Visit To KZN By NHRA And TBA The NHRA and TBA visited the KZN Breeders on the 9 December at the beautiful venue of Gowrie Gold Club, to provide training and feedback respectively. Colin Hall of the NHRA was warmly received, providing an informative presentation of the new online registration system for the breeders to utilize on the their recently upgraded website. Congratulations must go the NHRA on a great system and the breeders welcomed the progressive changes which will certainly make registration easier for the future. Susan Rowett, Chairperson of the TBA, provided a very positive and enthusiastic feedback session of the past year's sales. Susan was very pleased to say that over the past year, the TBA had seen increased numbers and sales of horses, with the medians up on all of the sales bar the August Two Year Old Sale which saw bigger numbers consigned this year. She was very pleased to report that all the sales were profitable, including the smaller KZN Mare and Weanling Sale, and it had been a good year for the TBA. New management changes had been made, with the introduction of Peter Gibson for Breed Affairs, and Kevin Woolward as Financial Manager and CEO. Susan said that Kevin had provided 'new impetus' and collections and controls had greatly improved the collections of payment from buyers, evident with the recent Ready To Run Sale having a 70% payout to Vendors at 30 days, as a result of improved credit controls. Susan was also very excited to report that the Val De Vie Select Sale in Cape Town, taking place in February, was a fantastic option for Cape Breeders and a great marketing opportunity for Bloodstock SA. The entries came mostly from the National Yearling Sale and this may have a knock on effect, reducing the pressure on the August Sale later in the year, which had been welcomed and well suppported by breeders. 109 Horses have been catalogued for the Val De Vie, with 27 being Select and chosen to be put forward by their breeders, these will be presented at the opening of the sale after a special luncheon on Sunday 22nd February 2015. Susan noted that breeders had expressed interest in supporting this sale further next year, which could see 200 horses catalogued for Val De Vie in February 2016. The timing of the sale earlier in the year would also assist the bigger farms with reducing the pressure on numbers for sales later in the year. Yearling inspections will be carried out by KZN's very own superior judge of horseflesh, Kerry Jack. She will be supported in the Cape by Paddy Kruger, and in KZN with Alastair Gordon, both respected horseman. Susan also advised that inspections will take place once more for the KZN Yearling Sale, and breeders can also use this inspection opportunity to present their horses to be screened - that have been earmarked for the Two Year Old Sale subsequently. A date change has been made for the KZN Mare and Weanling Sale, which will take place 6 July. More exciting news for KZN is the possibility of a quarantine station in the form of a lock-down facility at King Shaka airport, for export only. It would consist of 14 days of lockdown for the horses, and establishing continuous vector protection from stable to aircraft. This will be further encouraged with the local Olympic bid. We would like to thank Colin Hall and Susan Rowett, as well as Peter Gibson, for making the long trip to visit KZN and we hope to see them both back soon. We thoroughly enjoyed the engagement and we look forward to greater things to come next year.