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Thoroughbred Incentive Program Announces 2021 Schedule Of Shows, Awards, Youth Ambassadors

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) announced Tuesday that it has approved more than 7,000 awards and classes at more than 1,500 shows in 42 states, Puerto Rico, and six Canadian provinces in 2021.

Awards are available for multiple disciplines, including eventing, dressage, Western and English pleasure, hunter/jumper, endurance, Western performance, games, and polocrosse. Awards are again available at some events for Thoroughbreds within their first two years of showing or for Thoroughbreds within two years of their last start.

A full calendar of shows offering awards is available at tjctip.com/CalendarOfEvents.

“This year marks the 10^th year in which T.I.P. is offering awards, and we are proud of the success of this initiative in promoting the versatility of the Thoroughbred,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “Through 2020, there have been more than 6,500 shows that have offered T.I.P. awards, more than 30,000 T.I.P. numbers that have been assigned, and more than 60,000 award entries submitted for horses. We look forward to adding to these totals in 2021 and continuing to demonstrate to the equestrian community the talents of Thoroughbreds in a range of disciplines.”

In addition, T.I.P. will be offering year-end or championship awards in association with the American Endurance Ride Conference; Equine Trail Sports; United States Eventing Association; United States Pony Club; and United States Dressage Federation. Furthermore, T.I.P. will offer awards at selected polo tournaments in conjunction with the United States Polo Association.

T.I.P. also announced its youth ambassadors for the 2021 T.I.P. Youth Ambassador Program. The 16 ambassadors, including four returning ambassadors from 2020, come from 12 states and cover multiple disciplines. The following are the 2021 T.I.P. youth ambassadors:

Grace Baierl – Pennsylvania
Kaylynn Berry – Kentucky
Emily Cantler – Maryland
Gabriellia Chevalier – Connecticut
Lottie Crawford – Virginia (returning)
Megan Farnsworth – Washington (returning)
Julia House – Maine (returning)
Victoria Navarrete – Virginia
Alexis Novak – Washington
Jenna Presley – Indiana
Grace Regan – South Carolina
Victoria Reinholdt – Florida
Olive Scaff – New Jersey
Emma Scheier – New Jersey (returning)
Remington Sharp – Virginia
Sabrina Wood – Texas

Additional information about the Youth Ambassador Program is available at tjctip.com/About/TBYPAM.

Created and announced in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, performance awards, and non-competition awards. In addition to the complete schedule of T.I.P.-sponsored shows, other information about the program is available on the T.I.P. website, tjctip.com. Those interested in T.I.P. can follow the program at facebook.com/tjctip.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America's Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

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Study: Sedation And Whip Use May Lead To Trailering Trouble

Trouble getting a horse on a trailer is common; it often takes time and patience to get a horse to the point where he will load and travel well. However, if the horse needs to get on a trailer and there isn't multiple hours or days to work with him, there are quite a few tricks horse handlers can use, employing everything from feed to brooms to whips to sedation to get him in the trailer.

Nearly 14.5 percent of responders to an Italian study indicated that they had issues loading horses in their care onto trailers within the last two years. The 37-question, online survey was sent to people who were directly involved with the transportation of horses, either for recreational or professional purposes. The survey aimed to identify risk factors for problem behaviors and injuries.

The study team, made up of Drs. Francesca Dai, Martina Zappaterra, Michela Minero, Francesca Bocchini, Christopher Riley and Barbara Padalino, received 148 responses. The questions they asked related to the handler's equine background, vehicles, practices and experience. They were also asked if horses they handled sustained transport injuries within the last two years.

The most common problem behaviors were related to fear and anxiety before loading, including kicking and refusing to get on the trailer, and loss of balance while in the trailer. They discovered that the probability of the horse displaying an issue were:

three times more likely if the driver didn't check the brakes before hauling
five times more likely if the handler was female
five times more likely if the horse handler used a whip at loading
five times more likely if the vehicle wasn't designed for horse protection and if the trailer didn't have shavings as bedding
13 times more likely if the animal was sedated,

Nearly 11.5 percent of respondents said that their horses had injuries directly related to transportation within the last two years. The researchers determined that sedation and coercive equipment, like using whips, were major risk factors for injuries. Though sedation may be helpful to get a horse on a trailer, it can affect the ability of a horse to balance once the trailer is in motion.

Horses were more likely to be injured during travel if the trailer brakes weren't checked before transport, there was no padding on the chest bar and if there were no rubber mats on the floor. Horses that exhibited problem behaviors during loading and transport were more likely to be injured.

The study team concluded that transportation is a risk to the wellbeing of both the horse and the handler, and suggested that more research is needed.

Read the full study here.

The Scoop On Eating Dirt

Many horse owners have been told that a horse that eats dirt is missing specific nutrients in his diet—but this line of thinking is outdated. Seeing a horse licking or chewing dirt is concerning as the ingestion of soil can increase the likelihood he will develop sand colic.

A horse fed the proper amount of a commercial feed formulated for his age and lifestyle should lack for nothing with regards to vitamins, minerals and nutrients; so ingesting soil isn't to “make up” for a deficiency in his diet. If a horse was lacking something in his diet severely enough to make him want to eat dirt, he would show other signs of the deficiency, including weight loss or a dull coat.

Horses typically eat dirt because they're bored. In a natural setting, horses graze nearly constantly—and that time spend chewing is good for their mental health. A horse eating dirt might be seeking the feeling the chewing motion brings, so offering him something like hay in of a slow feeder might give him something to pass the time. Increasing his workload (if possible) or giving him a playful pasturemate may also help ease his boredom.

Horse Owner And Manager Input Needed: 2021 Equine Industry Survey Launched

American Horse Publications (AHP) has launched its fifth Equine Industry Survey, which can be found here. Horse owners who live in the United States, are 18 years of age and older, and who currently own or manage at least one horse are invited to complete the survey by March 30, 2021.

The survey, which is conducted every three years, will gauge participation trends and management practices in the U.S. equine industry, identify critical issues facing the equine industry as perceived by those who own or manage horses, and better understand issues pertaining to horse health.

The online survey is made possible by a sponsorship from Zoetis, the leading animal health company dedicated to improving equine wellness, every day. Zoetis has sponsored the survey since its inception in 2009.

“Zoetis is proud to continue our sponsorship of the AHP Equine Industry Survey,” said Jeannie Jeffery, vice president of the Zoetis U.S. equine business. “We hope that the survey will continue to help identify successes and opportunities for improvement in the equine industry that horse owners, veterinarians and professionals can unite to resolve.”

“AHP is grateful for its partnership with Zoetis to provide ongoing and vital data on the trends in horse care, management, and welfare of horses in the U.S.,” said Christine W. Brune, AHP executive director. “We appreciate the collaborated effort of AHP members and the industry in promoting this survey and will strive to maintain or exceed previous responses in 2021.”

The study is anonymous; this means that no one–not even members of the research team – will be able to associate information that is given with respondents. When the survey results are tallied, only aggregated results will be presented.

The survey sponsor and AHP members who promote the survey will receive complete results of the 2021 survey to release through their own channels up to 60 days prior to release of the survey results to the AHP membership. The general equine industry may request a summary of this new information by contacting the AHP office at ahorsepubs@aol.com in October 2021.

Horse owners and enthusiasts are invited to promote the survey by sharing this link with horse-owner groups and individual horse owners. The more information we collect, the better we make our world for horses.

The 2021 AHP Equine Industry Survey is being conducted by American Horse Publications (AHP). Dr. C. Jill Stowe is providing consulting services for data collection and analysis to the AHP. Dr. Stowe is currently an associate professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky.

Take the survey here.

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