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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10 , 2005 CONTACT: Bryan Quinsey, Executive Director American Farrier's Association (859) 233-7411
“AFA FORMS LOUISIANA RESCUE HORSE SHOEING TASK FORCE ” (LEXINGTON, KY -- September 22, 2005) (Updated October 10, 2005) American Farrier's Association (AFA) President Craig Trnka, CJF has announced the formation of the Louisiana Rescue Horse Shoeing Task Force to serve the neglected horses in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ron Kramedjian of Lynnville, Tennessee has accepted the chairmanship of this special task force. The objective of the task force will be to observe, treat and make ready for adoption horses that were abandoned after the devastating hurricane. The horses are currently under the care of veterinarians from Louisiana State University. Recap of Event Volunteer farriers traveled to Gonzales, Louisiana on Sunday, October 2. On the following three days the farriers and vets worked with the neglected horses to provide the appropriate foot and veterinary care. All work was done at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, Louisiana. Approximately 100 horses were taken care of during those three days. On Monday, October 3rd, task force farriers and local farriers took care of approximately 35 of the most serious cases while also exchanging ideas and getting to know each other. On Tuesday, October 4th, Task Force Farriers took care of just over 50 horses with shoeing that including a team of Belgians with handmade working shoes. On Wednesday, October 5th, 12 more horses were taken care of. On Thursday October 6th task force farriers Kramedjian and Shaw assisted David Hodges, CJF with horses at the Mobile Mounted Police Unit as a part of the task forces efforts to help with business continuance. On Tuesday, October 4th, R. T. Goodrich and a local cameraman filmed task force members working on these horses and conducted unscripted interviews with rescue workers, veterinarians and task force farriers for use on the AFA’s "No Foot No Horse" television program. There are still horses in Gonzales that may require additional treatment and there are horses from Hurricane Rita housed at New Iberia. Mr. Kramedjian is tracking the situation of these horses and coordinating with the supervising veterinarians to insure that they all receive the care they require and will be dispatching task force members as needed until all of these horses are out of the rescue system. Mr. Kramedjian wishes to specially acknowledge the efforts of Richard Fanguy, CJF. During the period between hurricane Katrina and the arrival of the task force in Gonzales he tended to the rescue horse in Gonzales with unflinching dedication, despite his still being in recovery from serious back surgery and becoming a victim of hurricane Rita. Mr. Fanguy exhibited the very highest of professional ethics in putting the horses in Gonzales at the top of his priority list. During the period before the task force arrived when Mr. Fanguy was on site he practiced alone and with almost overwhelming demand for emergency care. It is Mr. Kramedjian’s opinion that his example is one that we can all learn from and be proud of. Due to the reduced head count requiring treatment some of the farriers that volunteered to join the task force were asked to not travel to Gonzales. Regardless of which farriers traveled and which did not each member of the task force cleared their schedules and prepared to travel to Gonzales until just a few days before the trip when Dr. French, the veterinarian supervising the Gonzales horses, reported the actual count of horses to be treated and Mr. Kramedjian made the decision to hold some of the members in reserve for potential additional requirements. All the task force members are vital to the task force's success. Details of this endeavor: 1. Farriers - Task force farriers include (in alphabetical order): Guy Buck; Danvers Child, CJF; Leslie Falvey, CJF; Richard Fanguy, CJF; Jeff Holder; David Hodges, CJF; Bunny Goodrich; R.T. Goodrich, CJF; Ron Kramedjian; Lt. Col. Joe Livers; Mark Paine, CJF; Chris Pickens; Mike Poe, CF; John Scherff; Mo Shaw; Matt Taimuty, CJF; and Eric White. 2. Equipment & Supplies - Equipment and supplies have been received from Castle Plastics; Delta Horseshoe Co.; Equilox International; GE Forge & Tool; Simonds International; and Vettec. 3. Housing Accommodations - Special thanks to the U.S. Army National Guard in Gonzales for providing housing and breakfast for the task force of farriers. AFA member Lt. Col. Joe Livers was key in organizing these arrangements. Thank you, Joe. 4. Financial Contributions: We want to give special thanks to those who have contributed monetarily to this initiative. To date these include:
Additional financial contributions are also being solicited to offset the costs of supplies and other task force expenses. Excess funds will be donated to the AFA’s 501(c) 3 Farrier Relief Fund. To learn more about this special task force and its initiatives please call Ron Kramedjian at 931- 424-5581. He can also be emailed at ron@kramedjian.com. ###
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