All posts by Associate Editor

Breeds, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, JRPR

The Stable Scoop Radio Show Features Small Talk about American Shetland Ponies and American Miniature Horses

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One of the voices of the small equine was Jackie Tyler of Emerald Glenn Farm in Woodville, Wisconsin. Tyler discussed the benefits of small equines and laughed that “small equines are like potato chips; you can’t just have one.” (Photo courtesy of Jackie Tyler)

Morton, IL (September 8, 2010) – Fans of Shetland Ponies and Miniature Horses recently had the chance to listen to some small talk about their favorite small equines on the Stable Scoop Radio Show. Hosts Glenn the Geek and Helena Bee welcomed three Shetland Pony and Miniature Horse experts to the Stable Scoop show, where they talked about the benefits of owning small equines and the fact that the American Shetland Pony Club and American Miniature Horse Registry (ASPC/AMHR) has partnered with the American Driving Society (ADS).

Larry Parnell, the President of the Board of ASPC/AMHR, kicked off the show by sharing the good news that children and adults of all ages love Shetland Ponies and Miniature Horses. Parnell, who is a trainer and competitor of small equines, explained that Shetlands and minis are very well rounded and versatile. Small equine breeds not only make good family pets, but are also serious competitors that compete in halter, jumping, driving, costume and youth classes on the national level.

Continue reading The Stable Scoop Radio Show Features Small Talk about American Shetland Ponies and American Miniature Horses →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Equestrian Assistance, Eventing/H.T., FEI

FEI Eventing Committee Evaluates Potential of Air Vests in Overall Rider Safety

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8 September 2010 – Following a meeting of the FEI Eventing Committee evaluating the potential of air vests in overall rider safety on the Cross-Country phase, the Committee has recommended National Federations and riders to keep themselves informed of all the latest developments and to consider the potential benefits of their use.

The Eventing Committee will continue to monitor the evolution of this equipment, for which there are currently no internationally recognised industry standards. As part of its FEI Eventing Risk Management Policy and Action Plan, the Eventing Committee is fully committed to continuing the collection of data on all aspects of safety in the sport. Specific data on air vests will need to be evaluated in detail before any further advice on their use is issued.

“There is no doubt that air vests represent an important development in rider protection, but protective clothing is not the magic solution to rider safety. It needs to be considered in combination with active measures such as correct training, responsible riding, course design and fence construction,” Giuseppe Della Chiesa, Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee, said.

Media Contact:

Grania Willis
FEI Director Press Relations
Tel: +41 787 506 142
Email: grania.willis@fei.org

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 33, by Jane Savoie

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Quiet Confidence

Yesterday, a gorgeous new mare moved into our barn. Wowzer… she’s a dish! She was being led down the walkway when I saw a young gelding in the turnout next to me strut and prance and flip his long mane at her. He kept telling her to look over and see how beautiful he is. He nickered and shouted to her that he was the best and smartest horse in the whole barn. When she didn’t react, he hollered at the top of his voice that the rest of us were nothing but old nags unworthy of her. She stopped and turned his direction. I watched her watch him, with great interest. She looked him up and down, flipped her tail at him, and walked off in a huff.

Later, I noticed this fellow was upset and depressed. I strolled over and stood by him, just to keep him company. Eventually he raised his head and quietly asked if I knew why the pretty mare had spurned him. I told him, as gently as I could, that it appeared to me that his superior attitude had turned her off. I shared my belief that when we act like we’re better than everyone else, that same everyone else starts to feel uncomfortable and stops wanting to be around us.

I told him that it’s okay to have confidence, and it’s okay to let our best light shine. But, if we go a step further and act arrogant and superior to our friends and peers, we are intentionally making them feel “less than.” That’s not right. It’s a delicate line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence energy radiates outward and feels good to be around. Arrogance energy sucks inward and is uncomfortable for others to be near.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi no. 33, by Jane Savoie →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian

FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles 2010

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Germany's Heiner Lehrter on his way to securing individual and team gold at the 2010 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles in Breda. Photo: Rinaldo de Craen.

GERMAN PARA-EQUESTRIAN DRIVERS REIGN SUPREME

7 September – German drivers dominated the 2010 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles at Breda, The Netherlands. Heiner Lehrter and Josef Sauerwald took individual gold and silver respectively and they joined up with Hubert Markett to also secure team gold.

At the previous World Championship in Greven two years ago, the Germans were beaten on their home soil by the Dutch.  This time around however the tables were turned as the Germans were strongest on Dutch territory. The host nation took team silver, Great Britain won the bronze and defending double gold-medallist, Jacques Poppen from The Netherlands, earned individual bronze.

Perfect Integration

It was the first time the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships took place at a regular international driving event, and this new formula turned out to be a great success. The atmosphere was wonderful and all competitors enjoyed the superb competition site at The Prinsenhoeve Estate in Breda.  Every year this versatile venue hosts the only Nations Cup in Four-In-Hand Driving in The Netherlands, as well as an international driving competition for pony teams, an international eventing competition and the Dutch eventing Championships and national jumping and dressage competitions. The FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships was perfectly integrated into the Driving programme. Due of the limited number of competitors – 15 entries from 4 nations – it was decided to create one class including Grade 1 and Grade 2 drivers. Grade 2 drivers have greater functional ability than their Grade 1 counterparts.

Continue reading FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles 2010 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, England

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Photos: Caroline Powell, by Lynn Lawson

Kiwi Caroline Powell became the first New Zealand woman to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England at the weekend. Caroline, who hails from Christchurch but is now based on the Scottish Borders at Kelso, joins fellow countrymen Blyth Tait, Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd on the roll of honour.

Riding the popular 17-year-old grey gelding, Lenamore, they put in a foot perfect performance and remained unphased by pressure after finishing dressage and cross country in pole position with a score of 38.7. Lenamore was one of the oldest horses in the competition and stands at just 15.3 hh.

Seventy six riders from twelve different nations competed for this coveted title, with first ever entries from China and Lithuania. Renown as being a tough challenge with its undulating cross country course and thirty demanding fences, Burghley requires both skill and stamina in abundance.

Continue reading Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, England →

Contributors/Press, FEI

FEI List Group Proposes 2011 Equine Prohibited Substances List for General Assembly Approval

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6 September 2010 – Following last month’s highly successful FEI Congress on NSAIDs and further discussion of the issues raised, the FEI List Group has proposed an Equine Prohibited Substances List for 2011 which simultaneously respects horse welfare and ensures a level playing field.

During its discussions, the List Group made a distinction between the use of NSAIDs during competition, and their use between competitions. With the exception of Salicylic Acid (aspirin), for which it is proposed to raise the current threshold to harmonise it with that of other international regulators, the List Group has unanimously concluded that the science available from the few limited studies carried out to date on the use of NSAIDs is contradictory and provides insufficient evidence for allowing levels in competition that are not a potential threat to horse welfare or enhance performance.

As a result, the List Group has proposed a list of prohibited substances for 2011 which represents a practical solution that respects horse welfare and ensures a level playing field. This list does not allow NSAIDs in competition, but does allow post-competition usage of certain NSAIDs, specifically Phenylbutazone and Flunixin, in low dosages between competitions for the well-being of the horse; but only to the extent that the medications will neither be detectable nor affect the performance or welfare of the horse at its next competition.

Continue reading FEI List Group Proposes 2011 Equine Prohibited Substances List for General Assembly Approval →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, World Equestrian Games

Lázar Takes Individual Honours, but Dutch Claim Nations Cup on Home Soil at Breda

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Zoltan Lázar (HUN) scored his first ever CAIO win when claiming victory at Breda in the Netherlands ahead of Werner Ulrich (SWI) and Mark Weusthof (NED). (Photo: Rinaldo de Craen)

6 September 2010 – Hungary’s Zoltan Lázar scored his first-ever international four-in-hand victory at a CAIO when winning at Breda, the Netherlands, ahead of Werner Ulrich (SWI) and the best Dutch driver at this prestigious competition, Mark Weusthof, but the Dutch team once again proved invincible, staying well ahead of Switzerland and Sweden throughout the Nations Cup competition.

Twenty-eight drivers from 10 nations started at the beautiful Prinsenhoeve Estate in Breda, an outstanding venue which boasts the only Dutch Nations Cup competition in the history of Dutch driving. Breda has also been host to a number of other equestrian events this year, such as the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships, Pony Driving Championships, international and national Eventing competitions as well as national Jumping and Dressage fixtures.

Other vehicles and equipment
Breda was the last outing for the top drivers before the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The carriages and other equipment of the Dutch, German and Swiss teams have already been shipped to Kentucky and most of the drivers therefore started with borrowed vehicles and harnesses. Drivers like Koos de Ronde and Theo Timmerman from the Netherlands competed with different horses in Breda to save their best horses for Kentucky.

Continue reading Lázar Takes Individual Honours, but Dutch Claim Nations Cup on Home Soil at Breda →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Happy Birthday Molly Braswell – 2010 ASPCA Maclay Southeast Regional Champions

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Molly Braswell & El Campeons Danish © Flashpoint Photography

Green Cove Springs, FL — September 5, 2010 — Molly Braswell celebrated her 17th Birthday weekend by besting 44 top competitors to capture the ASPCA Maclay Regional Championship (Region 3, the Southeast), held during 2010 North Florida Hunter Jumper Association’s Labor Day Horse Show at the Agricultural Center in Green Cove Springs, Fl.

Touted as the ultimate junior hunter accomplishment, the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Trophy is the top award presented to one rider age 18 or under who has competed in a series of qualifying classes and earned enough points to participate in a regional contest. From each Regional Final a percentage of all winners will advance to the year-end National Championships at the Syracuse Invitational Horse Show, with the deciding final held on November 7th. Region 3-Southeast includes athletes from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. 2010 marks the fourth year the Southeast Regional Final has taken place in Florida.

This year’s 12-fence course was designed by Michael Rheinheimer who said his was a test of the intellect, gracefulness and poise of riders. One missed or added stride or forgotten lead change could end the dream of advancing. “The horse I rode tonight, Danish, this is really our first big event together and overall I think it went great,” a smiling Molly said. Great indeed as birthday presents go!

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12069

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Show Jumping

Powell Scores Vintage Win for New Zealand at Burghley

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Caroline Powell (NZL) and Lenamore on their lap of honour after winning the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials

5 September 2010 – Caroline Powell rode a perfect Jumping round under pressure to become the first New Zealand female rider to win the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), the fourth leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

The win has propelled her into third place in the HSBC FEI Classics, behind William Fox-Pitt (GBR), the new leader, and Andreas Dibowski (GER) with one event left, Les Etoiles de Pau in France in November, where Fox-Pitt has already declared a possible runner in Navigator.

Powell, 37, did not put a foot wrong all weekend on the 17-year-old Lenamore, who stands only 15.2hh. “He was such a wee star,” she said.

“The owner, Lexi Mackinnon, is getting married next week. I’d told her that I hadn’t got her a wedding present and that I’d try and win Burghley for her! I can’t believe that’s come off.”

Continue reading Powell Scores Vintage Win for New Zealand at Burghley →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, FEI, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Jumping Radio Show Episode 27 – WEG

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Bernie Traurig joins me to explain the unique format of the World Equestrian Games and what it involves to be selected to represent the US. Listen in.

Jumping Radio Episode 27 – Show Notes and Links:

  • Show Host: Chris Stafford
  • Photo Credit: Aachen2006.de
  • Guest: Bernie Traurig – Equestrian Coach
  • World Equestrian Games Recording Schedule at the Alltech Pavilion:
    Oct 5: Recording at 5-6 PM
    Oct 7: Recording at 8-9 AM
    Oct 9: Recording at 8-9 AM
    Oct 10: Recording at 8-9 AM

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