Tragedy Strikes Inaugural "Express Event": Mary King's Olympic Star Call Again Cavalier Injured and Euthanized

by Fran Jurga | 30 November 2008 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

At the inaugural Express Eventing all-star competition in Cardiff, Wales today, the huge audience in the stadium was stunned as one of the world's great event horses crashed on a corner jump. Mary King's Call Again Cavalier was taken from the arena in an equine ambulance, attended by a veterinarian.

Word later tonight was that he had been euthanized. Details will be available later.

"Many people were crying when Cavy fell," wrote one commentor on the Times of London web site. Only eight of the 19 horses competing were able to finish the cross-country phase.

The event was the first of its kind in Britain and included dressage to music, show jumping, and then a timed "pit stop" tack change for the indoor cross-country.

This YouTube video, captured by a spectator, shows the great horse's final round.

Call Again Cavalier was bred by Noel Walsh of County Carlow, Ireland; he was by the Holsteiner stallion Cavalier Royale, out of My Woodward Lady VII. The 16.2hh bay gelding was 15 years old and owned by Edwin and Sue Davies and Janette Chin.

King's medal collection includes five team golds – one from the World Equestrian Games and four from European Championships. She has also ridden in five Olympics and won Team Bronze in Hong Kong riding Call Again Cavalier. She is 47, and has stated without hesitation that Call Again Cavalier is the best horse she has ever ridden.

Mary King made an incredible comeback in the sport after breaking her neck in 2002. She had been with Call Again Cavalier since 2005.

Read more about Mary King and Call Again Cavalier at this link.

"You Shut It, Right?" Trailer Safety Mishaps Still Hurt Horses

by Fran Jurga | 29 November 2008 | The Jurga Report on Equisearch.com


I was driving to the office on a beautiful fall day recently. I rounded a curve and saw a nice truck and trailer coming toward me from the opposite direction.

I sighed because I was on my way to work and this rider was obviously headed to the beach or some trail somewhere to do exactly what I wished I was doing.

We passed on a wide curve and, out of habit, I looked in my rear view mirror as it went by, wondering if I'd see one rump or two, the big butt of a spotty Appy or a loud Paint, maybe; would they be blanketed or not on this chilly day? What I saw instead was chilling.

The truck was going around the curve with the ramp dragging on the ground. Sparks flew on the road surface. A panicked horse inside was bracing his hind legs and pulling back on the tie-up.

I hit the horn, blasting, but the driver probably thought I was accusing her of being over the yellow line on the curve. In my mirror, I could see the trailer ramp bounced on down the road. The driver was obviously oblivious.

I grabbed my cell phone (thank goodness for cell phones!) and called the Essex police to alert them to see if they could stop the truck as it headed through town. But would they intercept it in time? And would she even drive through the village?

The nightmare receded in my rear view mirrow, its shower of sparks as colorful as the wild fall leaves.

I never heard if the horse snapped its tie or if the sparks started a fire or if the police even bothered to look for the truck. I'll never know, I'm sure. I wondered about the cars behind the trailer and if they had any idea what danger they were in. And that some people choose not to tie their horses in their trailers.

How many times have you been in a hurry to get home or just get on the road and after you get a mile down the road, you turn to your friend or family member and say, "Um....you're sure checked the tail gate, right? And the hitch?"

I just read a news report about a horse that fell out of a trailer and was killed on the road. It was a valuable show horse; the driver claimed he followed all the safety steps. But the police noted that they had just passed over a long stretch of construction, with a rough road, and theorized that the vibration from the bumpy stretch had loosened the tail gate bolts until it came down.

In that case, the driver realized instantly that something was wrong when the weight of the horse came out of the trailer. You would feel it. But it was in heavy traffic. The horse didn't have a chance.

Check it again. Just to be safe.

Good News? Bad News? States Consider Tax Changes That May Affect Horses

Local news from across the USA is filled with budget cuts and new proposed revenue streams for state and local governments.

As horse owners struggle with increases in line by line expenses--fuel, feed, hay, vet services--the possibility of new taxes is another cause for concern.

Here are a few examples:

WASHINGTON: Back in September, the state caused confusion by saying that horse boarding facilities were not farms and were not eligible for agricultural tax status. Recently, the state agreed to re-consider.

According to the News Tribune in Tacoma, Ken and Jan Culliton, who own KCJ Farms in Tacoma, are among those who were recently asked to pay more. They said they received a notice in September that unless they start engaging in a legitimate agricultural activity, they’ll owe the King County Assessor’s Office $135,000 in current and back taxes. And that's just for this year.

Washington's Open Space Taxation Act was designed to help farmers keep their land and limit development. Now the state will decide if horse boarding conforms with the intent of that act. And the Cullitons are holding their breath.

Click here for more information from the state's Department of Revenue; a hearing is scheduled next week.

CALIFORNIA: Holy vet bills! The state of California has singled out veterinarians--along with furniture restoration and golfing--as a service that should be subject to state sales tax. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes a whopping 10.25% sales tax on vet services. Professional services are not normally taxed in California.

One horse professional I interviewed this week on this subject confided that this new tax would be a disaster to horse welfare in the state. "People are already cutting back on vaccinations," he said. "What the state might make on sales tax would be a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of managing an epidemic of one horse diseases or another."

The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) said that their lobbyist in Sacramento would "hit the ground running" the morning after this tax was proposed. A similar proposal in Minnesota was defeated, according to the CVMA.

The California Veterinary Medical Association is the largest state veterinary medical association in the United States, with more than 6,200 members.

Not much can be done when states raise sales tax across the board to raise revenue, but when changes like these are proposed on specific items or service providers, horse owners can unite and protest the changes. News items like these are reminders of why state horse councils, local horseowner groups, and communication networks between horse owners and agriculture and pet interests are so important.

Careers in Equine Health: What's the Best Vet School? How Do You Get Advice on Colleges?

This is the time of year when students are thinking very hard about the next steps in their education. High school and college students who are hoping to find a rewarding career in veterinary medicine need to do a lot of research to pick between the programs (equine science or equine studies?) (is an associate's degree a good way to get started?) (pre-vet or bio major?) and, especially, to zero in on the vet school of their choice, if they want to pursue a DVM degree.

Choosing any career with animals does not begin with blindly signing up for a few courses at your local community college. You need a plan. Before taking any course at any school, a prospective student needs the help of a professional career adviser to avoid wasting time and money--and risking great disappointment when you apply for a job or further study.

With all the talk about careers in the horse industry, and all the schools that offer programs, there is very little talk about how to find a professional adviser who can sift through the available choices with a student to find the best investment of time and money. I hope that someone will leave a comment on this post and let us know that there is a national network of equine career advisers and how to access the services of its members.

More and more, vet school classes in the USA are divided between bright young straight-from-undergrad students who have a lock on study skills and back-to-school older students who are perhaps techs or from other fields who finally have the finances or the time or the motivation to finish their education.

The older students may be wiser about the real world out there and, if they have been working in the field, the reality of their chosen profession. Bu they also may have children at home, need to work while in school, or find that their study skills are a bit rusty compared to the ultra-sharp 22 year olds who are their lab partners.

It's great that the two types of students can learn from each other, and that vet school classes are so much more diverse than ever before.

US News and World Report kindly ranks graduate schools for every degree. I have yet to find a ranking of vet tech programs (I hope there is one; please post a link or resource!) but I know of several books that can be helpful.

A good place to start is with the book Horse Schools by Angelia Almos. It lists everything from farrier schools or masters' programs and contains all sorts of contact and "drill deeper" information.

Prospective students should watch for career days at colleges and universities and for programs like open houses at vet clinics and hospitals. When the top vets and techs have a day off from surgery and procedures, they can take the time to really talk to you, and that's exactly why those open days are held.

In case you are wondering, here's the 2007 ranking of vet schools by US News and World Report:

1. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine
2. (tie) Colorado State University and the University of California-Davis
4. University of Pennsylvania
5. (tie) North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M University-College Station and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
9. Michigan State University
10. University of Minnesota.

Before you panic that your chosen university or alma mater didn't make the list, please note that this ranking is for the entire vet school, covering all species. Schools have great disparity when it comes to equine services and the expertise connected to it. We all know that some schools are very strong in dairy and swine, or cats and dogs, and you only have to read the posts in this blog to know which ones are leading the way with research and surgical/treatment advances in equine veterinary medicine.

There is no such thing as a "bad" vet school, since all undergo very careful scrutiny in order to be accredited. If a school loses its accreditation or is on probation, prospective students should be aware of that, and a professional career adviser should know those facts.

A great resource for anyone considering applying to vet school is to study the information on the web site of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). Learn the lingo. Learn the names. Memorize the dates and deadlines.

Always aim for the best possible program you can afford, and look into financial aid, work-study and scholarship opportunities that may be available. You can live your dream, as long as you know the process and what to expect. Go for it!

Good-bye, New York! Beloved Kentucky Derby Winner Funny Cide Will Retire to Kentucky Horse Park

by Fran Jurga | 26 November 2008 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Funny Cide at Belmont Park, originally uploaded by wRock and Racehorses.

Horse lovers in New York will be in mourning this Thanksgiving. The Kentucky Horse Park announced today that beloved Funny Cide, winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) will become the newest resident of the Kentucky Horse Park when he packs his bags and moves south on December 5.

Since his retirement as a race horse in 2007, the eight-year-old gelding has been used as Barclay Tagg’s stable pony on the track in New York and Florida. According to Barclay, “The rigors of racing and training for several years have started to cause him mild discomfort recently as he continued working on a regular basis as my stable pony.”

Funny Cide was an overachieving New York-bred racehorse who captured the imagination of New York racegoers and the nation. No one ever told him that New York breds were not supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, but win he did...and the Preakness...and other graded stakes. His popularity with New York horse lovers and betters grew as he aged, and some people turned out at Saratoga just to see if they could catch a glimpse of him in his retirement, being ridden by trainer Barclay Tagg in the early morning light.

Funny Cide Facts: Funny Cide (Distorted Humor – Belle’s Good Cide, by Slewacide) was bred by William Casner and Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm in a collaborative venture with McMahon Thoroughbreds of Saratoga Springs, New York where he was foaled, raised and then sold as a yearling for $22,000 at the August 2001 Fasig-Tipton NY Bred Preferred Yearlings Sale. He was later purchased privately as a two-year old by Sackatoga Stable for $75,000. For them he went on to earn $3,529,412 and an Eclipse Award as Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, becoming the highest-earning New York-bred in history for trainer Barclay Tagg, under Jose Santos. His nine stakes wins also included the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

Funny Cide has his own website, FunnyCide.com, and a fan club.

The public is invited to the Kentucky Horse Park for Funny Cide’s Welcome Reception on Friday, December 5 at 2 p.m. Funny Cide will join another Kentucky Derby winner, Alysheba, who came to the park in October.

I hope they don't make fun of his New Yawk accent! And I hope he never loses it!

Thanks to Sarah Andrews (Rock and Racehorses) for her great photo of Funny Cide at Belmont Park with assistant trainer Robin Smullen up.

What Do Madeleine Pickens and Fran Jurga Have in Common?

Think about it....

Blond hair? (No, that was a salon mistake last summer.)

Billionaire husband? (No...but I keep hoping.)

Born in Iraq? (No...I'm a New Englander, through and through.)

What's left?

Answer: We both have blogs!

Wild horse benefactor Madeleine Pickens has had so many inquiries and responses and requests for more information since news of her plan to rescue the wild horses in holding pens out west, that she created a blog, not too different from this one.

You can leave her comments, read updates, and follow her press path through the process of creating what may turn out to be the planet's largest single-species wildlife sanctuary.

Click here to visit Madeleine's new blog. You can click on the RSS or Atom link in the address bar to subscribe to her feed.

And then click here to listen to a recent radio interview with Madeleine that has more information about her plans.

Photo of Madeleine Pickens from her new blog.

Don't Tell the Obama Children, But the Kennedy Kids Kept Ponies at the White House!

You can almost hear Caroline Kennedy saying, "Daddy, just hold Macaroni for a minute! And don't let John-John touch him!"

Barack Obama should be relieved that all his daughters want for a pet at the White House is a dog.

John F. Kennedy's children kept ponies there, even though the White House stables had been demolished back in 1911.

"Macaroni" and "Tex" were gifts from Vice President Lyndon Johnson to the Kennedy children. They lived in temporary stalls right on the grounds.

Today is the 45th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination. This photo was kindly loaned by the White House and can be seen in the "White House Horses" exhibit now touring the country.

Meet Madeleine: Equine Rescue on the Grandest Scale Makes Her ABC's Person of the Week

I wanted to turn the television off this week. Enough, enough with the bad news about the economy. But one story kept me hanging in there, through the disgust over Detroit CEOs in their private jets, through the forgiveness shown to Joe Lieberman, through the news (you call this news?) of Madonna's divorce and another Rosie spat.

Madeleine Pickens wanted to save all the wild horses in the BLM's holding pens, I reported earlier this week.

In just a few days, that headline morphed into a real possibility. The BLM is now seeking funds from Congress to cancel the mass execution of the unwanted mustangs and instead keep them housed until Madeleine's million-acre sanctuary can be ready.

The New York Times congratulated Madeleine this week in a rare editorial. Today, ABC News made her "person of the week". I suggest the media drops her sub-title ("wife of....") and show this long-time Thoroughbred breeder and animal advocate the respect she deserves.

Thank you, Madeleine!

Brumbies Steal the Show at Australia's Equitana Asia-Pacific

Written by Fran Jurga | 19 November 2008 | The Jurga Report at EquiSearch.com


As the curtain rose today on the Equitana Asia-Pacific exhibition in Melbourne, Victoria, Australian horse lovers must have breathed a sigh of relief. Just a year ago, the blockbuster event had to be canceled as Equine Influenza (EI) swept through the neighboring state of New South Wales and, further north, through Queensland.

As thousands of horses sniffled and coughed, racetracks shut down, rodeos and shows were canceled. All horse transport stopped. You couldn't even trailer your horse to a trainer or ship a mare to be bred. It was the first time the highly-contagious disease had been known in Australia. It gripped the nation's equine economy by the throat and held on for six months. At one point, there were doubts that Australian horses and riders would be allowed to compete at the 2008 Olympics. It was a dark time.

Equitana was one of the many events canceled but it was re-scheudled for this year. This huge festival of horsedom includes exhibitions, a giant trade show, clinics, nightly circus-like performing horse acts, and the creation of a re-united tribe, for a few days anyway, that is relaxing and enjoying the shows.

How would you choose between clinics by Australia's Olympic eventer Clayton Fredericks, the USA's natural horse-couple of Pat and Linda Parelli, or the Danish dressage rider Andreas Helgstrand? Tough one.

I know one clinic I wouldn't want to miss. Greg Powell is the man from snowy river, himself, a brumby (Australian for wild horse) expert who has been active to save the wild horses of the New South Wales mountain ranges. Greg has been working with a program called Youth Off the Streets that involves troubled kids in the training of brumbies. I think I would make time to listen to anyone who says things like:

"As a society we (should be) embarrassed about what we've done to our wild horses," he said yesterday in an interview with The Age newspaper as he prepped his crew of brumbies for his Equitana show. "The street kids get swept under the carpet in the same way." They say that three months out with the brumbies is worth five years of counseling and therapy.

Madeleine Pickens, are you reading this? (See Monday's post on this blog about Texas equine activist Ms. Pickens, who is working to "adopt" the 30,000 or so wild horses currently penned by the US government; she's going to need some helpers when and if her plan succeeds.)

Click here to read the rest of the article in The Age about Greg, or click here to go to his web site.

And call me if you can tell me how he got four wild horses to pose for that picture.

Madeleine Pickens Rides to the Rescue of US Wild Horses

I was reading a story in the Washington Post this morning about the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the crisis facing their management (or containment, anyway) of feral horses in the western states. I'm trying to understand this important issue facing horse welfare in our country.

The government has threatened that euthanasia is the Final Solution to the crisis in their pens out west.

About a third of the way through the story, I was sure I was dreaming when I read that horse-lover Madeleine Pickens, wife of bazillionaire energy-evangelist and philanthropist T. Boone Pickens, was planning to take all those wild horses off the BLM's hands. The Post reported that she is shopping for a suitable real estate package for the horses.

Ms. Pickens was a vocal opponent of horse slaughter in the state of Texas and helped to close the plant outside Dallas. After Hurricane Katrina, the Pickens took matters into their own hands to rescue animals and people, donating $7 million and circumventing FEMA with a Continental Airlines airlift of 800 pets out of the disaster zone.

The problem that motivated Ms. Pickens, who also owns racehorses such as the now-retired star Rock Hard Ten, is a law that allows the BLM to euthanize a horse that is older than 10 and has failed to be adopted after three tries.

Organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), are promoting contraceptive intervention as a possible aid in stabilizing the increasing wild horse population. Watch this blog for more details on the HSUS work in this area, as well as the Pickens Plan.

Equine Herpes Virus at Maryland Racetrack: Filly Euthanized

A young Thoroughbred racehorse has been euthanized at Maryland's Laurel Park racetrack after showing signs and testing positive for the Equine Herpes virus (EHV). Officials curtailed horse traffic in and out of the racetrack last Friday when the sick filly was confirming to be infected with EHV.

It was just two years ago that an EHV outbreak on the South Florida showgrounds at Wellington threatened the hunter/jumper showing circuit; this is the second outbreak at a racetrack in the state of Maryland in recent years.

On Monday, Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) Animal Health staff took nasal swabs and blood samples from the 18 remaining untested horses in Barn 1, where the filly was tabled. Complete results received on Tuesday from the horses stabled in Barn 1 to date are all negative test results. In addition, samples from 31 lead ponies submitted by the Maryland Jockey Club on Saturday are all negative, as are tests on horses that had shipped out of the barn.

Equine herpes virus causes upper respiratory infection and can lead to severe neurological disease. There is currently no known method to reliably prevent the neurological form of EHV-1 infection. It is recommended to maintain appropriate vaccination procedures in an attempt to reduce the incidence of the respiratory form of EHV-1 infection, which may help prevent the neurological form. Transmission occurs primarily by direct nose to nose contact or contaminated hands, equipment, feed and water. It can also be spread up to 35 feet by airborne droplets. This virus is not associated with any human health risk.

Photo of bio-emergency drill courtesy of Maryland Department of Agriculture Animal Health Section.

Unwanted Horse Survey Seeks Your Input

(Received via press release)

The problem of unwanted horses in the United States is being studied through a nationwide initiative of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) with help from equine associations, veterinarians, breeders, state and local law enforcement, horse owners, rescue/retirement facilities, and other facilities using horses. The first step is an online survey — and everyone with an interest in the welfare of horses is encouraged to respond at http://survey.ictgroup.com/uhcsurvey/.

With tens of thousands of unwanted, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States, some say the problem is a fast-growing epidemic. However, much remains unknown. Currently, there are few documented facts about the accurate number of unwanted horses, their age, sex, breed, recent use, value or what happens to them in the long run.

“Although there are numerous media reports and much anecdotal evidence of a growing problem with unwanted horses, there have been no studies or surveys done to attempt to document it,” said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council (AHC), the national association that represents all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C. The UHC operates with the AHC. “The downturn in the economy, rising costs of hay, the drought that has affected many parts of the United States, the costs of euthanasia and carcass disposal, and the closing of the nation’s slaughter facilities have all made the problem worse. But no one knows its magnitude. That’s why the first step toward a solution is to gather and examine the facts. The goal of this survey is to get the input, observations, opinions and suggestions from anyone and everyone involved with horses.”

The Study on Contributing Factors Surrounding the Unwanted Horse Issue will be instrumental in filling factual gaps with actual data on:
-- Awareness of the unwanted horse problem and perceived trends in recent years
-- Level of concern
-- Factors contributing to the problem
-- Direct and in-direct experience with the issue
-- Actions taken by owners
-- Expectations about responsibility and assistance
-- Solutions

Phase I of the study is an online survey of people most affected by and involved with the issue of the unwanted horse. An independent research firm developed the questionnaire. The firm will also tabulate and analyze responses, and provide a full report.

A comprehensive view of the problem depends on representation from all corners of the horse industry, according to Dr. Tom Lenz, chairman of the UHC. “To ensure the broadest possible participation, we’re working to involve a variety of individuals, associations, state and local agencies, and equine-related companies to actively encourage their constituencies to take the survey and voice their opinions.

“Regardless of how horses reached this state, every owner—and the equine industry at large—has a responsibility to ensure that everything possible is done to guarantee the humane care and treatment of unwanted horses,” Lenz said.

Churchill Downs Turns Pink, from the Spires to the Backside

posted by Fran Jurga | 17 November 2008 | The Jurga Report on Equisearch.com

If they had run the Derby yesterday, the blanket of roses draped over the winner's withers would have been pink instead of the traditional red ones.

Yesterday was not "business as usual" at the iconic Louisville racetrack, as 900 breast cancer survivors joined the state's First Lady, Jane Beshear, in raising awareness and funds for the prevention of breast cancer among the racetrack's employees.

Beshear's "Horses and Hope" program has been hosting awareness events at Kentucky's racetracks through October. Beshear has built on her relationships in the equine industry to deliver breast cancer education and services to racetrack workers and their families by hosting fundraising events at the state's tracks. So many supporters showed up at Churchill Downs that a second dining room had to be turned over to the group!

"There are over 80,000 equine related employees across the Bluegrass, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured," Beshear points out. "These individuals are the backbone of our signature industry and I am committed to giving back to the people that help to make Kentucky the horse capital of the world."

A committee of women who work in the equine industry is the engine that drives the program. It's called "The Pink Stable" and yesterday they turned the racetrack pink! Pink is the symbolic color of breast cancer awareness and fund-raising and not a color normally seen at the racetrack. All that changed yesterday!

Jockeys, outriders and grooms wore pink clothing or accents, and a pink cosmopolitan was the drink of the day. Winston, the mascot horse of the Kentucky Derby Museum, wore panniers as he circulated through the crowd so that donations to cancer research could be deposited in his saddle bags. A feature race was the "Horses and Hope" Stakes, and cancer survivors were invited to pose for the win photo in the winners circle.

While the fundraising group partied in the clubhouse, a mobile medical unit was set up in the stable area, offering breast cancer awareness information and free mammograms to women working in the barns and at the track.

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the twin spires of Churchill Downs have been swathed in pink spotlights.

It's wonderful to see an initiative like this to help racetrack workers. The event also brought 900 racegoers, mostly women, to the racetrack to meet Jane Beshear and be part of the fundraiser. Many of those women are probably not regular visitors to Churchill Down, so horse racing won, too!

Electrifying Experience for US Riders at World Endurance Championships

Alarming news has reached the United States about the fate of American riders competing in the 2008 World Endurance Championship held at Terengganu, Malaysia, on the edge of the South China Sea.

Early in the ride, a heavy rain storm caused flooding on the trail, but it was the bolt of lightning that finished off the team. When lightning struck a tree as USA rider Jan Worthington on the aptly named, Golden Lightning, and countrywoman Meg Sleeper on Syrocco Reveille, traveled through the water on the trail, the horses received the shock. The horses were flipped end over end, dumping riders and gear.

Fortunately, no one was badly hurt at the time, but the scrapes and bruises on the horses took their toll over the remaining 70 miles, and both horses were eventually eliminated for lameness.

Kathy Brunjes riding Theatric was the first and only member of the United States team to finish in 24th position while Valerie Kanavy riding Flash Flame came in shortly after her in 25th place. Team member, John Crandell riding Saba Shams, was eliminated at Gate Two for lameness. Cheryl Dell, riding one of the highest rated horses, Reason To Believe, was stricken with a debilitating illness and had to withdraw at the same gate.

Congratulaions to Spain’s Maria Alvarez Ponton who galloped home to win on Nobby the gold medal and also the best condition award at

Argentinean rider, Agustin Vita, riding Baraka Ibn Al Tamah won Silver, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates, gained the Bronze on Tazoul El Parry. The Gulf Countries of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain swept Team Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively.Forty-eight horses finished the ride of the 127 starters.

United States Equestrian Federation Director of Endurance Vonita Bowers said, “We had a plan and stuck to it, but we had some bad luck. The horses were very ready. We had no metabolic issues and we had good recoveries. We knew the speeds that we wanted to go and we stuck fairly close to those speeds. Except for the unforeseen things such as illness and lightning, we rode our ride the way we planned. The selection process gave us the best horses and the best riders, and the training session system of selection worked well.”

Chef d’Equipe, Becky Hart commented, “In spite of the outcome, a lot of good things happened here. Everyone worked like a team; when a rider was pulled, they pitched in to help.”

Held once every two years, the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship was staged from the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, situated on the South China sea on the coastline north of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. 129 riders from 32 countries were invited to compete. The sponsorship and location were promoted by avid endurance rider, the King of Malaysia, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahumud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah. The world’s top riders were joined by members of the Royal families of Bahrain and Dubai.

Due to the tropical climate, the 160 km event began at 5:30 p.m. and ran throughout the night.

The U.S. Training Squad is already preparing for the 2010 Endurance Championship ride to be held as part of the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. This will be the third time for the United States to host the World Endurance Championship. It was held at Front Royal, Virginia, in 1988 and in Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1996.

Squires Named to Leadership Post at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation

(edited from University of Kentucky press release)

Equine reproductive scientist Ed Squires has joined the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center as director of advancement and industry relations and executive director of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation.

Squires is considered a pioneer in equine reproductive techniques and the non-surgical collection and transfer of equine embryos. As the previous director of the Preservation of Equine Genetics Program at Colorado State University, Squires made significant contributions in foal birth from frozen embryo transfers and sex-sorted sperm.

Squires also has contributed to research in hormonal regulation of the estrous cycle, progesterone in pregnant mares, ultrasonography and the development of assisted reproductive techniques, including oocyte maturation, superovulation, embryo freezing and fertility of cooled and frozen semen. During his 33 years in the animal reproduction and biotechnology lab at Colorado State University, his focus on horses led to milestones in research in artificial insemination, equine reproductive physiology and endocrinology, preservation of stallion semen and techniques for embryo transfer, preservation and manipulation.

Squires is a West Virginia native who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and his doctorate in endocrinology and reproductive physiology at the University of Wisconsin. Before his professorship at Colorado State University, he was an assistant professor in animal science at the University of New Hampshire.

Background: The Gluck Equine Research Center is home to International Reference (OIE) laboratories in equine influenza, equine viral arteritis and equine rhinopneumonitis. The Gluck Center has facilities located at four Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station research farms, and one primary research facility on the University of Kentucky campus. The mission of the Gluck Equine Research Center is scientific discovery, education and dissemination of knowledge to benefit the health and welfare of horses.

Adopt a Thoroughbred This Sunday at Finger Lakes Racetrack

(received via press release)

The Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program (FLTAP), Inc. will be holding their Fourth Annual End of Meet Retiring Race Horse Sale on Sunday, November 9, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Finger Lakes Racetrack and the Purple Haze Center in Farmington, New York.

All negotiations at the sale will be strictly between buyers and sellers, and a veterinarian will be on the premises for pre-purchase examinations. Horses acquired from FLTAP will require an adoption application and placement agreement.

FLTAP broke ground on the 10,000-square-foot Thoroughbred adoption facility in June 2007. Once completed in early November 2007, The Purple Haze Center became the first such facility to ever be built on the grounds of a Thoroughbred racetrack.

The Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, was formed in 2004 as the result of a joint effort between Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack and the Finger Lakes Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). Base funding is supplied by both organizations, an industry first. Its mission is to assist in the placement of former Finger Lakes race horses with approved equine adoption agencies and private individuals, giving these horses a second chance at productive lives. Nearly 400 horses have been placed by the organization to date since its inception.

For more information, visit www.fingerlakestap.org or contact FLTAP volunteers Gaye McCullough at 585-671-3035 or Bev Higgins at 585-374-5102.

The DeWorming Coach: Pfizer's Email Reminders Help Owners Stay on Track

Make sure your horse doesn't read your email...

Worm medications are way down the list of things that most horseowners want to think about. You'd rather be daydreaming about what color blanket you'd buy if you could afford it, or which of the new browbands would look best on your horse.

Before you know it, a couple of months have gone by and you can't remember which wormer you used on which horse the last time. Or maybe you don't even remember when the last time was!

We all make jokes about how forgetful we are (just ask me where my keys and glasses are) and often speculate how nice it would be to have a Jeeves who would follow us around, picking up the things we put down, and reminding us about that saddle-fitting clinic this weekend or that the farrier is coming this afternoon.

I have it all on my cell phone, of course, but I left it at home this morning. Or at least I think I did.

Now you can cross worming off your list of Things Not To Forget. Pfizer Animal Health has just launched a clever email service that will send you reminders not only of WHEN to worm but WHAT to use.

The site is configured into two parts: one for people who prefer "regular" paste wormers and another for those who prefer "continuous" (daily feed-through) treatments.

The new website www.rotationiskey.com is a funny name for a valuable service. You just fill in the form and Pfizer will automatically send you the reminders. And then it's up to you.

The word "rotation" refers to the different types of wormers you need to use to cover all the different parasites that threaten your horse. Different types of wormers are appropriate at different times of years or in different frequencies or for different ages or uses of horses, so you can have help figuring out which one to use, and when.

I liked the fact that the web site had an option for a single horse or multiple horses.

Pfizer also launched a new informational web site, www.equimaxhorse.com, which is a go-to resource for information about parasite prevention in horses, and the risks of tapeworms in particular. Pfizer's Equimax paste wormer is a broad spectrum Ivermectin-type wormer that covers a broad spectrum of parasite risks, including tapeworms and bots. It can be used safely on breeding farms, and the web site has specific details about the de-worming needs of foals, mares, and stallions.

Now, if they could just send me a reminder every morning to put my cell phone in the car...

Olympic Intrigue: FEI Calls for Resignation of Its Own Dressage Governing Board

by Fran Jurga, Special to The Jurga Report and Equisearch.com
Posted November 3, 2008

Maybe the Olympics aren't over yet. This announcement just in from the Federation Equestrian Internationale (FEI), the governing body of world horse sports:

"The FEI Executive Board has requested the immediate resignation of the entire FEI Dressage Committee. The FEI Executive Board has taken this decision following a series of issues indicating the current Committee’s lack of flexibility on certain key matters. The Committee has been seen to work in isolation, not fully representing the interests of the Dressage community as a whole.

"An interim solution is being discussed within the FEI in order to ensure the sound management of the sport whilst reviewing the strategic direction of Dressage. The names of the interim committee and their mandate will follow.

"As the custodian of equestrian sport, the FEI will continue to maintain stringent level of transparency and professionalism meeting the requirements of a modern international sports governing body."

Indoor Eventing: The Next Big Thing? Twenty of the World's Top Riders Think So!

by Fran Jurga, Special to The Jurga Report, EquiSearch.com;
Posted 1 November 2008

Stash the Wellies. Forget the umbrella. Don't even bother checking the weather. The world's next big eventing showdown has been guaranteed perfect footing and a shadowless course...because it will be held indoors on November 30 at Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales.

The highly condensed format is designed to broaden the appeal of the sport, while providing a showcase competition for eventing's top riders. The sport will be rolled out as a series of international competitions in major sporting locations around the world.

Spectators will be able to watch all three phases of an event in one day, from one seat. Expert commentaries will explain what's going on and exactly how many points ahead or behind each competitor is.

Many of the world's top international riders have entered The Express--just check the entries:

Great Britain: Tina Cook, Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, Lucy Wiegersma, Oliver Townend
Australia: Clayton Fredericks, Lucinda Fredericks
New Zealand: Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson, Caroline Powell
China: Alex Hua Tian
Belgium: Karin Donckers
Germany: Dirk Schrade, Bettina Hoy
France: Nicolas Touzaint, Rodolphe Scherer
Italy: Vittoria Panizzon
Sweden: Linda Algotsso
USA: Philip Dutton, Buck Davidson

It sounds like a repeat of the Olympics! (My money's on Touzaint.)

Part of the lure is, no doubt, the (approx) US$200,000 in prize money to the winner, plus the sheer challenge of being part of an experimental re-configuring of a traditional sport.

The dressage will be to music, the first I've known of in eventing, and the judges will include Broadway impresario Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who will judge the artistic aspects of the ride. The riders then go on to a traditional indoor show jumping test, and then the arena will be transformed by some sort of landscaping miracle into a cross-country course. After the last show jump is completed, a ‘pit-stop’ tack change enables horse and rider to prepare for the final phase.

Popular British riding clothes company Musto is designing outfits for the riders especially for this single event, right down to (gulp) an adaptation of a show jumping jacket, made of Gore-Tex.

But what will the horses think? and will the riders bring their top horses? Will the top horses in traditional eventing excel in the arena form of the sport or will we see a new type emerge as the ideal indoor horse? The pressures of the Olympics and the eventing World Cup have made for a long, long season for the top horses.

The huge stadium offers great opportunities for lighting, sound, and special effects. Here's a quote from one of the organizers: "When the lights go up, the hairs on the back on your neck will stand on end. People will know from the outset that this is not traditional eventing." They noted that healthy and safety inspections are part of the planning process.

British Eventing, the organizing body of the sport in Great Britain, is behind this event along with entrepreneurial producers. The event will be broadcast internationally (a term that rarely includes North America).

Examples of competitors' jackets designed for indoor eventing by Musto.

Here's what Australian Olympians Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks have to say about Express Eventing; note that Lucinda says she will rider the super-mare, Headley Britannia, at the indoor.

Stay tuned for more news about Express Eventing!