All posts by Associate Editor

Breeds, Championships, Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord Earn Third Consecutive Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship

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Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord. Photo: Jen Corcoran/E Motion

Louisville, Kentucky – It’s an annual tradition in Louisville. Champions are crowned, history is made, dreams come true, and sterling silver trophies glisten under the lights of Freedom Hall. American Saddlebred Horses, Roadster Horses and Hackney and Harness Ponies compete to be called a World’s Champion, a World’s Champion of Champion, or the most desired title: a World’s Grand Champion.

On Saturday, it was a three-peat triumph for rider/trainer Merrill Murray, who celebrated his third – and final – $100,000 Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship victory atop the American Saddlebred gelding Courageous Lord.

The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled on Stake Night – the final night of the weeklong event – for Courageous Lord, clearly the fan favorite. After a crowd rousing victory pass, Murray thanked God, and his wife, blacksmiths, chiropractor, vet, farm owners, and fans of Courageous Lord. And mentioned the ride was no longer his.

The 10-year-old chestnut, trained by Murray, was sold to Peter and Lynn Via of Fox Grape Farms about a month ago. Murray announced after his grand performance, which included a work off, the ride now belongs to Dr. Owen Weaver.

In other stakes, Real Action, ridden by Peter Cowart, won the Three-Gaited Grand Championship, and Gabe Deknatel and The Daily Lottery repeated as champions in the Amateur Five-Gaited Championship.

Continue reading Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord Earn Third Consecutive Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

One Year to Go to 2012 London Paralympic Games

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Marco Alves at the 2008 Paralympic Games where he won Brazil’s first Paralympic equestrian medal

Lausanne (SUI), 29 August 2011 – Today, 29 August 2011, marks the one-year countdown to next year’s Paralympic Games. A record number of 4,200 athletes from 150 countries are set to convene in London (GBR) between 29 August and 9 September 2012 and compete in 503 events in 21 sports.

For the XIV Paralympic Games and the fifth appearance of Para-Dressage on the programme – equestrian sport made its Paralympic debut at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 – there could not be a more fitting host nation. Great Britain has been a Para-Dressage power house when it comes to Paralympic, World and European events, taking team gold at every turn and pushing the level and quality of the sport to greater heights.

“We count ourselves as one of the luckiest International Federations in the family and feel our sport is coming home with the 2012 Paralympic Games, as Great Britain has such a strong tradition of equestrianism and para-equestrianism,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya commented. “The location of the equestrian events in Greenwich Park means we are at the heart of the Games and we are very proud to be given centre stage. We are really looking forward to the event and will be counting the days to what will be glorious Games.”

Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations had made the trip to Atlanta, GA (USA) to compete on borrowed horses in the first Paralympic competition in 1996. In 2008 the number of competitors had increased to 78 and the number of nations had nearly doubled; the horses, no longer borrowed, flew in from all corners of the globe.

Continue reading One Year to Go to 2012 London Paralympic Games →

Breeds, Contributors/Press, Racing

Noor Arrives in Kentucky

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GEORGETOWN, KY — AUGUST 29, 2011 — Having traveled cross-country from the Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley, CA, the body of deceased Hall of Fame champion Noor will be re-interred in Kentucky at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, on Wednesday August 31.

Members of the press and fans are invited to attend the ceremony, which will be held at 10 am at Old Friends’s Dream Chase Farm, 1841 Paynes Depot Road in Georgetown.

In attendance will be Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends, and Charlotte Farmer, the woman who led the effort to exhume Noor and bring his remains to Kentucky.

Noor died in Grass Valley in 1974 at age 29 and was buried in the infield of the old Loma Rica Ranch Racetrack, but the property is now in development for residential and commercial use. He will be re-interred in a new cemetery for Hall of Fame inductees near the entrance of Old Friends.

Noor, son of the superstar stallion Nasrullah, was campaigned by owner-breeder Charles S. Howard (also the owner of Seabiscuit) after the colt’s 3-year-old season in 1948.

Trained by Burley Parke and ridden by Johnny Longden, Noor was voted 1950 handicap champion after winning four out of five head-to-head sprints with Citation and defeating the then 7-year-old Assault. The victories made Noor the first horse to beat two Triple Crown winners.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Yann Candele Takes Over Hagyard Challenge Series Lead

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Yann Candele and Azzaro won the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, and steady results have earned the rider the lead in the Hagyard Challenge Series standings. Photo: Heather Bellock/PMG

Lexington, KY – August 29, 2011 – Canada’s Yann Candele has taken over the lead in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series after earning strong finishes with four mounts over the last two weeks during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and the KHJA Horse Show. Two weeks ago, Candele took home the winning prize aboard Azzaro during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and also placed fifth and sixth. During the KHJA Horse Show, Candle placed sixth, ninth, and eleventh in the prestigious class to earn valuable points towards the $45,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

McLain Ward, who claimed the first and second place honors in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show aboard Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve and Vocas, currently holds the second place position. Young rider Christina Kelly placed third in Thursday’s event aboard Creata Van Ten Biesen and her steady results throughout the series have now earned her enough points to be tied for third place in the standings with Ian Millar. During the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Millar showed Instyle and Star Power to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, during both of the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classics.

The Hagyard Challenge Series features seven show jumping events at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $45,000 Leading Rider Award, presented after the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier held on September 23, 2011, during the Kentucky National Horse Show.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: presenting sponsor Pfizer Animal Health, Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra 200, Wyatt Equine Law Group, Johnson Horse Transportation, Chase, and J. P. Morgan.

Continue reading Yann Candele Takes Over Hagyard Challenge Series Lead →

Art/Photography, Contributors/Press, Events

The Horse: Acclaimed Exhibition Coming to the Kentucky Horse Park

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Prestigious American Museum of Natural History Sends Its Blockbuster Exhibition to the International Museum of the Horse

Terra-cotta horse from Tamil Nadu, India. Photo © AMNH/D. Finnin

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 29, 2011) – The Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse (IMH), in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, announced today that it will host the exhibition, The Horse, from October 22, 2011, through April 6, 2012. The IMH is a major lender to the exhibition.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring this world-class exhibition to Kentucky,” said Bill Cooke, director of the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse. “The American Museum of Natural History is truly one of the world’s great natural history museums, and they did a masterful job in developing an exhibition that not only illuminates the timeless union between humans and horses, but does so in an amazingly entertaining way. We are excited that this will be our first blockbuster-level exhibition while schools are in session. I have no doubt that both teachers and their students will love The Horse.”

From the horse’s earliest ancestors grazing on the plains of what is now Nebraska to a magnificent contemporary Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture, the eternal bond between horses and humans is explored in the largest equestrian traveling exhibition ever assembled. The Horse graphically portrays the horse’s impact on trade, transportation, labor, warfare, culture, and sports.  It showcases spectacular fossils, models, dioramas, and cultural objects from around the world, including many from the American Museum of Natural History’s world famous collections.

Continue reading The Horse: Acclaimed Exhibition Coming to the Kentucky Horse Park →

Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI, Olympic Games

Two More Teams Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games Eventing

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Lausanne (SUI), 19 August 2011 – France and Sweden qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games as a result of their placings in the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 team competition. France finished in silver medal position on a score of 151.10 and Sweden placed fourth (199.20). Germany, the leading nation at the Championships, had already achieved Olympic qualification. Bronze medallists Great Britain are automatically qualified as next year’s Olympic Games host nation.

Five countries had secured their Olympic participation at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky: Canada, New Zealand, USA, Germany, and Belgium. These added to the host nation and the two countries qualified this weekend bring the number of Eventing teams qualified to date for London 2012 to eight.

The next event for direct team qualification is the Asia Pacific Eventing Championship which will take place at Blenheim (GBR) from 8 to 11 September and which is open to teams from the Olympic Groups F (Africa and Middle East) and G (South East Asia and Oceania). The best placed team at this event will qualify.

The Asia Pacific Eventing Championship will be followed by the Pan American Games to be held in Guadalajara (MEX) from 14 to 29 October. The two best placed teams from Olympic Groups D (North America) and E (Central and South America), excluding the USA and Canada, will secure participation in London.

Continue reading Two More Teams Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games Eventing →

Competitions, Events, Jennifer Ward, Show Jumping

Eric Martin Makes It a Double for Manitoba

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Eric Martin over the third fence with Kumano. Photos - Cansport

Calgary, Alberta – Eric Martin of Oakbank, MB, scored victory in the $50,000 CSI2* Friends of Rocky Mountain Show Jumping Grand Prix held Saturday, August 27, at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB.

Manitoba athletes won both of the major competitions held at the Rocky Mountain Classic II show jumping tournament. Hayley Alfonso of St. Andrews, MB, posted the only clear round to win the $31,000 CSI2* Eunice Krausert Memorial Grand Prix held August 24 before Martin claimed his victory to make it two for two for Manitoba.

“We like Alberta money,” joked Martin, who pocketed $15,000 for his win.

Course designer Werner Deeg of Germany set a track that produced 11 clear rounds from a starting field of 24. The crowd was treated to an exciting jump-off that saw five horse-rider combinations leave all the jumps in place in an effort to win. In the end, it was Martin with the seven-year-old stallion Kumano who succeeded in doing it in the fastest time, 45.43 seconds.

“I just tried to be as smooth as I could,” explained Martin. “I have a good turn of foot; he’s fast through the turns.”

Martin makes the 16-hour journey to Calgary twice a year to compete at the Rocky Mountain Show Jumping tournaments. Having competed at the May events, he was back for the Rocky Mountain Classic series in August.

Continue reading Eric Martin Makes It a Double for Manitoba →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, USEF

Exciting Conclusion for the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship, and USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals

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Marlena Kurz and Ode. All photos: Chuck Swan/Swan Photography LLC

Wayne, IL – Competition finished up Sunday at the Lamplight Equestrian Center as the top 6-year-olds and developing horses in the U.S. vied for top honors in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship and USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship sponsored by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International. Additionally, nine competitors would ride for medals in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today in the 14-18 division.

The final day of these USEF National Dressage Championships got underway with the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today. The strong field demonstrated solid fundamentals and poise under pressure throughout the entire class including the challenging pattern. The final three riders to demonstrate the pattern, which called for proficiency in transitions between gaits and the ability to lengthen and collect, would claim the top three spots.

All three riders were competing in their first USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today on borrowed horses.

Marlena Kurz (San Antonio, TX) claimed top honors and the Gold medal riding Ode to an impressive 84%. Kurz was able to make the numerous transitions in the pattern look effortless by utilizing a soft and consistent contact and a correct seat.

Despite having only ridden Stephanie Fettig’s Dutch Warmblood since Tuesday, the 16-year-old was delighted with the gelding. “Even when he was tired he gave it his all, he was really with me the whole time. He’s a good boy I really enjoyed riding him.”

Continue reading Exciting Conclusion for the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship, and USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Carola Diener (GER) Is the New World Pair Driving Champion

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World champion Carola Diener (GER) during the obstacle driving competition at the FEI World Pair Driving Championships 2011. Photo © Rinaldo de Craen/FEI

Dutch Team Keep Team Gold

Conty (FRA), 24-28 August 2011 – Twenty-three-year-old Carola Diener (GER) became the new world champion at the 15th FEI World Pair Driving Championships at Conty, France. She performed a superb dressage test, drove a wonderful marathon and was near-perfect in the obstacle driving competition. The silver medal went to home representative Stéphane Chouzenoux; Tom Engbers from The Netherlands won individual bronze.

The Dutch team, led by Harry de Ruyter, who was appointed chef d’équipe in February, took home the gold while Germany claimed the silver. The host nation was delighted to win the bronze.

Ladies first
Germany was represented with two lady drivers for the first time in history: German pair champion Carola Diener as a team member and 15-year-old Anna Sandmann as an individual competitor. Carola set the basis for her first world medal in the dressage test, which she won ahead of the experienced drivers Beat Schenk (SUI) and Georg Moser (AUT). Diener, who is the stable manager of German international four-in-hand driver Christoph Sandmann, came 12th in the marathon but kept her lead in the individual standings. The marathon was won by 24-year-old Tom Engbers, ahead of Tibor Nagy jr. (HUN), aged only 21. Diener was last to go in the very difficult obstacle driving competition, designed by Barry Hunter (GBR). Going into the last phase, Carola had one ball in hand as well as some time penalties but the professional horsewoman that she is kept her cool leaving all the balls on the cones and recording only 1,94 penalty points for exceeding the time allowed. “It is an incredible feeling to be the new world champion, but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” she said.

Continue reading Carola Diener (GER) Is the New World Pair Driving Champion →

Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Horses May Benefit from Adult Derived Stem Cells

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Equine tendon, ligament, and joint injuries are some of the most frequently seen problems in clinical veterinary practice.  These lead to joint instability, degenerative joint disease, and reduced performance.

Osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of lameness in horses and involves the deterioration of joint cartilage leading to pain and inflammation. Conventional therapies involve intra-articular medications such as hyaluronic acid and/or steroids, rest, shockwave therapy, Polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid, IRAP and PRP.

Adult derived stem cells are a relatively new means of treating acute and chronic tendon injuries, suspensory and collateral ligament injuries and osteoarthritis in horses.  Adult derived stem cells are concentrated and autologous to the patients in which they are used.

Research is ongoing pertaining to how stem cells offer regeneration of injured tissues.  The process begins either by the collection and storage of umbilical cord blood in a foal or by harvesting 50 grams of adipose tissue (fat) or 20-40 cc of bone marrow from the sternum or hip under standing sedation in adults.

These samples are in turn sent overnight to commercial laboratories where they are processed for pleuripotent stem cells.  These initial cells are then cultured in a lab and expanded to produce 5 to 30 million cells for injection back into the patient depending on the injury being treated and patient’s age and relative health. Stem cells are injected back into an injured joint or ligament or tendon with ultrasound guidance when needed or after arthroscopy if appropriate.  Additional stem cells can be cryo-preserved dependent on the initial cell yield and used for subsequent regenerative therapy treatments. Get more info at www.alpinehospital.com.

This tip was brought to you by Chuck Maker, DVM (www.alpinehospital.com) and KAM Animal Services, home of KAM’s “Equine Learning Circle” FREE webinars, which take place monthly.  These webinars are an expansion of KAM’s weekly tips.  Go to www.kamanimalservices.com to sign up for the next webinar.  The FREE webinars will conclude with a question and answer session, so be ready with your questions.