Thursday News & Notes from SmartPak

A pretty good Virginia mountain top view.

A pretty good Virginia mountain top view.

This time last year, I was gearing up for my first big run of the season at Pine Top in the Intermediate. I was also living in Aiken, covered in snow and ice and miserableness. This year, I’m spending the spring in Virginia, and the month of February working on fitness, strength, and jumping more before my debut. Somehow, the weather right now is better than it was 9 hours south last year! Today was pretty great, 55 and sunny, and I had a wonderful time jump schooling, vetting a new horse, and climbing the mountain with my best 3* horse and my dog, checking out the views. Sweet deal!

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Pine Top Intermediate H.T.  [Website] [Entry Status]

Ocala Winter II H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

Full Gallop Farm February I H.T. [Website] [Scores]

News From Around The Globe:

A fascinating new study from UC Davis shows possible links between maladjusted foal syndrome and autism. The bizarre behavioral disorder, more commonly known as “dummy foal syndrome”, shares a lot of similarities with children with autism, and learning how to cure it in horses could lead to progress for people. Scientists believe that the birthing process is key to turning off the nuerosteroid sedatives that keep the foal quiet while it is in the womb, and have found ways to recreate the squeezing of a birth canal in a way that brings the dummy foals back to life. [UC Davis Study on Maladjusted Foals]

Everyone loves a great rehab story. Whether it brings us to tears or makes us even more grateful for our equine friends, rehab stories are some of the most inspiring stories to tell. For that reason, we’d love to hear yours! Send us your rehab story for your chance to win an awesome prize pack from OCD as well as see your story told right here on EN! [Win with OCD]

Abby Hamblin and Silver Flash and gearing up for their Advanced debut this spring, and celebrated by getting named as one of our 2014 Emerging Stars, as well as a new article from Off Track Thoroughbreds. In 2008, Silver Flash was bought for $600 coming off the track, and was passed over too many times to count as he tried his hand at being a sport horse. It only took one tilt of the head begging for a treat, and Abby Hamblin fell in love. [Abby & Silver Flash]

Are you an equestrian in high school interested in recognition from the USEF? The USEF High School Equestrian Athlete program is open to equestrian athletes in all breeds or disciplines who are enrolled in grades 9-12, and are currently USEF members, or become USEF members. The program will run June 1–May 31 of each year, and will honor those who document their training and competition involvement by awarding emblems and pins. These are designed to be worn on existing high school letterman’s jackets, or any jacket of the athlete’s choosing, as a symbol of achievement. [Sign Up Here]

A friendly reminder for Rolex fans….get your tickets now before they are sold out! RK3DE announced today that they expect Sunday tickets to be fully sold out by the end of February, and the other days are going fast too! So, if you’re looking to go watch the best in the country compete in April, don’t dawdle! [RK3DE Ticket Guide]

The U.S. Thoroughbred breeding industry is currently at odds with the British steroid policy, and looking to find ways to resolve the issue. As it currently stands, British racing has a zero tolerance policy towards the presence of steroids in any racehorse at any point in their life, and if one is found to test positive, they are banned from training for 12 months. The U.S. currently bans steroid usage on race day and at auctions, but they are still used in between. This means that shipping horses overseas to race or even having British owners buy American thoroughbreds is more or less impossible. (It would be lovely if our drug policies were to move more towards the zero tolerance side!). [British Doping Policies Affect American Thoroughbreds]

 

I can’t be the only one obsessed with Frankel, can I?

 

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