For more coverage from 2012 Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event, read Nancy's postcard.

May 13, 2012--The second of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events came to a close Sunday afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park. With 16 entries contesting the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix, which served as the second class of the Observation Event held in conjunction with the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Grey skies and rain could not deter the 14 members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games from showcasing their talents over Richard Jeffrey’s 14 obstacle course.

In the first round of competition four combinations, all from the long list, were able to produce faultless efforts and qualify for the jump-off. In the jump-off, Mario Deslauriers and Urico were untouchable as they cruised to a fault free effort in a time of 35.15 seconds and claimed top honors in the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix.

In the first round Deslauriers (New York, NY) and Jane Clark’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding produced a classy clear as the final entry in the class. In the jump-off the pair, which represented the U.S. in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian at the same venue, produced another clear jumping effort utilizing efficient lines and turns.

Deslauriers was very impressed with the testing track Jeffrey built Sunday.

“When we walked the course, I thought here’s WEG again here. It rode better than I thought when I walked it.”

Sunday’s winning pair also rebounded from a nine fault effort in Friday’s $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic.

“Urico is a horse with a lot of character and a lot of motor.” Commented Deslauriers,“His mind and his body were all in gear today and he was beautiful.”

Collecting second place honors in the class were long listed pair Reed Kessler and her own Mika. Seventeen-year-old Kessler (Lexington, KY) executed a stylish clear in the first round with the 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding. In the jump-off they again left all the rails in the cups in a tidy, economical round.

Kessler who stands fifth on the long list with Mika was very pleased with his performance on Sunday.

“I don’t think he’s ever gone better than he did today.”

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) qualified both horses she brought to the Rolex Stadium Sunday afternoon for the jump-off. She collected third place honors in the class with Abigail Wexner’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Simon, after rolling the rail out of the cups jumping into the double in the jump-off. Madden and Simon were the winners of Friday’s $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic.

With Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’, Madden sliced the turn to the third vertical in the jump-off and incurred four faults, the scopey 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding finished in fourth place.

Eight pairs from the long list completed the course with a single mistake resulting in four faults. Christine McCrea (East Windsor, CT) and Windsor Show Stables’ Romantovich Take One left all the rails in the cups but a toe in the water resulted in four faults.

Kessler on her first ride of the day Cylana, Deslauriers on Clark’s Cella and Jessica Springsteen (Colts Neck, NJ) on Stone Hill Farm’s Vornado Van Den Hoendrik all faulted at the bogey fence, 7A.

Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) and RCG Farm’s Uceko and Laura Kraut (Wellington, FL) riding Cherry Knoll Farm’s Cedric lowered the heights of fences two and three respectively in otherwise immaculate efforts. While Brianne Goutal (New York, NY) and Remarkable Farms’ Nice De Prissey collected four faults jumping out of the double combination at fence seven and  Charlie Jayne riding Pony Lane Farm’s Chill R Z faulted in the middle of the triple combination,9B.

Margie Engle (Wellington, FL) and Garber, Griese, Hidden Creek and Gladewinds’ Indigo completed Sunday’s course with 12 faults and Quentin Judge (Wellington, FL) was eliminated for parting company with Double HH Farm’s HH Carotino jumping fence 10.

Long list riders next head to Devon, PA in two weeks for the third 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event at the Devon Horse Show.

For live streaming, news, photos and to follow the 2012 U.S. Show Jumping Team visit; http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Jumping/

Per the USEF Selection Procedures, in order to remain in consideration for the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team, these athlete/horse combinations are required to compete at two of the following Observation Events listed below:

The Del Mar National Horse Show
Del Mar, California May 1-6, 2012
www.delmarnational.com

Kentucky Spring Horse Show
Lexington, Kentucky May 8-13, 2012
www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

The Devon Horse Show
Devon, Pennsylvania May 29-June 2, 2012
www.devonhorseshow.com

Spruce Meadows
Calgary, Alberta Canada June 13-17, 2012
www.sprucemeadows.com

Following the completion of these observation events, FEI Nominated Entries will be submitted to the FEI on June 17. Twelve athlete/horse combinations can be named to the FEI Nominated Entries.   The USOC Final Entries will be submitted no later than July 6, 2012.
The 2012 Olympic Games will take place July 27 - August 12.

Phillip Dutton won the CCI 3-star on Mystery Whisper

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

He didn't have to win in the process, but he did, and was outstanding. What a treat to see a horse that can do all three phases with flair, executing a smooth dressage test, eating up cross-country and showing respect for the fences in show jumping.

The Australian import, who came over late last year, was one of only two entries in four divisions at the Horse Park of New Jersey to score less than 40 penalties in dressage. (He was marked at 32.6 penalties; Karen O'Connor received 39.6 on Veronica, fifth in the CCI 3-star.) Mystery Whisper was fault-free over the jumps on John Williams' twisting cross-country course highlighted by the "Jersey Shore" water complex, accumulating just 1.2 time penalties because Phillip saw no need to push for extreme speed.

In today's show jumping, he dropped one rail (the first time he's done that all year; Phillip blamed the way he rode to the fence) and accumulated one time penalty. But his total was still a respectable 38.8 penalties, well ahead of second-place Jude's Law, an extremely handsome gray dude, ridden well by Michael Pollard to a 47.6-penalty total.

"Another box ticked," said delighted coach Mark Phillips as Mystery Whisper exited the ring after his victory gallop. Mark had explained to me earlier in the day that a team hoping for a medal at the Olympics needs at least one horse that can score in the low 30s in dressage; he added with a grin that he'd like two or three.

There is time before July, however, to work with outstanding candidates and perhaps bump up their performance level a bit. The "A" training list hasn't been changed this year; an update won't be issued until June 11, when 15 horse/rider combos will be named to the long list. That will be reduced to a short list of 10 before the horses ship to England, where they will train for the Games.

The only three people on the A-list now are Phillip, but with Mighty Nice, his 10th-place horse at Rolex Kentucky--Mystery Whisper's purchase hadn't been confirmed when the list was released; Boyd Martin with Neville Bardos and Otis Barbotiere, third at Rolex,  and Sinead Halpin with Manoir de Carneville.

Mystery Whisper going cross-country under the guidance of Phillip Dutton

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

Phillip, of course, was thrilled at how well Mystery Whisper performed. Really, could there be any doubt--the horse already had won two events this year--but anything can happen in eventing. He was smiling as he talked about the weekend.

Listen: Phillip Dutton

"I'm really enjoying the horse," said Phillip, who called him, "incredible. It's pretty neat." That's quite a statement coming from the generally low-key rider.

The only downer here is the fact that Jim Wildasin (who also owns Will Coleman's ride, Twizzel) bought the horse for his daughter, Arden, to ride after the Games. That doesn't bother Phillip, even though there will be no Burghley, Badminton or Rolex for him with Mystery Whisper.

"I'm lucky to have the ride on him. That's part of the game. We don't own our horses; we just ride for other people." But he added, "I'm going to make the most of it while I have him."

What's Mystery Whisper like to ride?

"When you first see him, he's not the most imposing animal," Phillip said.

"Once you start working him, the first 10 minutes is just nice and then something clicks and he just goes and really gets the motor underneath him," Phillip observed comparing him to a racehorse that has another gear.

"He's a phenomenal horse, a freak of nature."

Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

Sinead did the CIC 3-star with her horse, nicknamed Tate. These days they've decided to call the CCI long format and the CIC short format. I think that's confusing, because long format makes you think of the old days, when a CCI included roads and tracks and steeplechase.  (Remember? Gosh, it seems like a long time ago now.) Anyway, a CCI is longer than a CIC, and I'll leave it at that.

Sinead tied for sixth in dressage with a score of 49.6, then was one of only three in her division to put in a double-clear cross-country. She moved up to third after that, and then second when Will Faudree had the first two elements of the triple down with Pawlow in the show jumping. But the triple tripped her up, too; Tate dropped a pole at the middle element. Rebecca Howard of Canada, who would go on to win the CIC 3-star, led after cross-country and had toppled just one rail with Riddle Master. Her final score was 52.8 to 53.6 for Sinead; very, very close.

I asked Sinead to assess Tate at this point.

Listen: Sinead Halpin

Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos took a not-for-credit spin around the Jersey Fresh show jumping course

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

Boyd brought Neville to Jersey Fresh, but never intended to run him cross-country here. Instead, he competed in dressage, which did not go well (the score was 54.2 penalties; apparently Neville has taken a dislike to the Horse Park arena) and then did a show jumping round after the regular competition finished this afternoon. He had two fences down; Neville was a handful.

Boyd and I discussed that.

Listen: Boyd Martin

By the way, as I have mentioned in the past, the movie rights to Neville's story have been purchased. (Neville missed a trip to the slaughterhouse after Boyd bought him, and he survived a dreadful stable fire last May.) I suggested to Boyd that if they actually make the movie, there's only one person who should play Boyd: Himself. Who else is better looking and more articulate? And then there's that great Australian accent. (Like Phillip, Boyd was born in Australia and became an American citizen.)

Wentworth began riding at the young age of seven, and one of her earliest trainers was Tracy Bowman of Kismet Farm in Martinez, CA. She entered her first competition at age nine and was hooked. Eventually Wentworth became a working student at Kismet Farm, and now she is Bowman's partner in the business. Her Young Rider career took off at 19 and she began producing several horses at the advanced level. Currently, Wentworth is a USEF High Performance listed rider, and has set her sights on the world's most demanding competitions.

"I am drawn to eventing because it's quite difficult, and I think when someone finds something difficult that they enjoy, it keeps pushing them to attain the next level of success, and I am definitely somebody who wants to do that," explained Wentworth. "You keep moving one event to the next trying to improve each performance. I think we would like to try to get to Europe in the next year or so to get some international experience. Of course, making a U.S. Team is always something you want to do."

The USET Foundation recognized Wentworth's talent and determination, making her the perfect fit for the Jacqueline B. Mars Domestic Competition and Training Grant, which helps offset the costs of competing and training at the highest levels. "It is a great honor to receive the grant because I know there were a lot of people up for it," stated Wentworth. "Grants like this remove the unnecessary stress that we as riders have, and we get to really focus on the riding and competing. It's such a valuable part of the sport. I think that this is an amazing grant and the opportunities that I had to learn and to grow have been extremely valuable."

This year, Wentworth used the grant to help campaign her mount Goodknight at the four-star level. Last year, this pair finished fourth in the CIC*** at The Event at Rebecca Farm (MT), second in the CIC*** at Woodside (CA) and second in the CCI*** at Galway Downs (CA). This spring they were fifth in an intermediate division at Galway Downs.

Using the grant, Wentworth and Goodknight flew from California to Ocala, FL, to compete during the Fork Horse Trails, and the next two weeks gearing up for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI****. "I think he learned a lot and I learned a lot," she commented. "My horse is very green at the four-star level, but I think it was a huge education for him to get to do this. I don't think it did anything but increase his confidence, so we are very excited about building from this past experience."

In the first round, only two combinations were able to produce fault-free efforts. Two members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games, Rich Fellers and Flexible and Lauren Hough with Blue Angel, would need to return and jump-off to decide the winner of Saturday's class. Neither Fellers nor Hough were able to reproduce their clear efforts from round one with both collecting four faults. However, Fellers (Sherwood, OR) produced the quickest jump-off time for the second night in a row, to claim his second Grand Prix victory of the Observation Event.

The 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup Champions looked well on their way to jumping another fault-free effort in the jump-off until they lowered the height of the penultimate fence. However, Fellers had ridden a well-executed, efficient round over the jump-off track to finish in a time of 39.76 seconds and secure another win.

Fellers was very impressed with the course Azevedo built Saturday night and believed it was a good test for the long listed combinations.

"It was a legitimate international course; right in there with the caliber of the (Selection) Trials courses."

Fellers and Flexible will next head to Spruce Meadows to compete in the final 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event. Harry and Mollie Chapman's 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion will spend the next month preparing for the classes at the prestigious Canadian competition.

"He might jump in the Grand Prix next Sunday on the grass, that's the first time he will have jumped on the grass." Said Fellers, "He'll then go home and get some turn-out and get ready to go to Spruce Meadows next month."

Rich Fellers and Flexible.

Photo by Rick Osteen Photography

Hough (Wellington, FL) and Robyn Parsky's Blue Angel were the 17th combinations to attempt the first round and produced the first fault-free round of the night. Four-faults as result of having the back rail of the third to last oxer in the jump-off meant the 10-year-old Anglo-European mare would collect second-place honors after stopping the timers at 41.81 seconds.

Collecting third place honors on Saturday night was long listed combination Saer Coulter and Copernicus Stables' Springtime. Coulter (San Francisco, CA) and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding jumped a methodical round to leave all the rails in place but two time faults meant they would not return for the jump-off.

Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA) and Old Oak Farm's Nemo, ranked 15th on the long list, put in a determined effort, which was only marred by faults at the first and final jumps on course resulting in eight faults.

Karl Cook (Woodside, CA) brought Signe Ostby's two horses from the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games to the feature class. JonKheer Z jumped to an eight fault total after dislodging rails at fences 10 and 12. With ASB Conquistador, Cook was the first long listed rider of the night to compete; they faulted at fences three, 5A and 10 and had one time fault for a 13 fault total.

Long listed riders head to Lexington, KY next week for the second of 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events held at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show.

For video, news, photos and to follow the 2012 U.S. Show Jumping Team visit;
http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Jumping/

For more information about the Del Mar National Horse Show including Order of Go and Results visit; http://delmarnational.com/hunter_jumper.php

Per the USEF Selection Procedures, in order to remain in consideration for the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team, athlete/horse combinations are required to compete at two of the following Observation Events listed below:

The Del Mar National Horse Show
Del Mar, California May 1-6, 2012
www.delmarnational.com

Kentucky Spring Horse Show
Lexington, Kentucky May 8-13, 2012
www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

The Devon Horse Show
Devon, Pennsylvania May 29-June 2, 2012
www.devonhorseshow.com

Spruce Meadows
Calgary, Alberta Canada June 13-17, 2012
www.sprucemeadows.com

Following the completion of these observation events, FEI Nominated Entries will be submitted to the FEI on June 17. Twelve athlete/horse combinations can be named to the FEI Nominated Entries. The USOC Final Entries will be submitted no later than July 6, 2012.

The 2012 Olympic Games will take place July 27 - August 12.

Last fall I wrote on “Vegas,” Turtle Powell’s standout head horse, and his medical problems, including laminitis. This column is an update on Vegas, courtesy of Turtle and Vegas’ farrier, Blaine Chapman, with some general comments along the way on laminitis in horses, aka “founder.”

Vegas’ problems started last summer with a respiratory infection that had as a consequence a vascular disease (purpura hemorrhagica) and ultimately resulted in significant laminitis. General comment number one: Laminitis can result from a variety of causes. Laminitis literally means inflammation of the lamina. The lamina are the interlocking structures that form the weight-bearing bridge between the inside of the hoof capsule and the corium (covering) of the coffin bone. These cause symptoms of laminitis, which I'll discuss below.

When these structures become inflamed they swell, exude serum and functionally the connecting bond gives way to the stress of weight-bearing and they fail. Efforts to minimize the damage become the objective in dealing with this condition. These efforts include systemic medications, local treatment (such as soaking the feet) and supportive measures to try and stabilize the anatomical structures of the foot. General comment number two: It takes a dedicated team of owner and specialists in the field to have a chance for success in significantly impacted horses with this condition.

Turtle related that the most discouraging days were right before he left to go to the NFR (Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) last December. Vegas had basically been lying down for two weeks. He was eating and drinking well, but would not get up. Turtle called in Blaine Chapman, a horseshoer he knew who has had a lot of experience in dealing with this condition. Blaine encouraged Turtle to wait out the bad spell because, considering the severity of Vegas’ founder, his state was to be expected.

In this horse’s specific condition, it was decided to resect (remove) the anterior hoof wall, which was known per radiographs to have already separated from the coffin bone, plus using special supportive shoeing as the basics of treatment. General comment number three: This example pertains to the circumstances of this specific case. There is no “one size fits all” or singular approach to treating this condition.

This photo shows the anterior hoof wall having been resected. The bottom of the shoe is specially designed to support the coffin bone during the healing process. (It takes six months to a year for the hoof wall to grow from the hairline to the ground.)

Photo courtesy Turtle Powell

Laminitis has received a good deal of attention and study in the last few decades. To this point, there has not evolved any “silver bullet” treatment regimen for the problem. It should be treated as an emergency, but unfortunately, by the time one notices symptoms of painful feet there is already the start of degenerative changes in the critical areas of the foot. We continue to wish Vegas the best possible progress, and will keep tracking his condition as he is no doubt one of the great ones.

Destination: Moose Mountain Horseback Adventures, Bragg Creek, Alberta, Canada.

Best time to go: June to September.

Overview: This five-day pack trip took a group of intrepid riders into the pristine wilderness of the Canadian Rockies.

Day One: This eight-hour ride to our first camp took us across 12 miles of steep hills, forests, and streams, surrounded by snowcapped mountains. We encountered a small herd of wild horses. The stallion galloped near us as if to steal some mares for his harem.

We arrived at camp around 4:30 and assembled a highline to picket the horses for the evening. After a hearty supper of steaks and baked potatoes, we rode the horses bareback down to a nearby stream to water them for the night.

Day Two: We broke camp early, as this would be our longest day in the saddle. The ride to our second base camp would take us deeper into the wilderness and cover 17 miles of backcountry. We pulled out at 9 a.m. and headed for the Hogback Trail, a narrow ridgeline path taking us past Three Point Gorge. We then headed to our lunch stop on Forget Me Not Ridge (elevation 7,100 feet).

We crested the summit, had lunch, and headed back down the opposite side of the ridge. We continued on to the Big Elbow River, the site of our base camp for the remainder of the trip. We reached our river camp by 5 p.m. We dined on spaghetti against the magnificent backdrop of Three Point and Cougar Mountains.

Day Three: This day’s ride would be only eight miles, but would take us into a scenic box canyon in the mountains just across the river. This secluded valley would be the site where the infamous Box Canyon Derby would take place.

We saddled up and crossed the river. After a long ascent up the mountain on the edge of a deep ravine, we finally entered the canyon. Along the way, we were treated to views of a large waterfall in the valley below. Upon reaching the base of Banded Peak, we allowed the horses to graze a bit while we ate a picnic lunch by a nearby snow bank.

The Box Canyon Derby is a half-mile “no guts no glory” all-out gallop across a flat gravel plain near the far end of the canyon. All the participants formed a line at one end of this stony surface, then galloped furiously towards the finish line. My Quarter Horse, Gunner, carried me to victory.

Day Four: We saddled up and headed out of camp by 9:30. Our intended route was to circle Three Point Mountain overlooking our campsite, a 14-mile ride. After traveling upstream along the river, we cut off and began a steep climb along a rocky creek bed, taking us to an open area just above 6,000 feet in elevation, affectionately dubbed “Midnight’s Meadow.” It was here that a horse named Midnight, who’d been left in camp on a previous trip, came galloping unexpectedly up the trail.

When we reached the base of Mount Rose and a good grazing area, we ground-tied the horses and began to collect some deadwood for a fire. We then roasted sausage links over the flames.

We continued on toward Cougar Pass, riding along rockslides of brown shale. As we descended into the old-growth spruce forest within the mountain pass, I felt like I was entering a primeval land, surrounded by lichen-covered trees dressed in strands of green witch’s hair and brown old man’s beard.

We then began a steep descent toward Cougar Creek. The final few feet of this passage would prove to be too steep and rocky to ride, so we dismounted and sent them down alone to the creek bed below, one by one.

The final leg of the ride along Cougar Creek provided scenic vistas of waterfalls and curious rock formations. We rode in and across the streambed along the way and arrived back at camp by 6 p.m.

Day Five: I made my way to the river to watch the sunrise illuminate the white snowcaps on the mountaintops one last time. We collected our supplies and loaded the three pack horses, ready to pull out of camp and start the 16-mile journey back to civilization.

We rode to Powder Face Ridge; our steep 2,000-foot climb led us to what I considered to be the best panoramic view of our trip. We stopped for lunch at an elevation of 6,600 feet, the entire Elbow River Valley spread out below us.

As we continued higher toward an elevation of 7,200 feet, we hit an impassible wall of snow, forcing us to walk our horses along this barrier until we found a clearing allowing us to reach the summit. We continued on foot for a short distance, as the trail was extremely rocky with difficult footing.

When in sight of Moose Mountain, we could climb back in the saddle and continue down toward our pick-up point.

Shane Hanchey has made a name as one of rodeo’s young-gun tie-down ropers, and he’s known for his fast hands and love of, ehem, purple. The Louisiana State University die-hard was the 2009 tie-down roping rookie of the year, and he’s fighting his way into the top 15 again in 2012. We caught up with Hanchey and asked him questions that were on the minds of Spin To Win Rodeo’s readers. If you’d like to have a pro answer your question next month, visit facebook.com/spintowinrodeo and join in the discussion.

Laura Holm Honn: What age were you when you got serious about roping?
I’d say it hit me probably when I was 15 that I wanted to rodeo for a living and I wanted to make the Finals. That was the first time I got to ride Reata. That had a lot of influence on it. I knew that not everybody would have a horse like that and I really needed to take advantage of it.

Jay Vincient Crawler: What do you look for in a good calf horse, and what’s a good age?
One that can score good. Being on the barrier is the most important part of your run. One that can run, we don’t need one that will be as hard stopping as we used to, but it’s good to have one that can make people go wow.

Leighton Berry: What’s a good way to stay up out of your saddle?
Knowing that you’ve got to have good balance, and if you’re off balance and your left foot isn’t in your left stirrup your shoulders twist and you can’t stay up.

Brett Schewe: What are some of the key things roping calves in the practice pen that will benefit you in the long run?
I try to breakaway quite a bit at the house to keep my loop sharp because I know when I leave for the summer that I won’t be getting many opportunities to tune myself up. I really emphasize roping the dummy and breakawaying quite a bit but I tie down quite a bit too to stay in good rhythm and timing.

Thayne Winterton: What do you do while you’re on the road to keep your horses tuned up and fit?
I’m always messing with my horses one way or other. There’s not really many places to keep them tuned up but I like to keep them fit up as much as I can. I always ride them and fiddle with them.

Peggy Garman: What is it like to have young kids looking up to you?
It’s unexplainable to be honest. It’s what I’ve looked forward to ever since I was a kid. Really that’s what it’s all about in the long run is being a good role model for the next generation. And in order to do that we’ve got to be real outgoing and real positive and real faithful.

Joshua Pool: What advice would you give to young kids about what it takes to go down the road like you do?
There’s so much. But the main thing is to keep your priorities in line and have a good work ethic, and last but not least staying in the bible and keeping the word close.

Jade Schmidt: Did you think when you were younger that you’d be where you are now?
I always dreamed of it and imagined in but when me and Tuf got to be about 16 or 17, we were almost going to be disappointed if we weren’t at this level because of how much work we put into it. When I was 12 or 13 if you’d have said I’d have made the Finals twice I’d have said I sure wouldn’t mind it but I didn’t think it would be in my future. But when we were 16 or 17 there was no denying it because we’d worked so hard

Purina’s goal is to donate a half ton of Purina® Strategy® horse feeds to 400 rescue shelters. Purina® Strategy® horse feeds are a high-performance feed that have provided more than one billion feedings to horses of all ages and lifestyles. A portion of every bag sold will help fuel the contribution, giving horse owners the opportunity to help.

A Home for Every Horse was initiated by Equine Network and gives rescue shelters an effective, online method to place horses with loving families interested in adoption or fostering. A Home for Every Horse works under the Unwanted Horse Coalition, an organization that promotes responsible equine ownership and awareness of the options, services and assistance available to guarantee horses receive care and humane support throughout their lives.

Through a broad alliance of 29 equine organizations, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), Purina and others, a collective effort works to ensure everything possible is done so that no horse becomes unwanted.

"The UHC is so honored to be a part of A Home for Every Horse. With so many unwanted horses in our nation, we must really stress the importance of rescuing and adopting,” said Ericka Caslin, director with Unwanted Horse Coalition. “Not only are there so many talented and wonderful horses waiting for homes, but the adoption of a horse will free up a space for another horse to be rescued and saved."

“Helping to find homes for horses in need is an ambitious undertaking, and we at Purina believe it’s critical for organizations across the equine industry to come together in a united effort to help address this growing issue,” said Dave Hoogmoed, president of Purina Mills. “With thousands of horses across the country in need of shelter and nutrition, we must increase education and awareness about horse ownership, care, and adoption. This mission is at the core of the Unwanted Horse Coalition and one that Purina® supports through the partnership of A Home For Every Horse.”

Purina® Retailers Help Local Rescue Organization
The plight of the rescue horse is one familiar to horse lovers. The burden of care often falls on rescue shelters that take in these horses. That’s why some Purina® dealers are realizing opportunities to make a difference in their own communities.

In spirit of A Home for Every Horse, three Purina® dealers in northern California united to support an area rescue organization, Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue (SAFER). Friendly Feed and Supply, Frizelle Enos Feeds and Rainbow Agriculture each donated a half ton of Purina® horse feed to SAFER for rescue horses in Sonoma County and the surrounding area. In addition, Purina matched the generous donations with an additional half ton of feed.

“SAFER has done so much for members of this community, and these partnerships allow us to create awareness and help solve some of the challenges that horses and horse owners face during tough economic times,” said Jim Mayfield, president of Rainbow Agriculture. “We’ve been a Purina® product dealer for close to thirty years and it means a lot to be associated with a brand that truly cares about the welfare of horses and horse owners.”

“This donation translates directly into how many horses we can afford to take in and help find homes for in the community. We’ve been working so hard that we haven’t had the opportunity to do much fundraising and we just hoped that if we did the work, the support would come,” said Kate Sullivan, president of SAFER. “Our foster shelters will see a lot more success stories because we’ll be able to provide a lot more feed assistance.”

Horse lovers interested in adopting an animal in need can visit www.ahomeforeveryhorse.com to search for available horses in their area. A Home for Every Horse is hosted and promoted by Equine.com, the industry’s largest website for buying and selling horses, with a network of more than 1.5 million horse owners.

For more information on the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition, visit www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org. And to learn more about the partnership between the Unwanted Horse Coalition and Purina® Horse Feed, visit www.feedyourstrategy.com.

It’s not unusual for a horse to dive in as soon as his grain hits the bottom of the bucket. But if he eats too quickly, referred to as “bolting," he may swallow before the feed is thoroughly chewed or moistened with saliva. The large, dry particles can then become stuck in his esophagus0 and lead to choke—a blockage of the esophagus.

Here are some things you can do to discourage feed bolting and protect your horse from choke:

• Switch from a feed bucket to a larger, shallower feed pan. When grain is spread out in a thinner layer your horse will have to take smaller mouthfuls.

• Place rocks (fist-size or larger) in his feed tub. Your horse will be forced to eat around the objects, slowing his intake.

• Feed hay free-choice. Offering hay continuously throughout the day---using a slow feeder can cut down on waste---keeps a horse from becoming ravenous by feeding time.

• Feed smaller meals more often. Not only are smaller meals better for a horse’s digestive system, but frequent feedings take the edge off a horse’s hunger and the “novelty” out of feeding time.

• Separate horses at feeding time. Some horses fed in herd situations feel they must eat quickly before being bullied away from their meal by a more dominant horse. Horses fed in protected, personal spaces, such as stalls or separate paddocks, can eat at their own pace.