competition | Horse Racing Free Tips

Eventing Study: Specific Factors Increase Odds Of A Fall During Cross-Country Phase

Falls during the cross-country phase of eventing competition can be dramatic, both visually and in terms of the potential for injury to both horse and rider. A Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)-funded study sought to determine which factors increased the risk of a fall.

Drs. Euan Bennet and Tim Parkin of Bristol Veterinary School spearheaded the study. The duo used data from every horse-and-rider team who started in International, Championship, Olympic, or World Equestrian Games competition between January 2008 and December 2018.

In total, 202,771 horses competed in this timeframe, with 187,602 beginning the cross-country phase. Of these, 1.5 percent reported a fallen horse and 3.5 percent had an unseated rider.

The scientists reported that the following may contribute to a fall:

Horses competing at higher levels
Horses whose previous start was more than 60 days ago
Horses with minimal starts at their current competition level
Horses competing over longer cross-country courses
Horses with more competition in the cross-country phase
Mares were at increased odds of falling compared with geldings

Research into the riders showed that:

Male athletes showed increased odds of experiencing a fall
Younger athletes were more likely to fall
Horse-athlete combinations who recorded a score in the dressage phase that was higher than 50 (i.e. poor performance) showed increased odds of falling during the cross-country phase
Less experienced athletes were more likely to fall
Athletes whose previous start was more than 30 days ago demonstrated increased odds of a fall
Athletes who did not finish their previous event, for any reason, showed increased odds of a fall

[Story Continues Below]

Modifications to reduce the risk of injury to both horse and rider have been suggested. These include adjusting minimum eligibility requirements (MERs) to ensure horses and riders are competing at appropriate ability levels.

The scientists hope the FEI will utilize this research to create evidence-based eventing rules that protect horse and rider safety as well as competitiveness.

2022 Thoroughbred Makeover Applications Open For Submission

Applications for the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, are now open for submission through close of business day on January 21. Accepted trainers will be announced no later than February 15, 2021. The 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2022 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue. Interested applicants can start the process now by clicking on the Trainer Portal at tbmakeover.org.

Entering its eighth year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing. Horses and their trainers may compete in one or two disciplines of their choice, including Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Polo, Ranch Work, Show Hunter, Show Jumper, and Freestyle (a freeform discipline showcasing skills of the trainer's choosing).

Horses and trainers will compete for more than $100,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 12-15, 2022. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not only the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale, and the Makeover Master Class, featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Thoroughbred Makeover Finale features the top five horses in each discipline based on preliminary competition and will be live-streamed for viewers at home.

The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and over), and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian, and video that showcases their riding ability. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though they must register their horse no later than July 29, 2022.

Accepted trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract from an owner. Eligible horses must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2020 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to December 1, 2021 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides, intended to allow for trial rides.

[Story Continues Below]

2021 Thoroughbred Makeover Fast Facts:

The 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover was a unique “Mega-Makeover” format, with two separate competition years running side-by-side to accommodate horses from the postponed 2020 competition as well as the regular 2021 class. The week of competition culminated in two separate Finales crowning their own champions
400 horses competed between the two competition years
Over $29 million has been invested into the future of horses participating in the Makeover since its inception in 2013, including health care, training, and more
A total of 4,048 trainers have been accepted since 2013, representing 46 states and four Canadian provinces
A total of 3,641 horses have been directly impacted since 2013
High-profile contenders from 2021 included Breeders' Cup participants Imperative and Ashleyluvssugar, as well as MGSW Page McKenney

Shave And a Haircut: An Equine Welfare Issue?

On July 1, the Fédération Equestre Internationale banned competitors from trimming the hairs around their horse's eyes and muzzle, citing their removal as an equine welfare issue. These hairs, called vibrissae, are deeply embedded in the skin and help a horse sense the environment around him.

Dr. Andrew McLean of Melbourne University Equine Hospital in Australia and CEO of Equitation Science International, says that whiskers around the eyes and muzzle are unique, specialized structures that are larger than other hair follicles. Each whisker has its own blood capsule and nerves, and even the smallest whisker movement is perceptible and the information is relayed straight to the brain, reports the Chronicle of the Horse.

Whiskers help horses do everything from feel the ground while grazing to investigate objects, food, and other horses. Whiskers around the eyes help the horse feel what is nearby to avoid eye injuries.

Specific research on whiskers in other species has been done, but concrete evidence of whisker role in horses is lacking. In other species, whiskers do everything from help the animal maintain balance to assist with spatial awareness in water.

The FEI passed the rule unanimously in 2020. Horses with shaved or clipped sensory hairs are not permitted to compete unless the whiskers have been removed by a veterinarian to provide treatment. Germany banned eye and muzzle whisker removal in 1998, followed by Switzerland and France. Thus far, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, which governs horse sport in the United States, has not banned the trimming of sensory hairs for national-level competition horses, though the organization does encourage riders to consult with their veterinarian.

[Story Continues Below]

McLean notes that it's imperative for organizations involved with horse sport to remain aware of how they are perceived by the public as it is the public, not necessarily the equine experts or the riders, who will determine the fate of equine sport. Called the “social license to operate,” McLean reiterates that regulating horse sport to ensure the welfare of the animal is key to positive community interactions.

World Horse Welfare-Funded Research Project Seeks To Keep Horse Sport Ethical

World Horse Welfare strongly believes in the value and benefits of the horse-human partnership and actively supports the participation of horses in sport as long as their welfare is put first. Against the backdrop of increasing societal concerns about the involvement of horses in competitive sport, and with the aim of underwriting equestrian sport's continued social license, World Horse Welfare initiated this research project with the Royal Veterinary College. The project is especially relevant in light of the heightened public interest around equine welfare, sparked by recent events such as the incident at the women's Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics and this summer's Panorama documentary, “The Dark Side of Racing.”

The first phase of the project was led by Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College. Phase 1 covered the theory and function of the ethical framework. Campbell also leads Phase 2, which will begin in October 2021 and continue for three years. This phase focuses on optimizing the function and uptake of the ethical framework tool. It aims to extend the scope and significance of this project's impact on welfare by advancing the applicability and uptake of the framework across the equestrian sports sector.

[Story Continues Below]

To achieve the project's broader aims, the specific objectives are:

To refine the ethical framework tool following the final phase of testing in the preceding project and develop a tutorial explaining how to use it
To test the applicability of the ethical framework tool at a grassroots level
To investigate socio-cognitive drivers, facilitators and barriers to adoption of the ethical framework tool in practice, and to develop effective methods of overcoming such barriers and promoting adoption
To conduct systematic reviews of evidence relating to two discipline-specific, stakeholder-identified ethical dilemmas in order to identify research priorities targeted at improving welfare through promoting evidence-based use of the framework

Roly Owers, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to support this project into its second phase, which aligns so closely with a key aspect of our 2020-2024 strategy: 'Supporting the ethical involvement of equines in sport and entertainment.' As recent events such as the infamous Gordon Eliot photo and the treatment of horses during Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics have shown, this work has never been more relevant and we are excited to be a part of this pioneering development.

“Working together with equestrian sport and its regulators is an essential part of our work to help achieve the best possible welfare standards and practices throughout the whole lives of sport horses. We are pleased that, in line with this approach, the project will make particular use of stakeholder consultation, building on the results of the October conference and conducting further testing and consultation with equestrian organizations as we progress with the project over the next three years.”

Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College, commented, “We are looking forward to testing this tool with further decision-makers across all levels of horse sport and we hope the workshop engages everyone in discussion around what exactly needs to be considered when making policies that can impact upon horse welfare. The framework in itself does not tell any stakeholder what conclusion they ought to be reaching on any particular issue – it simply provides them with a logical method of reaching some conclusion based on a set of guiding principles. This means that the framework tool can be used in any setting within equestrian sport to facilitate the transparent, consistent justification of decision and policy making.”

On Nov. 11, 2021, “Whose opinion matters?” will be the theme of World Horse Welfare's annual conference, which is being held both virtually and in person at The Royal Geographical Society, London. The Conference will bring together influential figures in the industry and will address the increasing challenge of distinguishing key voices at a time when the sheer volume of strong opinions on welfare can be overwhelming and deafening. The event will consider the role of objective evidence in decision making and when – if ever – opinion should overrule fact. The RVC research project will be particularly relevant to the Conference in light of these themes.

The post World Horse Welfare-Funded Research Project Seeks To Keep Horse Sport Ethical appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post