Tag: Horse Care

A few raindrops in the afternoon could not dampen spirits on the first day of competition at the Retired Racehorse Project's 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA): just under 300 horses are competing this week at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington over two days of preliminary competition. Horses and their trainers compete in one or two of ten offered riding disciplines; today's schedule included Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Ranch Work, Show Hunter and Show Jumper.

Most disciplines will continue through Thursday, which will also see the addition of Freestyle and Polo. Ranch Work concluded today, with Alice Beckman and Dont Ask Kinmon (Skylord – Trigger Fish Lane, by Petionville), a 2017 IN-bred with $67,700 in earnings, leading the pack after the ranch riding and ranch trail segments of competition. New for 2022, ribbons and special awards will be given based on preliminary competition at Friday's Awards Banquet; the top five in each discipline will return to the Finale on Saturday on a clean slate.

All competing horses passed the Arrival Exam, a process designed to help horses meet basic standards in health and body condition during their time of transition from racing to second careers. A team of 30 veterinary students, captained by RRP consulting veterinarian Dr. Shannon Reed with additional support from vets from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, American Association of Equine Practitioners, and Boehringer Ingelheim, checked vitals and body condition as well as a basic walking soundness exam. The Arrival Exam was sponsored by Keeneland with additional support from After the Finish Line and Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.

The Thoroughbred Makeover includes not only competition, but educational opportunities as well. On Tuesday, the annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit, a joint production of the RRP, TCA, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), took place, guiding over 30 in-person and virtual participants through a scenario workshop designed to help organizations and individuals identify problem areas in their own programs and prepare for the unexpected.

Wednesday evening's first round of Barrel Racing ran concurrently with the first round of the T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships. The T.I.P. Western and Central Dressage Championships are hosted this year by the Thoroughbred Makeover, making the event a true gathering for Thoroughbred enthusiasts of all disciplines.

Standings for individual Makeover events will shift as scoring continues this evening. View current standings at TheRRP.org/makeover-results/.

Horse shoppers and adopters are finding plenty to love at the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace and the ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Barn. The Marketplace is an optional horse sale for Thoroughbreds entered in the Makeover, affording shoppers the unique opportunity to watch horses perform in a large competition environment, take trial rides in a designated arena, and schedule pre-purchase exams with vets on call from Hagyard. The ASPCA Right Horse Adoption Barn is a new initiative for 2022, with participating Right Horse partner organizations bringing their adoptable Thoroughbreds of all ages and experiences to the Makeover to showcase for potential adopters looking for a horse of their own.

Other ongoing activities at the Thoroughbred Makeover include the Makeover Silent Auction, sponsored by Thor-Bred Stables: items up for bid are on display at the Makeover in the TCA Covered Arena Concourse and bids can be placed online at https://www.32auctions.com/TBMakeover2022. Tickets are still available through Thursday for Friday's Awards Party at the Kentucky Horse Park's Big Barn; purchase tickets through https://www.therrp.org/attend.

The post Day One Of Preliminary Competition Wraps At 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

A total of 25 horses were presented to the ground jury on Wednesday for the second edition of the Maryland 5 Star three-day eventing competition, to be held this weekend at Fair Hill in Elkton, Md. Following Wednesday's first horse inspection, 24 horses will proceed to the first phase of the competition.

A 5 Star event (CCI5*-L) is the pinnacle of the sport of eventing. It consists of the most advanced form of competition as it pertains to the skill level executed in the field of dressage, as well as tougher terrain and obstacles in both cross-country and stadium jumping. There are only seven 5 Star events in the world, with two being in the United States.

The CCI5* event takes place over four days. The first two days of competition taking place on Thursday and Friday will feature dressage tests completed in the main arena. The third day of competition on Saturday is the cross-country test, where riders jump up to 45 obstacles over almost 4 miles of varying terrain. The final day of competition on Sunday is show jumping, where riders jump over fragile obstacles in the main arena.

Last year's top-placed Thoroughbred was Tight Lines, ridden by Will Coleman to a fifth-place finish in the event's inaugural running. This year, five Thoroughbreds will attempt to better that result.

Here's a brief summary of each Thoroughbred entered:

Campground (Forest Camp x Kneel)

Ridden by Erin Kanara

15-year-old TB gelding 

Unraced

Owned by Marnie Kelly

Groom: Amy Faison

This will be the 5* debut for 15-year-old Campground, who in his spare time also goes out eventing at the lower levels with his owner, Marnie Kelly.

It was Marnie who purchased “Gideon” as a 3-year-old during a trip to the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, after he'd turned out not to have the chops for racing. 

Campground was bred in Kentucky by Churchill Downs Inc. chairman Alex Rankin, and entered race training at a local training center but was too slow to make it to the racetrack. Campground began his eventing career in 2012 with Erin in the irons and eventually moved up to Advanced in 2019. He won his first 4*-L at Ocala Jockey Club in 2019 and was 10th in the tough Lexington 4*-S last April.

For more about Campground, check out this Paulick Report feature from earlier this year: 'I'll Be Cheering For Him': CDI Chairman Bred One Of Land Rover's 'Very Unique' Four-Star OTTBs.

Wabbit (Line of Departure x No Kissing)

Ridden by Jessica Phoenix

12-year-old TB gelding 

Race name: Molinaro Kissing

Race record: 5 starts, 0-0-0, earnings $2,217

Owned by Rider & Jim Phillips

Groom: Lisa Barry

12-year-old Wabbit will seek his first 5* completion this weekend after his debut at Kentucky ended earlier than planned.

Bred to race in Ontario, Canada, Wabbit did race five times at Woodbine Racetrack and eventually began his eventing career with Momo Laframboise. In 2018, he made his debut with Jessica in the irons and has steadily ticked up the levels since then.

Wabbit has shown himself to be a reliable cross country horse, and those skills could come into serious play as the weekend progresses. Multi Olympian Jessie is also a fierce competitor, capable of throwing down on cross country day, and she's got some true 5* help in her corner with #supergroom and fellow 5* rider Lisa Barry as her groom this weekend.

Sorocaima (Rock Hard Ten x Sankobasi)

Ridden by Buck Davidson

11-year-old TB gelding

Race name: Sorocaima

Race record: 43 starts, 4-8-2, earnings $82,396

Owned by Rider & Carl Segal

Groom: Jackie Slagle

“He's a pure American Thoroughbred,” Buck describes the 11-year-old Sorocaima, who raced 43 times and earned just over $80,000. “Cam” then began his eventing career in 2018, originally with Brazilian rider Nilson Moreira da Silva and then with young rider Karli Wright.

Jill Henneberg made the connection to Buck, recommending he buy the horse to add to his string. After joining Buck's program in 2020, the gelding has taken to the sport like a natural.

Sorocaima made his 5* debut at Kentucky last April, though Buck will look to make improvements on that performance this weekend.

Twilightslastgleam (National Anthem x Royal Child) – 

Ridden by Jennie Brannigan

12-year-old TB gelding

Unraced

Owned by Nina & Tim Gardner

Groom: Tyler Held

“As I get older it's not always about being perfect. It is about enjoying when it goes your way.” 

Jennie had wise words after taking the 4*-L win at Bromont last June aboard the Gardners' homebred Thoroughbred, Twilightslastgleam.

“Comic” actually competed at this venue early on in his career with Jennie, who has done nearly all of his events since day one. He competed in both the 4- and 5-Year-Old Young Event Horse Championships at Fair Hill in 2014 and 2015, respectively, finishing in the top 10 both times.

Dunedin Black Watch (Dylan Thomas x Love First)

Hayley Frielick

12-year-old TB gelding 

Race name: Storm in Africa

Race Record: 7-0-0-1 $1,200

Owned by Kathryn Robertson

Groom: Rider

Hayley Frielick bought a ticket to the U.S. to compete at the Maryland 5 Star — her first 5* in the Northern Hemisphere — and hasn't bought her return ticket just yet.

Hayley hails from New South Wales, Australia, where she runs Dunedin Sport Horses and competes a wide range of developing event horses.

Dunedin Black Watch, or “Nelson” as he's known at home, has a wealth of 4* experience in Australia and will step up to the 5* level as a debutant this weekend.

For her part, Hayley has competed at the Adelaide 5* three times previously, finishing 5th in 2018 and 10th in 2019 with Class Action LP.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dunedin Sports Horses (@dunedinsportshorses)

The post Five Thoroughbreds Set To Represent In Second Running Of Maryland 5 Star appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Shortening the mane by pulling it out by the roots has long been custom in show rings across the United States. The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) recently banned the custom of trimming whiskers on horses, citing equine welfare issues. Is mane pulling the next tradition on the chopping block?

Removing a horse's whiskers doesn't physically hurt the horse, but it does remove some of the horse's sensory capabilities. Pulling a mane, however, doesn't have a long-term impact, but can be painful, Dr. Suzanne Millman, a professor of animal welfare at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine told Chronicle of the Horse.

Though the mane may provide some relief from flies and warmth in winter for horses living outside, its ability to assist with either of these are minimal. Long manes are not in style for the majority of horses kept in hunter or jumper competition-ready condition.

Millman found that horses having their manes pulled had increased heart rates. Increased heart rates are associated with other pain indicators, like tightening the mouth, teeth grinding, head tossing, rearing, tail swishing, and moving around. Mane hair is connected to sensory neurons with specialized nerve endings, so a horse's pain reactions to having their mane pulled makes sense.

Millman recommends that riders and horse owners consider ways of getting the same result on horse's manes using methods that cause the least harm, like using scissors. If the mane must be pulled, it's important for those pulling the mane to be aware of the signals that the horse is offering, telling if he's getting upset. 

Millman recommends consistently pulling the mane rather than pulling it drastically once every few months. She also suggests starting at the withers (where horses mutually groom each other) and working up the mane toward the ears. 

Using distractions like feeding treats or feed in a bucket can also distract a horse long enough to pull the mane over several days. Applying a pain-blocking product like Dormosedan gel can be considered to alleviate some of the pain from pulling manes. Waiting until a horse's pores are more open, like after he's been exercised, can aid in the ability to pull out bigger amounts of hair. 

Horses which don't seem to be bothered by having their manes pulled may be experiencing “learned helplessness,” where they are resigned to enduring the mane pulling, having been told that they must stand still despite trying to tell their handlers that the mane-pulling hurts. 

Read more at Chronicle of the Horse. 

The post End Of An Appearance Era: Should Mane Pulling Be Banned? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mia Farley rounded out the top three in last weekend's in the Morven Park International CCI4*-L on David O'Connor's 9-year-old off-track Thoroughbred gelding Phelps, jumping a double-clear round Sunday to finish on their dressage score of 34.4.

According to Eventing Nation, Phelps came to Farley somewhat by accident, after Joanie Morris tipped O'Connor that she had a line on a nice Thoroughbred that needed a new job.

“We basically got him from Kentucky for a dollar,” Farley told EN. “And he's just been that kind of horse that keeps stepping up the levels.”

After jumping double clear in both cross country and stadium last weekend Farley was extremely pleased with the progress of the horse she's been partnered with since he was a 5-year-old.

“He actually looked great this morning [after] yesterday with all the terrain,” said Farley of Phelps. “Show jumping's not his strong suit. So I just felt like I was putting a lot of pressure on myself for him to jump clean for his team. But he was wonderful. He answered every question. He's [usually] quite weak through triples. He can't really hold his body in the last element. But I just gave, and he used his body and jumped clean.”

“It's such an honor [to finish in the top three here],” Farley continued. “I've always loved Morven. Coming from the west, it's actually always been a show that I kept an eye on. So finishing third here behind Will (Coleman, runner-up aboard Chin Tonic HS) and Tamie (Smith, winner aboard Solaguayre California) just feels amazing.”

For the immediate future, Farley is also looking at giving her horses some rest time.

“We're giving the horses probably eight weeks off,” she said. “And then we'll bring them back and shoot for another long in the spring, and then look at what we can do in the fall with Phelps.”

Reflecting on her training program with owner David O'Connor, Farley shared: “We have our system with Phelps, and I think all the things are slowly coming together. I couldn't have done it without [David]. Phelps has been a little bit hard for me, but he's so great. He's an underdog. I feel like I've been along for the ride and he's proved us all wrong.”

The post ‘He’s An Underdog’: Thoroughbred Phelps Finishes Third In Morven Park International CCI4*-L appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post