All posts by Associate Editor

Meet Josie the Amputee Horse & Dr. Ric Redden a the International Equestrian Festival

Renowned and innovative veterinarian is special guest on October 5

Lexington, KY (September 22, 2010) – On October 5, beginning at 1:30 p.m., Dr. Ric Redden will present a demonstration with Josie the Amputee Mare. Showcased in the International Equestrian Festival’s Ecotrack Park, Redden will change the horse’s prosthetic leg to provide viewers an overview of the options and advancements in equine prosthetics. As part of the Festival’s special series, Dr. Redden will also present more than six hours of lectures:

*       3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Evaluating and Treating Angular Deformities in Foals – Learn Dr. Redden’s method of assessing foot and flight leg alignment and when and how to treat various deformities.

*       4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Diagnosing and Shoeing the Navicular Horse – A discussion of history, radiographs, clinical workup and efficient therapeutic shoeing.

*       5:30 – 7:00 p.m. – How to Manage Club Feed and the Opposite Foot which often has a Crushed Heel – Lecture on understanding and managing club feet in foals, sport horses and broodstock.

*       7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – Understanding and Treating the Laminitic Case – Learn about the urgent need for accurate assessment and subsequent treatment plan, and how venograms make the difference between success and failure.

Continue reading Meet Josie the Amputee Horse & Dr. Ric Redden a the International Equestrian Festival

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 2

FEI President Princess Haya officially declared the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games open in Lexington, Kentucky last night. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

AUDIO LINK:

Interview with Dressage rider Isabell Werth (GER)
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access/client_zone/Isabell%20Werth-GER%20dres%2025-9.mp3

FEI TV – As well as live competition coverage throughout the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI TV will make all competitions available post-event via VoD, plus an exclusive daily 30-minute VoD highlights show from the Kentucky Horse Park featuring the best of the day’s action, interviews, previews and reviews. There will also be lots of behind the scenes footage available.  Check out www.feitv.org.

DAY TWO GETS UNDERWAY AT THE KENTUCKY HORSE PARK by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 26 September – It’s all happening at The Horse Park in Kentucky this morning where the closing stages of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Reining Team Championships are taking place in the Alltech Pavilion while the Endurance competitors are enjoying perfect weather conditions on their 160kms course.

Continue reading Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 2

After Day 1 of WEG, Team USA Leads the Team Reining Competition

By Holly Clanahan of America’s Horse

With roughly half of the rides completed in the team reining competition of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Team USA is on top. The reining world championships are presented by John Deere.

Here is the team ranking so far (Download full results here):

  • Team USA – 444
  • Team Austria – 432.5
  • Team Brazil – 425
  • Team Belgium – 424.5
  • Team Netherlands – 422
  • Team Mexico – 420.5
  • Team Australia – 420
  • Team Great Britain – 404.5
  • Team Italy – 224
  • Team Germany – 220.5

Continue reading After Day 1 of WEG, Team USA Leads the Team Reining Competition

Italy Takes Day 1 Lead in Reining World Championships, Presented by John Deere

Lexington, Ky., Sept. 25, 2010 — With roughly half of the rides completed in the team Reining competition of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Team Italy is on top in the Reining World Championships, presented by John Deere.

Italian Stefano Massignan scored a chart-topping 224 aboard Yellow Jersey, winner of the 2009 Italian Reining Horse Association Level 4 Open Derby. Yellow Jersey is a 6-year-old American Quarter Horse stallion sired by Wimpys Little Step and owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA.

“He’s an easy horse, but he has a big heart, a big mind,” Massignan said of his mount. “He’s phenomenal. You can make that go-round if you ride a special horse, (and) he’s special – for the rest of my life.”

The team Reining competition continues Sunday, September 26, with the remaining 35 riders.

Continue reading Italy Takes Day 1 Lead in Reining World Championships, Presented by John Deere

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Opening Ceremony

Lexington, 25 September 2010 – Legends, athletes, stars of stage and screen and “The Greatest” of them all, global sporting and humanitarian icon Muhammad Ali, contributed to the spectacular opening of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Horse Park in Kentucky, USA tonight.

And completing the celebration was the key ingredient to the thrills and excitement we can expect to see over the next two weeks – the horse.

A cast of almost 1,500 people, and a vast array of equine talent, combined to provide a programme that paid tribute to the Games arrival on American soil with scenes from the prairie, Broadway, the Wild West and the Deep South. The show journeyed through the history of man and horse and explored defining moments in US history and culture, beginning with the heritage of Native Americans and a Prayer for All Nations by Lakota chiefs and concluded with a Mardi Gras extravaganza of epic proportions.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12194

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 – Day 1

Italy's Stefano Massignan went into the lead in the Reining Championship as the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games got underway in Lexington, Kentucky today. Photo: Kit Houghton.

As well as live competition coverage throughout the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI TV will make all competitions available post-event via VoD, plus an exclusive daily 30-minute VoD highlights show from the Kentucky Horse Park featuring the best of the day’s action, interviews, previews and reviews. There will also be lots of behind the scenes footage available.  Check out www.feitv.org.

ITALY LEADS INDIVIDUAL RANKING IN REINING, BUT USA HEADS TEAM LEADERBOARD

Endurance Begins Tomorrow

by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 25 September – American-based Italian, Stefano Massignan, took the first-day lead in the Reining Championship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA today.  However the host nation, who are defending champions, hold the team advantage as the remaining riders go into the arena tomorrow following great performances from Craig Schmersal and Tim McQuay.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12193

FEI TV Schedule for Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

25 September 2010 – As the action gets underway at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games today in the build-up to tonight’s opening ceremony, equestrian fans who are not on site can view all the excitement of the Games live on FEI TV.

FEI TV offers users worldwide access to extensive live coverage from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The opening ceremony will be shown live tonight at 1900 EDT (0100 CEST) and will then be available as Video on Demand (VoD).

As well as live competition coverage throughout the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI TV will make all competitions available post-event via VoD, plus an exclusive daily 30-minute VoD highlights show from the Kentucky Horse Park featuring the best of the day’s action, interviews, previews and reviews. There will also be lots of behind the scenes footage available.

Continue reading FEI TV Schedule for Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

Reining World Championship Starts the Action at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

LEXINGTON, KY — The day before the official start of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the stars of the reining world began their quest for the Reining World Championships, presented by John Deere, during the official horse inspection. Some 74 competitors from 22 nations presented their horses to the five-person ground jury. Three horse-and-rider combinations were not accepted, leaving 14 countries competing for team medals and seven countries represented by individual riders.

“The level of competition here is going to be second to none,” said Reining discipline manager Brad Ettelman. “This is truly the equestrian event of a lifetime for the U.S., and we are thrilled that Reining is experiencing a homecoming of sorts. Reining has experienced incredible growth internationally over the years, and we will certainly be showcasing the best the world has to offer at this WEG.”

Duane Latimer from Canada, the reigning individual gold medalist, is back to defend his title aboard a new mount, and Tim McQuay, a member of the U.S. gold-medal team in 2006, will help his defend their title again. Dressage star Anky van Grunsven of The Netherlands has traded in her breeches for chaps during these World Games and will attempt to make a successful transition to “Western” dressage.

Continue reading Reining World Championship Starts the Action at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

North Florida Dressage Association to Host Events during 2010 Adequan/USDF National Convention and Symposium in Jacksonville, Dec. 1-5

Jacksonville, Fla. – September 22, 2010 – North Florida Dressage Association (NFDA) will be holding a variety of events in Jacksonville, Fla. during the upcoming 2010 Adequan/USDF National Convention and Symposium. From Wednesday through Sunday, Dec. 1-5, equestrian activities will be held at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Riverfront, 223 E. Coastline Drive and the Jacksonville Equestrian Center, 13611 Normandy Blvd. Many events are free and open to the public. Registration and cost is required for some activities and classes. Visit www.DressageontheFirstCoast.com and www.usdf.org/convention.

According to Mary O’Brien, event spokesperson, the activities begin on Wednesday and continue through Sunday at the hotel and the equestrian center with classroom instruction on a variety of topics including the  2011 tests for horse and rider competitions and training methods, health and nutrition information, and tips and trends in dressage, to name a few. Riding events will include Dressage on the First Coast, a USEF and USDF recognized dressage show and the USDF/Adequan Symposium designed to instruct riders about the new 2011 USEF dressage tests and how best to perform them in the show ring.

Continue reading North Florida Dressage Association to Host Events during 2010 Adequan/USDF National Convention and Symposium in Jacksonville, Dec. 1-5

Key to Success for International Dressage Rider Cesar Parra Is Sticking to the Plan

International dressage rider Cesar Parra adds to his numerous prior wins following his victories at the recent New England Dressage Fall Festival CDI. Parra rode Olympia and Grandioso into the winner’s circle at the show. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Whitehouse Station, NJ (September 23, 2010) – International Dressage Rider Dr. Cesar Parra has found that sticking to a long term training plan with consistent work is the key to ending up in the winner’s circle. Cesar, who once again found success with Dr. Lori Washton’s Olympia at the recent New England Dressage Association (NEDA) Fall Festival CDI, truly believes that a quick fix isn’t the answer to long term success.

Parra’s consistent training plan for the 14-year-old KWPN gelding has not only led them to the winner’s circle during the NEDA Fall Festival, but also to victory in the CDI Prix St. Georges, the CDI Intermediaire I and the CDI Intermediaire Freestyle. “I really feel Olympia is a contender for the Pan Am Games next year, but it is more than luck that has helped us; it’s hard work,” he said.

Parra also rode Grandioso, a nine-year-old Westfalen gelding owned by Michael and Sarah Davis, into the winner’s circle in the FEI Intermediaire II class at the NEDA Fall Festival. “Grandioso was fantastic. He had a crowd following behind him as we walked up to the ring and he was really on and was listening to me,” Parra said. “I feel very blessed to be able to be his rider.”

Continue reading Key to Success for International Dressage Rider Cesar Parra Is Sticking to the Plan