FTBOA MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Tammy A. Gantt

Associate Vice President, Director of Membership Services & Events, FEC Contributing Editor and FTC Industry & Community Affairs

JOHN D. FILER PHOTO

In our ongoing communications we continue to highlight our goal to always provide outstanding customer service with a personal touch and to assist you with anything related to your role as a Florida thoroughbred industry participant. While the pandemic has created some changes, our goal at FTBOA is to provide members with valuable resources, offer ways to reduce business expenses, and assist in marketing your operation. Here are a few resources:

FTBOA members are encouraged to take advantage of the free presentations being offered this year on the first Tuesday of each month. A value of more than $1,500, the sessions are over a course of nine weeks and are being recorded; however, watching them live gives you the opportunity to ask questions. The next session is April 6 at 2 p.m. and the topic is “Finding Your Thoroughbred Athletes” moderated by Mike Penna with panelists Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Gatewood Bell, Gayle Van Leer and Terry Finley. These owners and agents talk about what goes into finding athletes at sales, private purchases and through claiming.

Sign up at ownerview.com/event/conference.

Dean Dorton, advisors to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association offer resources online to help you including: coronavirus economic relief provisions; the impact for horse and farm owners; tax benefits for charitable donations of horses; recent income tax changes that may benefit equine industry; transactions subject to sales or use tax; and tax depreciation opportunities for thoroughbred owners. These are available at deandorton.com, select industries, equine.

A handbook designed to inform property owners of their rights and responsibilities. Discussed areas include a property owner’s responsibility to fence when livestock is kept on the property, the rights of adjoining landowners to fence, the placement of fences, encroachments, boundary lines, easements, contracts, nuisances, and a landowner’s responsibilities toward persons who enter his or her property. Visit edis.ifas.ufl.edu for a copy.

The publication provides results of significant equine research related to the thoroughbred. Topics include a comprehensive guide to farm biosecurity, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), UCD’s first PET scans designed for racehorses, a study showing that Fragile Foal Syndrome is not associated with catastrophic breakdown in thoroughbreds, an investigation into the causes of underrun heels in racehorses, and reproduction topics including mare fertility. For a copy, go to ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu.

Florida Thoroughbred Charities has partnered with the Marion Cultural Alliance to auction a public art piece titled Clockwork Fury at the end of the first day of the March sale at Ocala Breeders’ Sales. The proceeds will benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Second Chances farm in Ocala and youth education programs.