NEWS THE TEAM THE METHOD GETTING STARTED FAMOUS HORSES STATISTICS ROSTER LINKS



June 5, 2008


BARRY IRWIN ADDRESSED KEY ISSUES BEFORE ASSEMBLED FARM MANAGERS,
HEAD OF TEAM VALOR WIDELY APPLAUDED FOR STANCE ON YEARLING ISSUES


Team Valor International's Barry Irwin
spoke his mind on Wednesday evening
to a receptive group of Farm Managers.
Barry Irwin was invited to speak before the Farm Managers' Club at the monthly meeting held at Keeneland on the fourth of June. He was specifically instructed by former Farm Manager President, Steve Johnson, to "tell them what they need to hear." However, in Irwin's own words, people don't usually want to hear what they need to hear. So it was with some trepidation that Irwin approached the microphone on Wednesday evening.

The invited speaker drew a large crowd, and each listener was transfixed as Irwin mixed humor, poignancy and serious challenges aimed at the assembled crowd of farm managers, farm employees, veterinarians and the graduating class of the KEMI (Kentucky Equine Management Internship) program.

After some opening comments, Irwin got down to brass tacks and read a carefully crafted speech over which he had labored unending hours in order to say it just right. Many weighty issues were covered, and in the end Irwin leveled a challenge to the farm managers and breeders everywhere to return to a time when horses were bred to be raced.

The Phoenix Room erupted in loud applause at the conclusion of the speech, and Barry Irwin fielded several questions from those in attendance.

In response to the many requests for a copy of the speech, the transcript can be found here. (pdf file)