pages. Page margins should be set at 2.5 cm from the left margin, 2.5 cm from the right margin, 2.5 cm from the top and 2.5 cm from the bottom. All texts should be prepared in Times (New Roman) with font size 12. Titles are printed in bold and with font size 14. Paragraph titles are only printed in bold. Please, follow this example for lay-out and division of chapters (title, authors, affiliations, introduction, material and methods, results, discussion, references).

Depending on the amount of submitted abstract the scientific committee may invite up to three posters (maximum) to present their work also in a short oral presentation during the congress). A call for abstracts is open till December 1, 2007).

Session: Mini-reviews

This new session offers the opportunity for M.Sc./Ph.D. students and researchers to present a mini-review in their field of interest. The mini review should deal with an equine nutrition/ nutraceutical related topic, with relevance to equine health or performance. Prior to submitting mini-review papers, authors may send the proposed topic to the congress organisation. Mini-reviews may also contain data from experimental work executed by the author. The author should indicate if these data have (yet) been published or not. Mini-reviews related to the topic of immunonutrition are especially welcomed.

Length of the mini-review may be up to three A4 pages (upper limit, including references). Page margins should be set at 2.5 cm from the left margin, 2.5 cm from the right margin, 2.5 cm from the top and 2.5 cm from the bottom. All texts should be prepared in Times (New Roman) with font size 12. Titles are printed in bold and with font size 14. Paragraph titles are only printed in bold. Please, follow this example for lay-out and division of chapters (title, authors, affiliations, introduction, <body: free choice of paragraph title>, (general) discussion and conclusion, take home message, references). A call for mini-reviews is open till December 1, 2007).

Authors of accepted mini-reviews will be requested to prepare a 20-minutes oral presentation.

General procedures, terms and conditions

An accepted paper in the open session, submitted before the submission deadline, gives a reduced entrance fee to the congress of 75 Euro only to cover for the costs of catering (This special fee is only valid for the first 10 accepted papers submitted before the submission deadline). After submission, a notification of acceptance will be sent following positive judgment by independent referees. Submit your abstract by sending it to david.van.doorn@equine-congress.com.

Free Communications Award

The organisation will award the best free communication with 500 Euro. The authors of the awarded communication will be invited to prepare an oral presentation (20 minutes).

Rooms should be booked directly at the hotel. The surroundings of Wageningen are very popular amongst tourists and the organisation highly recommends visitors to book at one of the near hotels as soon as possible!

The congress organisation has arranged a special prize with the ”Hotel Wageningse Berg”. For congress visitors a reduced fee of 79.00 EUR for a single room and 89.00 Euro for a double room is valid. This fee includes breakfast.  Please, mention in your correspondence to the hotel that you are a congress visitor (mention “Equine Congress” on your reservation). This fee is only valid when the hotel is contacted by e-mail: info@hoteldewageningseberg.nl, Phone: (+31) 317-495911 or Fax: (+31) 317-418208. The distance between the congress location and this hotel is about 1 km.

Note (10-03-2008): There no rooms available anymore for April 17 and April 18 at the congress hotel. Please, book at the WICC hotel or Nol in’Bosch.

The following hotels are also near the congress location:

• Hotel Nol In’t Bosch (Wageningen)
The congress organisation has also arranged a special prize with Hotel Noll in’t Bosch”.  For congress visitors a fee of 85.00 EUR for a single room is valid. A double room for single usage costs 105 EUR for double usage a fee of 117.50 EUR is valid.  This fee is valid for arrival at April 17 (Thursday) after 14.00 and check-out on Saturday after breakfast).  This fee includes breakfast.  Please, mention in your correspondence to the hotel that you are a congress visitor (mention “Equine Congress” on your reservation). This fee is only valid when the hotel is contacted by E-mail: info@nolintbosch.nl ; Phone: +31 (0) 317 319101; Fax:  +31 (0) 317 313611.

The distance between the congress location and this hotel is about 3.5 km. The address of the Hotel Nol in’t Bosch is: Hartenseweg 60, 6704 PA Wageningen, The Netherlands. It may be convenient to rent a bike during your stay at this hotel as public transport options are limited (cab only). Bikes can be rent at the hotel (please mention in your reservation if you would like to make use of that opportunity”. Bikes can be rented for 9 Euros per day. Upon arrival it is best to take a cab to this hotel from the Ede-Wageningen Railway station.

Note (01-02-2007): There are a few double rooms available at this hotel from April 17-18.

• Hotel and Congress Centre WICC
More information can be found at http://www.wicc.nl/.

Note (01-02-2007): there are a few single rooms (75 Euro’s per day) and double rooms available at this hotel from April 17-18. Please, mention “Equine-Congress” in your e-mail. This hotel can be easily reached by public transport and it is about a 10-15 walk to the congress location.

• The Paviljoen Hotel (Rhenen)
More information can be found here.

Note (01-02-2007): This hotel has no rooms available anymore for this period

• Golden Tulip Doorwerth (Doorwerth)
More information can be found here.

• Hotel De Wereld (Wageningen)
More information can be found here

For students/low budget accomodation:
A StayOkay hostel is located in Doorwerth  (a small place located close to Wageningen). More information can be found here.

Tip 1: If you are travelling internationally and not planning to take part in the workshop programme on Friday morning  it may be convenient to arrive on Thursday at Schiphol Airport and book a hotel  in the surroundings of Amsterdam Central Station (Amsterdam City Centre). On Friday you can travel by train to the congress location and hotel.

Public transport
Wageningen shares a railway station with Ede, and is called Railway Station “Ede-Wageningen”. The railway station is located in Ede. Information about trains, tickets etc. can be obtained from the website of the Dutch Railway organisation NS. From the Amsterdam-Airport railway station you probably have to change trains once at Utrecht CS. From Amsterdam CS, direct connections to Ede-Wageningen station are available. 

There are several bus lines running from Ede to Wageningen. If you are travelling to your hotel it is suggested to take a cab to your hotel from the railway station Ede-Wageningen.  The congress location is about a 10-15 minutes walk away from the Wageningen Central Bus station. This is probably the most practical way to reach the Mathematics Centre. Bus line 86 (Bus stop: “Arboretumlaan”) stops close to the congress location. The Wageningen Central Busstation is at the opposite of the WICC Hotel. It is about a 10-15 minutes walk to the congress location. In the paragraph “congress location” you find some maps that may help you to reach the congress location. We advice congress visitors to walk at the congress location from these hotels.

Feel free to contact the secretary for practical advice on this topic.

By car
For a Dutch route description provided by WUR click here. More information will be announced during time or provided directly to the participant.

Logistics during the Congress
There will be transport from the Hotels Nol In’t Bosch, De Wageningse Berg to the congress location. We suggest congress visitors staying at Hotel “De Wageningse Berg” and the Hotels WICC/WIR to walk to the congress location as it is only a 10-15 minute walk. You can download a map for walking instructions from Hotel “De Wageningse Berg” to the congress location here, and from from WICC/WIR to the congress location here. Check also the location map in the “Congress location” paragraph on this page. The organisation will provide the hotels “De Wageningse Berg”, WICC and Noll In’t Bosch information how transportation will be arranged. Please ask your hotel or check for announcements in the lobby.

Important: Participants who take part in workshop A (Lindinger/Van der Top) on Friday are transported from the Congress Location to the workshop location after registration. We ask you to be present at the registration office at 8.30 on Friday morning.

Participants can either register for one or two days of the congress. The organisation offers a lower fee to those participants who register before February 1, 2008. A registration form for the congress and workshops is available for download, click here for the two-day registration form and click here to download the one-day registration form. It is noted that the registration will be in order of payment. An overview of the registration costs can also be found on the registration form. Registration for the congress diner and workshops can also take place by using these forms. Please register before April 7, 2008 as registration after this date may not be possible anymore!!

Student registration and information
The organisation offers special registration opportunities for B.Sc. M.Sc and PhD students outside the Netherlands/Belgium. Find the special student registration fee on the registration form: click here. This fee does not include the congress diner. Besides the registration form, a copy of a student-ID card is required and should be enclosed with the registration form. Ph.D. students without ID-card may send a signed declaration of their department (including contact details of the department).
For all special requests regarding student registration contact the secretary.

Dutch and Belgian students can contact the secretary (david.van.doorn@equine-congress.com) for further registration options.

Wageningen students are requested to contact Marianne Bruining: Marianne.Bruining@wur.nl.

Ghent University students are requested to contact Stephanie van Weyenberg: stephanie.vanweyenberg@UGent.be for registration & information.

Utrecht University Students are requested to check the website of VHiVer who will prepare a special student arrangement for this congress: http://www.vhiver.nl/. Non-student VHiVer members are also suggested to check this website.

Language

Climate

The climate in the Netherlands is coastal and therefore variable. The temperature in April will be around 8 °C but may vary a lot (up to 10 degrees and even more).

Passports and Visa

Valid passports are required for entry into the Netherlands. Participants should check with their agents whether they would require a visa for travel to the Netherlands. If so they are advised to apply to the nearest Dutch Embassy or Consulate at least two months before the intended day of travel.

Insurance

Liabilities for personal injuries, losses or damages to personal belongings remain the responsibility of the individual. The organisers are also not responsible for delays or any modification in the programme due to unforeseen circumstances. Please check the validity of your personal insurance.

Tourist information

Tourist information can be found on http://www.holland.com/uk/.

Credit Hours for Dutch and Belgian Veterinarians

Dutch and Belgian veterinarians can obtain 16 credit hours for continuing education (Category: Equine/”Erkende paardendierenarts”) for attending the congress (including workshops). More information can be found on http://www.veterinairekwaliteit.nl/.

Trade stands

The following organisations will be present with a Trade Stand during the congress: Wageningen Academic Publishers, Med4Vets, Goffin Meyvis, CANTOX and Lohmann Animal Health.

Feel free to send your requests for information to David van Doorn (Secretary), david.van.doorn@equine-congress.com

1. Congress Press Release, English (short version)
2. Congress Press Release, English (extended version)
3. Congress Press Release, Dutch (short version)
4. Press Release “Workshop EU-legislation”, English
5. Picture: Free Communication Award ceremony

Please, contact the congress secretary at david.van.doorn@equine-congress if you would like to receive more information or discuss further options.