The Twenty-First Equine Science Society (ESS) Symposium, hosted by Colorado State University, was held May 29–31, 2009, at the Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, Colorado. Over 300 people were in attendance, with representatives from 67 institutions and seven countries. Abstract submissions were up this year, with 123 presentations and 38 posters in areas such as nutrition, exercise physiology, reproduction, production and management, teaching, and extension. Helping to boost this increase was a new section on genetics and a new program that waived registration fees for students submitting abstracts for the graduate student competition. This year also marked a new relationship for ESS as the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (JEVS) was designated as the official journal of the organization, and the symposium proceedings were published in the May issue of JEVS.

Once again, the symposium hosted several invited talks by speakers including Nicholas Frank of the University of Tennessee (nutrition), Ed Squires of the University of Kentucky (reproductive physiology), Matthew Hickey from Colorado State University (exercise physiology), and Heidi Brady of Texas Tech University (production and management). One of the best attended sessions was an overview of the unwanted horse issue in the United States, presented by Tom Lenz, Chair of the Unwanted Horse Coalition. Papers associated with these invited talks were also published in the May issue of JEVS.

Officers for the coming two-year term are Paul Siciliano, president; Brian Nielsen, vice president; Jason Bruemmer, secretary/treasurer; and directors Jason Turner, Burt Stanier, and Ken McKeever. The 2011 meeting will be held in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, hosted by Middle Tennessee State University.

The ESS Symposium is an ARPAS-approved meeting, with up to 20 continuing education units (CEU) available for ARPAS members. In addition, the meeting hosted two opportunities for ARPAS applicants to take the written examination. 
Betsy Wagner, PhD, PAS