Horse Health Expo A Success!

On March 19, the Cherokee County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and the Cherokee Rider’s 4-H Horse Club hosted a Horse Health Expo at Shiloh Stables in Hayesville. Master 4-H Volunteer Jan Griggs coordinated the event and was excited to share her love of horses to promote horse health care to the area. Mike Stiles with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture was also a huge help at the event. He helped Mrs. Griggs coordinate the vet as well as holding a lot of horse’s heads while their teeth were being floated. We also had farrier’s there offering their services: 21st Century Farrier Services, Bnjmn Lygh and his assistant; and English Stone of Stone Farrier Service.
Dr. Beverly Hargus is a veterinarian from Hendersonville, NC and was the vet for the event. Dr. Hargus and her team of assistants worked all day nonstop on 68 head of horses and on one unexpected emergency for a small dog that had been hurt in an accident. She allowed the youth in the 4-H Horse Club to assist her. She was great. The youth in the club were so engaged in learning about caring for their horses it was amazing to see them with their hands in the mouths of these animals and really learning. It was an experience most have never had but will never forget.
We would like to thank all of our great sponsors that donated time and items to be given away at the event. A big thank you goes out to Jackie McClure of Shiloh Stables for use of the facility, as well as coming out to support the event. Tractor Supply; Peachtree Farm and Home as well as the Coop Feed representative; Hayesville Cowboy Store; and Mountain Valley Country Store all donated items and set up booth’s at the event for the participants to be able to purchase items. Wayne’s Feed donated gift certificates for the event. Pegasus Farms was also there offering their services. Silas Brown and Keith Wood of the NC Cooperative Extension also were there and did a great pasture management class. The biggest thank you goes out to Jan Griggs for organizing this event so that we can keep our area horses healthy and safe.
It was a great event and there are plans for more like it to be held in Cherokee County as well.