60 Days. 150 Words. One Winner. Then Enjoy the Ride.

by Fran Jurga | 2 October 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

How much do you love your horse? If you can articulate it in 150 words or less, you might be on your way to an all expenses paid trip to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky next fall, courtesy of Bayer Animal Health, makers of Legend. But no, you can't bring your horse.

When I first heard about this contest, I was tempted to keep the news to myself and cut down on the competition.

Here's the deal: You have the next 90 days to write a 150-word essay (that's more like a blurb than an essay) and send it to Bayer, makers of Legend. All you have to do is explain how much you love and care for your horse and what your horse gives back to you every day in return.

Judging will be based on three criteria: 1) ability to clearly articulate passion for riding and caring for their horse(s) (50%); 2) creativity/originality related to theme (25%) and 3) organization /spelling /grammar/punctuation (25%). Entries can be submitted at www.enjoytheridecontest.com or mailed to: Bayer Animal Health, Enjoy the Ride Contest / Equine CAF3, PO Box 390, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201-0390.

And what do you win? Ah, yes, the prize: An all-expenses paid trip for two people to the AllTech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington next fall. The four-day, three-night trip consists of airfare, accommodations, event tickets and a $500 American Express gift card for the winner only, which may be used toward the purchase of meals and for other expenses.

See? That motivated you to go scrambling for a pen, didn't it?

For more information about the contest, including contest rules and specifics, visit www.enjoytheridecontest.com. Like most contests, you have to follow the official rules and there's an official entry form at that web site.

Show jumper Ashlee Bond is promoting the contest for Legend, and its parent company, Bayer. I think this is a great idea and I hope that a lot more companies are planning contests like this so that some of us "real people" will be able to afford to attend the Games. I've heard that 100,000 tickets have already been sold, and that was as of a few days ago!

PS I took this photo of my pal Bubba getting a kiss from his adoring friend Beth on the beach. I thought it was quite romantic that they both closed their eyes during the kiss. More likely, Bubba was just exhausted because he had just been for a swim in the icy Atlantic as part of his laminitis therapy.

Video: Charity Shows That Rescuing a Horse from Cruelty is Only the Beginning

by Fran Jurga | 6 September 2009 | The Jurga Report




The mainstream news media bombard us with dramatic stories of horses and ponies and donkeys rescued from abusive or neglectful owners. We hear about horses being taken into custody and all breathe a sigh of relief. But then what?

What many people don't realize is that a horse that has been abused or neglected is likely to be cautious or suspicious of human handling and may react with behavior that is dangerous to the very people who have removed it from harm. This is always a right of passage for good-hearted volunteers: a starved horse may well bite the hand that feeds it, out of fear.

Some neglected horses may not have felt the touch of a human hand in years, if ever. You may remember our video from this summer showing the roundup of a semi-feral herd of horses living and breeding in a field in Scotland, in clear sight from the highway. Generations of horses lived together in the mud until World Horse Welfare intervened.

But how do you roundup and trailer horses that fear humans or don't even know how to lead?

This little video from World Horse Welfare helps explain some of the "after-the-drama" work that a rescue farm with a properly trained staff will undertake. Panda the Pony was rescued because of neglect and a badly infected eye; she was taken to a rescue farm and her eye was surgically removed. But her eye needed ongoing medication and attention and she did not like the idea of humans getting too close.

Trained groom Sara-Louise Jerman explains how Panda has been handled and desensitized to human touch. You can see that Panda still is reactive about Sara's movement around her body and touches.

I hope Panda finds a good home. Thanks to World Horse Welfare for stressing this important but often overlooked aspect of dramatic horse rescues: the long path to recovery and trust of humans again, or perhaps for the first time in a horse's life.

Horses and Humans Get Fit Together at British Charity's Rehabilitation Farm

At World Horse Welfare's Snetterton Recovery and Rehabilitation Centre in Norfolk, England, members of the office staff volunteer at lunch hour to exercise the smallest ponies who are in the weight reduction program but too small to be ridden. The ponies go for a brisk walk around the property along with the office dogs and help keep the office staff fit as well. The farm houses 100 horses at a time; most are being rehabilitated by the organization as part of their preparation for finding new homes.

Big Weekend for the USA Dressage in Aachen: Steffen Peters Sweeps World Equestrian Festival!

by Fran Jurga | 5 July 2009 | The Jurga Report

Europe's premier horse competition, Aachen's World Equestrian Festival, is the latest feather in the top hat of US dressage rider Steffen Peters. Riding his 2009 World Cup winner Ravel this weekend, the pair won it all for the USA. The final victory came on Sunday with a slim victory over Holland's Anky van Grunsven and Salinero in the freestyle to music. Van Grunsven had set the score to beat at 84.50 percent with a highly technical choreography. And yet Steffen Peters still managed to go one better, claiming his third victory at the Festival with a score of 85.60 percent.

After winning the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Spéciale and the Grand Prix Freestyle, Ravel and Peters also secured the title of Dressage Champions Aachen 2009.

Ravel's freestyle routine was packed with technically difficult exercises: it began with the canter tour with flying-changes on a curved line. Also remarkable were the direct combination of a pirouette, piaffe and the extended walk.

Remember, Steffen is originally from Germany, and he first discovered Ravel at the World Equestrian Festival. Just watch, and listen to the enthusiasm of the announcer:



Thanks to Mary Phelps and Dressage Daily for the heads up on the video posting. Mary was there!

Aachen is a horse-friendly city on Germany's Dutch border and was the site of the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games. Each year, Aachen hosts the CHIO World Equestrian Festival, and invites teams and individuals to compete in showjumping, dressage, eventing and combined driving.

Here's a little video about the city and their equestrian event facilities. If you have a chance to visit, you won't forget it!

Video: World Horse Welfare Rescues Semi-Feral Horse Herd from Scotland

by Fran Jurga | 9 June 2009 | The Jurga Report

Is 2009 the year of the Neglected Horse-Herd Bust? Here in the United States, there have been some high profile cases, and the burden of helping care for confiscated horses falls on the shoulders of the already cash-strapped non-profits who have the expertise and facilities to help--but not always the funds or the acreage.

For years, we've heard about cat hoarders and dog hoarders, and it's hard to say what horse hoarding is, by legal definition, but we may be seeing some cases brought to the harsh light of publicity that will help the judicial system gain a frame of reference.

Today I received an email from World Horse Welfare (formerly the International League for hte Protection of Horses). I often receive video of their efforts in South Africa or Eastern Europe or Mexico, but today's video is right in the backyard of their Belwades Farm in Scotland.

WHW Field Officer Doug Howie was sent to investigate a report of thin horses in a field in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and found several bands of semi-feral horses trying to live in a marshy field with little grass. Mares, stallions and young horses were pastured together. He found a stillborn foal in the field. These were all bad enough.

But Doug smelled something, and it smelled like death. It was coming from a barn on the property. “I went to investigate and found the rotting corpses of a large number of horses," Doug said. "The smell was overpowering and it was difficult to tell how many bodies were there. I kept the discovery to myself for the time being so as not to jeopardize the safe removal of those horses that were still alive. I wanted to do all I could to prevent them from suffering the same fate.”


The horses had formed bands around several stallions and formed territories in the big field. It was hard to say how long they had been there. As it would turn out, many had never had contact with humans. It was a challenge, but this video shows how they tried to keep stallion and mare bands together as they had been in the field.

As soon as the living horses were safe, the health authorities were notified about the public health risk in the barn.

I hope you will watch the video and notice that World Horse Welfare puts forward this story in a quiet, factual way and does not exploit either their role or the horrors they found. It has not been sensationalized, since the scene speaks for itself. It doesn't even mention the owners.

It will take level heads and competent, trained horse welfare professionals to manage situations like these in the future. It will also take lots of money.

How can you help? Here are some suggestions:

1. Discourage horse breeding. Encourage adoption or buying of made, trained horses for recreational riders.
2. Encourage the castration of colts.
3. Lobby veterinary organizations and non-profit groups to support community low-cost castration, euthanasia, and carcass disposal grants or subsidies. Do you know how many stallions are in your town this year? The number might shock you.
4. Go to horse auctions or rescue farms and see the huge inventory of surplus horses with your own eyes. Take a friend. Don't just read about it. Do you really need to breed your mare?
5. Volunteer. Donate. Talk to others quietly, in a non-confrontational way, and know what the laws are in your community and state and how to report what you think might be horse neglect or cruelty. Realize that you might be mistaken, in some cases, and that the judgment must ultimately be left to law officials.
6. Encourage breed organizations and shows to offer more classes for older horses and to put less emphasis (and prize money) on classes for young horses.
7. No matter what you do, do it quietly and carefully and intentionally. Don't shout, don't lecture, don't shake fingers, and don't judge: use the WHW approach and let the facts speak louder than your own voice.

What would you add to this list? Click on the comments button and add your thoughts.

Tears of Joy and Sorrow for Americans at Historic Dressage World Cup as US Horses Alternately Win...and Stumble

by Fran Jurga | 16 April 2009 | The Jurga Report

I'm gobsmacked again: the American flag is flying high over the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas tonight, where the American combination of rider Steffen Peters and the black 11-year-old Dutch gelding Ravel put in an astounding performance to beat the best that Europe and the world could send to our desert to compete.

For those of you not familiar with international dressage: this is one for the record books and would be like the USA winning the soccer World Cup! It's not over yet; tonight's Grand Prix was like the short program in ice skating; the freestyle on Saturday night will give the Europeans some chances to catch up, should Peters lose form.

Peters and Ravel not only bested Olympic gold medalists, World Cup winners, World Champions, and European Champions tonight, he beat his closest rival, defending champion Anky Van Grunsven of Holland, by almost four full points.

As elated as we all should be for Peters, save some concern for his teammate, Leslie Morse, whose horse Kingston started his test without incident and suddenly went lame in the arena.

USEF Dressage veterinarian Dr. Rick Mitchell has had the 17-year-old stallion under his care since the horse arrived in Las Vegas on Monday and said in a statement provided by the US Equestrian Federation that Kingston had been training well and looked very much on form in Wednesday’s training session in the main arena.

Dr. Mitchell, in his typical routine at a horse show with the US horses, observed Kingston in the warm-up and then went to the arena to watch Morse’s fellow American Jan Ebeling. And with good reason: Ebeling and the 12-year-old Oldenburg mare Rafalca were the lead off combination for the entire Grand Prix. Rafalca, owned by Ann Romney and Beth Meyer, was clearly unsettled by the environment and atmosphere in the arena and was fractious in the arena, according to a memo from USEF. Rafalca's low score will not allow that US combination to continue on to Saturday's freestyle.

When Kingston began his test it was clear that he had some discomfort in the left front leg, something that was a surprise to all connected with the horse, as he has had no problems in this leg during the preparation for this competition.

Rider Morse said: "I could tell in the first corner, he felt unbalanced and I knew he wasn’t right. We respect the Ground Jury’s decision to ring the bell and we all agreed it was absolutely in the best interest of the horse which is always the most important consideration. Kingston has just been a gift for the last nine years and has introduced me to this level of competition.”

“We need to further examine Kingston to determine the nature and extent of the injury,” said Dr. Mitchell. “Everyone is devastated for Leslie and the horse.”

Thanks to Joanie Morris of the US Equestrian Federation for her assistance with this post.

History Repeats Itself in Las Vegas: Crowd Favorite Goes Lame Before Dressage World Cup

The headline this morning on Dutch dressage rider Anky Van Grunsven's web site says it all: "Parzival teruggetrokken!" (Parzival withdrawn!)

The last time the FEI World Cup was held in Las Vegas, we were all eager to see the sensational Danish mare Blue Hors Matine perform. She had been runner-up at the World Equestrian Games in 2006 in Aachen, Germany; could Andreas Helgstrand and the graceful gray beat Anky van Grunsven and Isabel Werth? The world was interested....and then devastated. The horse was injured before the event even began.

And this year, we have the same situation. Holland's Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival made the trip after winning three qualifiers at home in Europe and being runners-up to Isabel Werth at Aachen in 2008. They are the sensation of Europe and are actually placed higher in Las Vegas than Anky, who is there as defending champion but had limited competition this year because of her sore back.

But on Wednesday the 12-year-old Parzival was taken to the veterinary area when he appeared unlevel. According to the Dutch Warmblood news society (KWPN), an ultrasound revealed a tendon injury and Cornelissen has withdrawn him.

Adelinde has only recently become a professional rider, after traveling to Hong Kong as the Dutch team's reserve rider. She speaks perfect English and will be a great ambassador for Holland wherever she goes but, had she been able to ride, she just might have changed the course of dressage history.

Remember her name, and let's hope that Parzival's injury is only minor. This horse has true star power.

I'm gobsmacked.

Save Boston's Police Horses!

by Fran Jurga | 19 March 2009 | The Jurga Report

Police horses took to the outfield to control angry crowds at Boston's Fenway Park during the 1912 World Series. The horses have served the city since 1873. Double-click on photo to see enlarged view; photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

They’re always there, whether it’s bobbing over the heads of the crowds outside a Red Sox game or with billowing sails behind them on a spring day on the Charles River. You hear them clip-clopping up and down the cobblestones in front of Paul Revere’s house and you see the familiar horse trailer parked in the strangest places downtown. And no one will ever forget the day that Boston Police horse fell down a manhole.

But everywhere you go in Boston lately, there’s a hushed tone of concern: “Did you hear about the police horses?” “How can they shut them down?” “The first horse I ever patted was one of those big guys!” and, most often comes the follow-up, “What can we do to save them?”

In a city that’s more like a town, and in a town where a horse is technically a “hoss”, there is outrage, indignation and an outpouring of support to keep the clip-clop on the city’s register of official sounds.

Horses have patrolled Boston streets since 1873. For many years the force favored Morgan-type horses but lately has bought and trained draft crosses that tower over crowds at events like the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory parades. Boston Police horses galloped onto the Fenway Park outfield when a riot erupted at the 1912 World Series.

But across the country, from Honolulu to Cincinnati, police horses have been menaced with the budget ax in the past few years, although Philadelphia’s new commissioner bucked the trend and pledged to bring back the disbanded mounted unit there.

Boston horse lovers are not letting their street-savvy steeds go without a fight. An online petition has been launched with plenty of room for your signature, whether you live in Boston or not.

Click here to go the petition to save the Boston Police Mounted Unit.

Click here for the “Save the Boston Police Mounted Unit” Facebook page, which already had 891 members when I wrote this post!

Supporters of the Boston Police Mounted Unit may also write to:
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis
Boston Police Headquarters
One Schroeder Place
Boston MA 02120

Or contact the office of Boston Mayor Thomas` Menino:
Email address: mayor@cityofboston.gov
Tel: 617.635.4500
Fax: 617.635.2851

Thanks to farrier Sean McClure for his help with this article.

Retirement Ceremony for Dressage Star Brentina Announcement

US Equestrian Team star Brentina and rider Debbie McDonald

The United States Equestrian Federation just announced the official timing for the retirement ceremony honoring the great dressage mare Brentina. Her final public appearance will take place on Friday afternoon, April 17 at the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Finals. The World Cup will be April 15-19, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Along with Brentina's rider Debbie McDonald, owners Peggy and Parry Thomas, for whom The Thomas & Mack Center is named, will be honored.

Brentina and McDonald represented the United States at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, they led the U.S. to the Bronze medal. In 1999, McDonald and Brentina put in an amazing performance at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, winning both the Individual and Team Gold medals.

Brentina recently recovered from colic surgery, as reported in January on The Jurga Report.

Video: Christmas Message from the World Horse Welfare Organization

World Horse Welfare (WHW) Chief Executive Roly Owers wraps up the year in this comprehensive look back at the charity's efforts to help horses around the world. WHW is the world's leading horses-only charity operating on both a national level in Great Britain and on the global stage representing ongoing interests in horse health and care.

Back home in Britain, WHW (formerly the International League for the Protection of Horses) operates as a leading resource for education of horse owners and has lead the way in campaigning for awareness of the ill effects of obesity in horses. WHW staffers are dedicated, highly educated in the specialty fields of horse welfare and health, and moving forward.

Directly or indirectly, we all benefit from organizations like WHW. The people there, and the people who donate to WHW programs, are at the top of my Christmas wishes list. While the stories I report on that involve WHW are not always easy or pleasant to write, I know that whenever I see their name involved, it is likely that the best and most knowledgeable minds in the horse world are working on this problem.

It's hard to ask for anything more, and we must never expect groups like WHW to just be there for us and our horses. We make them possible. And they, in turn, make us possible.

Merry Christmas to every horse and human who has benefited from or who is helping this wonderful organization. Go to www.worldhorsewelfare.org to donate whatever you can and be part of this important effort to help horses.