Thursday News & Notes from SmartPak

Virginia in the fall = awesome. Photo by Kate Samuels.

Virginia in the fall = awesome. Photo by Kate Samuels.

After last weekend was so horrible and cold, Virginia has gone back to being unseasonably warm this week, which is brilliant for me. Most of my horses are on their semi-vacation, which means long hacks through the woods and the fields, and occasionally a jump grid day to keep them sharp and have a little fun. I get to wear t-shirts still! However, I’m entering that funny stage where I really need to clip them, because they are gross and sweaty really easily, but its not really that necessary yet, and I’m dreading the moment when I have to spend an entire day suited up in rain clothing head to toe, and then spend the subsequent days digging horse hair out of my eyes ears and nostrils. Le sigh…the struggles of a horse girl during the fall.

North American Weekend Preview:

Poplar Place Farm November H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T.  [Website] [Entry Status]

FEI Global Weekend Preview:

National One Day Event Championships (NZL) CIC1/2/3*  [Entries]

Ravenna (ITA) CIC1/2/3* [Website] [Entries]

News From Around The Globe:

In the recent Melbourne Cup, two horses died of unrelated causes directly following the race, bringing up some important questions about the racing industry. However, within that, it’s important to acknowledge the great amount of baseless trolling that also happens with anything on this sensitive subject. First, Admire Rakti collapsed and died post-race from a fatal heart arrhythmia and then Araldo kicked a fence on his way back to the stables and fractured a pastern, resulting in his euthanization. When death is involved, do we get a reasoned set of arguments and a balanced view on the risks of racing? [Melbourne Cup Death Debates Miss The Point]

Racing legend Cigar died last month from surgery complications, and now the Kentucky Horse Park is holding a memorial in his honor. A public memorial service will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. The service will be held at the park’s Hall of Champions near Cigar’s gravesite and the paddock he occupied for most of the 15 years he lived at the park. Kentucky’s First Lady Jane Beshear will pay tribute to the Hall of Fame horse and longtime visitor favorite at the Hall of Champions. Fans are welcome to bid a final farewell to the horse known as the “incomparable, invincible, unbeatable Cigar.” [In Memory of Cigar]

What happens to elderly horses that can’t or won’t eat hay in the winter months? I’m encountering this now with my 30-ish year old pony, Hershey. Like many old horses, she’s lost the munching ability (along with some teeth), and just can’t get that forage that she needs anymore. Now she eats several feedings of senior feed, beet pulp, and pelleted timothy all soaked in a big bucket of water, along with some grass during the day. How do you keep your senior horses going through the winter? [Feeding The Senior Horse In Winter]

Best of Blogs: “Blanketing is NOT bad, and You Aren’t ‘Natural'”

A little throw-back for your viewing pleasure: Rolex 2011!

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