Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2015 i Practical Horseman

When I first started competing on the hunter/jumper circuit in the early 1980s, my list of equine idols was long and largely included Thoroughbreds: Jet Run, 1981 World Cup Final winner with Michael Matz; Idle Dice, who had 31 grand prix victories, many with Rodney Jenkins; Sweet’N Low, who cleared the 7-foot-7½ puissance wall at the 1983 Washington International Horse Show with Anthony d’Ambrosio; and Touch of Class, the 1984 Olympic team and individual gold-medal-winning mare with Joe Fargis. The Thoroughbred hunter Touch the Sun had been amassing wins in the Regular Working Hunter divisions first with Steve Stephens and later with Jamie Mann. Soon after came Gem Twist, the 1988 Olympic team and individual silver medalist with Greg Best, and For the Moment, two-time Olympian with Lisa Jacquin. At…

MAD BOMBER Pedigree Sire:Lite the Fuse; Dam: Madilynreign; Dam’s Sire: Cryptoclearance Age: 5 Career highlights: Earned $51,140 in 14 starts (1 win—0 seconds—1 third) Last race: June 26, 2013 Trainer/Owner: Hannah Gilhool New discipline: Pony Club Began retraining: June 2014 Hannah Gilhool, 16, from York, Pennsylvania, began riding when she was 3 years old, and by age 5 she was involved with her local Pony Club. Hannah has evented up to Preliminary level and previously has worked with young horses, but Mad Bomber was her first OTTB project. Raced by his breeders, Richard and Lisa Lugovich, Mad Bomber incurred an injury in his last race and was retired to his owners’ farm, where he was fully rehabilitated until he was ready for his off-track career. Hannah first met Mad Bomber…

ACQUIRE new techniques for your training toolbox at the Horse Expo Pomona, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, in Pomona, CA. Experts Charles de Kunffy, Jonathan Field and Nick Karazissis Sr. are among the clinicians. The event also features the Ultimate Super Horse Challenge; www.horseexpoevents.com. GET INSPIREDat Dressage4Kids’ 13th Annual Weekend Education Program, Jan. 31–Feb. 1, in Woodbury, CT. The program, started by Olympian Lendon Gray, is open to riders of all ages, parents and trainers. Grand Prix rider Laura Graves is the keynote speaker; www.dressage4kids.org. HEAD TO sunny Arizona for the 60th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, Feb. 12–22. The largest event of its kind in the world, the show features top-level dressage, hunter and jumper classes as well as educational seminars and some 300 vendors; www.scottsdale show.com. APPLYfor two scholarships offered…

Ease Soreness with Herbs An all-natural liniment, Zephyr’s Sore Muscle Gel soothes without irritating or blistering skin. It contains aloe vera, tinctures of arnica, lavender, chamomile, comfrey and lobelia as well as rosemary essential oil. The gel is safe to use under wraps and bandages and can be mixed with water to create a brace. Apply before or after a ride. Dries clear. 16 ounces; $24; www.zephyrsgarden.com. A Sterling Message The Stirrup Simplicity necklace from Be Positive Works offers inspiration and an equestrian motif. Lifelong friends Sari Seewald and Deb Gorman spent many hours riding together as children, and they launched their firm after a successful stem-cell transplant for leukemia changed Deb’s husband’s blood type from A+ to B+. Sterling silver; 10 mm stirrup charm, 17-inch chain. $95; bepositiveworks.com. Good…

Two words: baby oil. Sheila Chilcote-Collins, Ohio As a professional groom, my paycheck depends on my ability to turnout a well-groomed horse. My secret is rubbing alcohol. It is a greattool to lift dirt off the coat, remove sweat marks ringside or scrubstains out of white markings. Heather Brown, New Hampshire I feed flaxseed and do lots of currying and brushing to keep my girlgleaming year round. Rachael Jungclaus, California I keep my brushes clean. It doesn’t matter how much elbow grease or product you use if your tools are full of dirt. I curry three to four circles and then knock the curry clean. I do the same with my brush after three to four strokes. Once a week I spray my brushes and once a month I do…

If you are going to go eventing, you are going to need a horse. It will really help your enjoyment of the sport if your horse is suitable, so you want to choose him with care. As I’ll explain, however, what’s suitable for you is a moving target that is dependent on your abilities and aspirations. Some things to keep in mind when beginning your searchfor a new horse: • Eventing is a risk sport, which makes his jumping ability ofparamount importance. • Eventing is a combined sport, which means your new horsewill need to be able to do more than one thing well. At Entry Level When it comes to matching riders with horses, there is nothingcuter than a young girl with her first pony. She has bracesand pigtails,…

Last month I walked you through a record-keeping routine to improve your partnership with your horse. This month, I’m going to ask you to take a leap of faith with me by turning one of your next shows into what I call a “reprogramming” or “training” show. I will tell you how to plan every step of this competition, from the small yet important tasks in its lead-up to the invaluable post-show analysis. As these pieces fall into place, you will develop a new strategy for arriving at the in-gate calm, relaxed and ready to rise to the occasion, whether you’re at a one-day or multiday show. This new peace of mind will, in turn, produce more consistency in your performances. That’s what real riding success is all about—not necessarily…

This rider’s crest release is her worst style flaw, with her hand much too high, floating above her horse’s neck. …” “Again, we have an elementary rider using a release that’s too short and restrictive for her level of ability. …” “Her release, all too common today, is an unattractive, nonfunctional mimicking of a true crest release.” Sound familiar? I often repeat such phrases when critiquing photographs in “Jumping Clinic” because time and again I see riders using the wrong release—wrong for their ability level or wrong because it’s executed incorrectly. The reason I emphasize correct releases as much as I do is not simply form or style but function and safety. At the least, an advanced rider with a faulty release may lose a class because she can’t turn…

As the final notes of George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” filled the air, 29-year-old Roxanne Trunnell, of Rowlett, Texas, began to enjoy what she and Nice Touch, her 19-year-old KWPN mare, had just accomplished: a freestyle performance in para-dressage at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Caen, France. They had earned their way into the event with solid earlier efforts in both the Grade 1a individual and team tests. Now their ride set to music—the mare’s swan song in the dressage arena—received a score of 62.40 percent and placed them seventh overall. “It was such a great ending of a career for my girl,” Roxanne recalls. Among the supporters and teammateswaving American flags were Roxanne’sparents, Josette and Sid, and heraunt, Alicia Holmes. There was no hidingthe pride…

Thoroughbreds are a common sight at Pimlico Race Course, but it’s not often you see them jumping, puffing and barrel racing their way around the homestretch of the historic racetrack. That scene played out over two days last October at the 2014 Thoroughbred Makeover, held at the home of the Triple Crown’s second leg, the Preakness Stakes, in Baltimore, Maryland. In its second year, the Makeover is a national gathering offarms, organizations and trainers interested in transitioning formerracehorses into successful off-track careers. The weekendincluded educational seminars on training, health care and thebusiness side of placing horses with new owners; demonstrations featuring 14 different riding disciplines; the Thoroughbred Charities of America Marketplace that presented 48 off-the track Thoroughbreds for sale or adoption; and final performances from 10 horse and-trainer teams in…

Riding and working around horses can be dangerous, so why not lessen the odds of an accident? While there are plenty of tried-and-true ways to safely handle horses, many people don’t practice them because they are either in a hurry or have found a shortcut. In this article I’ve detailed what I consider the safest ways of doing everyday tasks, from taking your horse out of his stall, to tacking up, dismounting and putting him away. These are not original ideas of mine. They have been around for ages, as have I. And because I plan to continue to be around, I practice and believe in them. Leading When leading a horse, even if it’s just from his stall to the grooming area, put a halter on him and use…

A trip through Lexington, Kentucky—if just to drive past the impressive horse farms—is a must for any horse lover. You’ll see lush, rolling bluegrass, white and black picket fences, old stone walls reminiscent of Ireland and horses grazing amid enviable pastures at some of the prettiest facilities in the country. I highly recommend taking the time to visit a sampling of these establishments to get close to million-dollar horses and equine celebrities. At Old Friends, in Georgetown, Kentucky, I took a tour to meet some of the more than 100 retired horses who live there. Old Friends is a Thoroughbred retirement center, so while I knew I’d see former racehorses, I never imagined encountering a miniature stallion, Little Silver Charm, rescued from a killer’s truck and now one of the…

Treating a horse for gastric ulcers is costly. You’ll pay up to $34 a tube for GastroGard (Merial), the approved medication, and that tube might last two days depending on your horse’s size. Can you find cheaper alternatives online? Sure. But the Internet is a pharmaceutical Wild West, and you might not get what you pay for. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been cracking down on online sellers of what the agency says are unlicensed and adulterated horse drugs, including ulcer treatments containing omeprazole, the active ingredient in GastroGard. Last fall the FDA sent warning letters to nine such marketers: ▪ Cox Veterinary Laboratory, Chester, South Carolina (seller of Gastroade Xtra) ▪ Horse Gold, Wellington, Florida (GastroMax3) ▪ Horse PreRace, Orlando, Florida (Omeprazole Oral Paste,Omeprazole/Ranitidine Oral Paste, Gastrotec,…