All posts by Associate Editor

Auctions, Community/Charity, Products/Services, WHIN

Women’s Horse Industry Network Update Oct. 11, 2011

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Hi Everyone!
Whew… I have now recovered from the events and have put a wrap up and photos on our website. So, please take a few minutes and see what’s there and send your friends who are not members to it as well. We’d like to let everyone know how successful things were.

We had a couple of big items that were not sold at the auction and I am going to make a list of them and let our membership and people who visit our website bid on them. They should be up by the weekend. These are really great items and I hope we can sell them and make even more money for our charities. We had a small profit from the event on Friday night and our four charities are going to get close to $600.00 each. If we can sell the other items, that will help them get a little more and as we all know, every bit helps.  Thanks to everyone who donated items for the auction and who bid on them.  Thanks also to our sponsors, National Equine Escrow (a fabulous idea and company), Equine Resources International, LLC (one of the best in the industry; we are sending Lua some get well wishes since she’s been a little under the weather), EasyMileLog (a product that’s a must have!), Tallgrass Animal Acupressure (the authorities on animal acupressure), Callaway Farms (great bedding products and they bought the Country Strong guitar!), and Energy Medicine (she had jury duty and couldn’t attend but she was there with us in “spirit”).

Continue reading Women’s Horse Industry Network Update Oct. 11, 2011 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Red-Hot Opening Round to Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Season

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FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011 champion, Germany's Christian Ahlmann, will begin the defence of his title at the opening leg of the new 2011/2012 season at Oslo in Norway next Sunday. Photo: Matt Lewis, Getty Images/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 12 October 2011 – It’s countdown time, with just four days to go to the opening of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2011/2012 at Oslo, Norway this Sunday (16 October).

And, across the globe, many riders from the 12 other qualifying leagues have already been battling it out for a place at the prestigious Final that will take place in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands next April.

The Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping title is the most coveted prize in the sport of indoor Jumping. Since the inaugural season-opener back in 1978 the series has grabbed the enthusiasm and imagination of competitors and spectators alike, and has grown in popularity and scale at a rapid rate. It has also encouraged the development of the sport across all continents, and, once again in this 34th season, fresh faces will appear and new stars will emerge to take their place in the limelight.

SAME VENUE
The 13-leg Australia-Pacific league began in Sydney, Australia in April and will conclude at the same venue in December. The three-leg Central Asian League drew to a close at Astana in Kazakhstan in July, while the Central European Northern and Southern leagues both wind up in December. In China, the first of three qualifying legs took place in Beijing in August and the last will be held this weekend, while Shizouka-Tsumagoi is the venue for the Final of the seven-leg Japanese circuit, also in December.

Continue reading Red-Hot Opening Round to Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Season →

Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Products/Services, Show Jumping

Shop ’til You Drop at the Alltech National Horse Show

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C. M. Hadfield's Saddlery trailer and interior design photo courtesy of Cindy Hadfield.

Lexington, KY – October 12, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, set for its exiting debut at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on November 2-6, 2011, will be hosting some of the horse industry’s most sought after vendors at the Alltech Arena. Retail booths will be set up around the arena featuring 25 vendors specializing in fine and equestrian jewelry, souvenirs from the Alltech National Horse Show, ladies’ boutiques, art galleries and many more entrepreneurial venues.

This year’s show, designated CSI4*-W, will feature a complete schedule of ‘AA’-rated hunter divisions, including the Pony Lane Farm High Performance Hunter section. Also on the agenda, a big money Open Jumper division highlighted by the Sasco Creek Farm $50,000 Welcome Speed Class, the $75,000 Double H Farms Thursday’s Jump-Off class, the $60,000 Spy Coast Farm Faults Converted Speed class on Friday and of course, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix, an FEI World Cup qualifying event. $100,000 will be up for grabs for the Junior and Amateur Jumper divisions, including the $50,000 SJHOF Junior/Amateur Championships, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Chansonette and Deeridge Farm. The final Sunday is highlighted by the signature event of the National Horse Show, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals, presented by C. M. Hadfield’s Saddlery.

Continue reading Shop ’til You Drop at the Alltech National Horse Show →

Community/Charity, Diana de Rosa, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Washington Int'l Horse Show

Get Ready for a Barn Night Blast at the Washington International Horse Show

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The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading year-end championship horse show in the country, is pleased to announce the popular kid-centric Barn Night will return to the show on Thursday Oct. 27, 2011. The 53rd Annual Washington International Horse Show will take place Oct. 25-30 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Starting at 6:00 PM, Thursday, Oct. 27, WIHS will welcome local barns and horse enthusiasts for Barn Night 2011. Barn Night offers a fun and exciting evening for riders, their barnmates, friends, and families to celebrate equestrian sport and pay tribute to those that excel at all levels of hunter jumper competition.

“We are creating a spectacular night of exciting competition and special exhibitions by equestrian stars, as well as interactive contests for kids and teens with great prizes,” said show Executive Director, Bridget Love Meehan.

Breyer Animal Creations will be joining Barn Night this year with Stablemates Painting on the concourse, free for kids 12 and under. In addition, special prizes will be given out for the first 100 kids to arrive for the big night courtesy of Breyer.

Continue reading Get Ready for a Barn Night Blast at the Washington International Horse Show →

Community/Charity, Diana de Rosa, Washington Int'l Horse Show

Kids’ Day Returns to the Washington International Horse Show

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Free Pony Rides, Georgetown Cupcakes, Smithsonian and More!

Washington, DC, October 11, 2011 – On Saturday, October 29, 2011, as Olympians and their horses get ready for the President’s Cup Grand Prix and junior riders practice in the schooling ring to compete at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), a team will be erecting a tent on F Street outside Verizon Center and the Hotel Monaco for WIHS Kids’ Day, to be held from 10am-2pm. This free, family-friendly event will offer kids an opportunity to ride and meet ponies and learn about equestrian sport.

FAST FACTS:

-WIHS Kids’ Day will host free pony rides

-Meadowbrook Stable will host a grooming station

-Horse shoe painting with the U.S. Army’s Caisson Platoon

-Book nook and arts and crafts hosted by Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

Continue reading Kids’ Day Returns to the Washington International Horse Show →

EQUUS Foundation, Phelps Media Group

AAEP Foundation and EQUUS Foundation Fellowships Encourage Careers in Equine Research

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WESTPORT, CT – October 10, 2011 – The EQUUS Foundation is pleased to announce a new partnership with the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation.

The AAEP Foundation will award two research graduates with the first-ever EQUUS Foundation Research Fellows, to be presented on November 20, 2011 during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 57th Annual Convention.

“The equine veterinary community continues to struggle to find those dedicated to careers in equine research, especially veterinarians seeking advanced degrees,” said Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, Ph.D, Diplomate ACVS, AAEP Foundation Chairman. “We can’t thank the EQUUS Foundation enough for their dedication to education and responding to the important need of supporting those dedicating their careers to equine research.”

More about the Research Fellowships
Two AAEP-member researchers completing residency or graduate programs will each receive a $5,000 scholarship for their contributions to furthering equine research and discovery.

Continue reading AAEP Foundation and EQUUS Foundation Fellowships Encourage Careers in Equine Research →

Championships, Competitions, Endurance Riding, Events, USEF

Horses and Riders Head to Chile for 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation has named the following horse/rider combinations for the 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship being held in Santo Domingo, Chile, October 22, 2011.

The following horse/rider combinations will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Championship (listed in ranked order):

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Breed/Age/Sex/Owner
John Crandell III/49/West River, MD/Heraldic/Arabian/13/Gelding/John Crandell JR
Meg Sleeper/43/Frenchtown, NJ/Syrocco Cadence/Arabian/8/Mare/Meg Sleeper
Deborah Reich/51/Croton on Hudson, NY/Pandor/Arabian/12/Gelding/Deborah Reich
Melody Blittersdorf/51/Jeffersonville, VT/Synthetic/Arabian/11/Gelding/Melody Blittersdorf
Valerie Kanavy/65/Fort Valley, VA/Spectacular Gold/Arabian/9/Gelding/Valerie Kanavy
Cheryl Van Deusen/52/New Smyrna, FL/Moro Amado/Arabian/8/Gelding/Miguel Pavlovsky

Running over a 120km course, riders will race for both Team and Individual medals.

Continue reading Horses and Riders Head to Chile for 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship →

Contributors/Press, Publications/Media

Equine Therapy: Horses and Borderlines, by Claire Dorotik

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For most therapists, dealing with a borderline patient can be like trying to heal an infection without antibiotics. Try remedy after remedy and the oozing may stop temporarily, but the infection still brews under the surface. In fact, many therapists even refuse to see borderline patients. So this makes one wonder, just how do horses respond to borderlines?

Interestingly, this question crossed my mind recently as I reflected on a former client of mine. Presented with the job of training her young horse, I accepted, completely unaware of what I was getting into. While I was informed that her horses was a biter, what I wasn’t told was that left to his own devices, he was nothing short of malicious. In fact, he’d come after people in the stall with teeth bared. He hated to be touched, constantly had his ears pinned, and had even kicked people in the past.

Innocently, I attempted to train this animal, as I always do with very clear requests and expectations, and effusive praise for any movement toward the desired goal. Yet this horse was unpredictable. While one day he’d seem to move in the right direction, the next day he’d completely refuse to go to work, even rearing straight up to avoid it.

Continue reading Equine Therapy: Horses and Borderlines, by Claire Dorotik →

Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Publications/Media

NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #39, by Claire Dorotik

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NO SECRET SO CLOSE is the story of a the most unthinkable betrayal humanly possible — at only 24 years old, Claire Dorotik’s father has been murdered, her mother arrested, and now, in a sinister twist of fate, Claire’s mother points the finger at Claire, accusing her of killing her own father. Battling the feelings of loss, abandonment, terror, and dissociation, and also learning about them, Claire struggles to stay in her master’s program for psychotherapy. However, when Claire’s brothers also betray her and side with her mother, Claire is left all alone to care for the 18 horses she and her mother owned. As the story unfolds, what is revealed is the horses’ amazing capacity for empathy in the face of human trauma, and the almost psychic ability to provide the author with what had been taken from her. Arising from these horrifying circumstances, the most unthinkable heroes — the horses — show Claire that life is still worth living.

Excerpt #39 from NO SECRET SO CLOSE:

But then I did finally get a call from a trainer interested in Cat. Not the one I want to sell. Not my Cat. But I had to show her the horse. The horses needed feed, and there was no more money for the attorney. Kerry, the same attorney that had accused me. Kerry, the same attorney that had publicly defamed me. But pay him anyway — he’s defending your mom. After all, she didn’t have any other source of income, and Cat was half hers. But, he was, by far, my best horse. He’d been such a solid performer — always there when I needed him.

Continue reading NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #39, by Claire Dorotik →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

HSBC FEI Classics 2011 Finale Goes to the Wire at Pau

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William Fox-Pitt claims record sixth Burghley win. Images: FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 11 October 2011 – Two British riders, long-time team mates and friends, will do battle for the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 top spot this weekend (13-16 October) at Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA), which is also the 2012 season opener.

Athletes from 17 nations will compete at the popular CCI4* in the shadow of the Pyrenees, where they have the unique opportunity to secure points for the 2012 season which for the first time includes Australia’s premier event, the Adelaide International Horse Trials (18-20 November).

HSBC FEI Classics 2011 – closely fought battle

Only series leader Mary King (GBR) or compatriot William Fox-Pitt can win this year’s HSBC FEI Classics and with just 13 points between them it will be an intense finale.

Fox-Pitt, who won the HSBC FEI Classics in 2008 and 2010, can only beat King if he wins and she finishes lower than eighth. So while he heads into Pau as the world number one in the HSBC Rankings – this time 13 points ahead of Mary and with the prospect of receiving the 50,000 USD bonus – he is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to become Series Champion and has taken advantage of Pau’s decision to allow riders to compete with three horses.

Continue reading HSBC FEI Classics 2011 Finale Goes to the Wire at Pau →