Classic Eventing Nation

USEF Announces Positive Tests for CBD Will Result in GR4 Violations

By on May 15, 2019 5:00 pm -

Yesterday the USEF announced that positive tests for CBD in equines will be classed as a GR4 (drugs and medication) violation as of September 1, 2019. The USEF Drugs and Medications Program consistently monitors new products and product claims; over the past several years cannabinoids (CBD) have gained increased attention and become more mainstream.

USEF rules will prohibit cannabidiols (CBD) and their metabolites. While hemp doesn’t contain more than 0.3% THC, it does contain CBD. Both natural and synthetic CBD are likely to impact a horse’s performance due to their anxiety-reducing effects; this substance is no different than legitimate therapeutics that impact behavior in horses. For these reasons, the USEF is prohibiting CBD and all related cannabinoids. Horses competing under USEF rules who test positive for cannabinoids [natural or synthetic] or other cannabimimetics will be considered in violation of GR4 starting September 1.

Analytical methods to detect CBD and similar cannabinoids are being implemented. Both the USEF and FEI list natural cannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and other cannabimimetics as prohibited substances. As published literature doesn’t exist noting detection times of these substances in horses, and because products can vary widely in compositions and concentrations, detections prior to September 1 will receive warnings. They will be considered to be in “prior” violation if there are additional detections of cannabinoids following September 1. GR411 Conditions for Therapeutic Administrations of Prohibited Substances do not apply for cannabinoids and medication report forms also do not apply.

Due to the varying compositions and lack of regulatory oversight from the FDA, caution is advised when using products containing CBD as there’s no guarantee of safety for use in horses and products may not be representative of their label claims.

Further information about USEF GR4 Rules can be found here.

Edited from a press release.

[USEF Announces Positive Tests of Cannabinoids (CBD) Will Result in GR4 Violations as of September 1, 2019]

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Neigh-SMR

By on May 15, 2019 3:00 pm -

What equestrian doesn’t love the sound of their horse munching away on treats or hay? Lexington, Kentucky’s tourism department has now collected those sounds for anytime enjoyment.

The autonomous sensory meridian response or ASMR, is a physical experience you feel in response to sound. Usually it’s that tingling you get that starts at your scalp and moves down your spine. These sensory videos have boomed with popularity, and now ASMR takes on the horse world.

Sit back, relax and find your happy place.

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Hillary’s Road to the Thoroughbred Makeover: Stay in Your Lane

By on May 15, 2019 1:00 pm -

For 673 accepted trainers, the journey to the Retired Racehorse Project‘s 2019 RPP Thoroughbred Makeover has begun! Between now and the Makeover, to take place Oct. 2-5 at the Kentucky Horse Park, four of those trainers will blog their journeys, including their triumphs and their heartbreaks, successes and failures, for Eventing Nation readers. Read more from EN’s 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Bloggers: Lindsey Burns, Hillary McMichael, Clare Mansmann, Jennifer Reisenbichler.

Long time no see. Well, long time no blog I guess. Two weeks turned into three, and before I knew it it had been over eight weeks since my first post. I am not going to lie … The past two months have been a bit of a struggle. I had a really hard time being motivated to write about just how much I was struggling with how I was feeling about my riding and goals.

When I first signed up for the Makeover I honestly didn’t think that the Makeover veteran saying of “stay in your lane” would end up being my own motto. All of the more seasoned Makeover trainers kept commenting those four simple words on post after post of people asking what everyone has done so far or when someone was panicking that they didn’t have their horse yet.

I didn’t imagine that being in a group of other Makeover “trainers” I would get sucked into comparing my journey to others. I felt secure. I had my horse before I applied. He was perfectly healthy and sound. This wouldn’t be my first time restarting a horse or introducing it to a new job. I even felt pretty confident in my ability to bring along another OTTB with the help of my trainer.

Littleorphanannex was truly something else. Photo by Eric Nalbone.

Mid-March things kind of started to stall though. It felt like for every step forward I had two steps back. It was honestly hard to stay motivated to ride and push myself and I knew I needed help to get me over the bump in the road. My horse ended up going to my trainer’s for a few rides and what I now call the “giraffe exorcism” was a success! I still felt a bit discouraged though.

Day by day I kept seeing everyone making huge leaps “ahead of us.” It was, and still is, so easy to focus on what other people are doing and what we haven’t accomplished yet. I found myself not only comparing my progress to others but also my honest young horse to my super bold late Thoroughbred mare. It is unfair to compare one horse to another anyways, but it is totally unfair when literally everything in my life is different this time around.

It is only natural that the green horse journey would be harder for me both emotionally and physically now as a new mom. I spent weeks feeling inadequate and second guessing myself. Who was I to get a big young athletic horse off the track as a new mom? Did I really want to be bringing along another green horse at this point in my life? How could I have believed I could be successful in doing this?

Not feeling very qualified in this moment — no one was hurt. Photo by Amanda Chance.

When I was doubting myself and struggling to get to the barn I started to really ask myself what I was doing. In that self reflection, or to be honest self doubt, I realized just how much I do really want this. It would have been a lot easier to just throw in the towel. Yes, I am lucky but it’s not all luck. I have to want it so much more now. I have to try so much harder. Things might be bumpy along the way but the highs are so much higher now and every small success means that much more.

If you focus on the struggle, in summary, the past two months have brought a mild shipping fever, four flat tires – pulled shoes, a rider fall, and a rained out show. Despite all of that I have made more progress with Whiskey Wu (Flatter x Stay Here – Dehere), or Dobby as I call him, than I could have hoped for. We have gone from jumping the occasional cross rail to now jumping courses. Dobby hauls like a champ and takes new places in stride even if he is sure every one of them is the weirdest track he has ever been to. He has a great brain and is proving to be very amateur friendly. This baby horse is a different ride than what I have been used to the past 4+ years but is making me a better rider one day at a time.

Photo by Dusty Brown.

I know in my heart that I want to continue to be a better rider just as much if not more than I did before having my daughter. My goals might be smaller that they were before, even insignificant to some, but they mean exponentially more to me now and that is all that matters. At the end of the day I have to want it and if the past few months have taught me anything it is that I really do want this. All of it. Even the blood, sweat, and tears. It doesn’t matter what other people are or aren’t doing as long as I am doing everything I can to be the best that I can be.

We keep going for moments like this. Photo by Dusty Brown.

My answer to anyone else who is also asking “How did I think I could do this?” would be simple. It is 100% the people. My family and friends who support me through all the ups and downs and are the real stars in my story. I don’t have enough thank you’s for the incredible people in my life that make this dream of mine possible every day. From my husband, my trainer, and barn buddy to all of the baby wranglers in between, it truly takes a village. I would never have considered getting another horse off the track without each and every one of those people and I certainly wouldn’t have set sights on the Makeover.

I definitely didn’t see myself in this position six months ago, but one sweet gangly baby Thoroughbred later here I am doing the thing and loving every single, sometimes frustrating, minute of it.

Winning the ‘Chicken Strides’

By on May 15, 2019 11:00 am -

Have you ever played a game of “chicken?” Hopefully not … but maybe you have seen this madness in a movie, wherein two drivers in 1950s cars drive as fast as they can towards each other, head on, and whoever jerks the wheel and chickens out first is the “loser” (kids, don’t try this at home).

The game is incredibly stupid. As a hyperactive 10 year old I hate to admit this, but I played this game with my sister on our 10 speed bicycles. One of us pedaled as fast as she could UP the hill towards our driveway, and the other pedaled as fast as she could DOWN the hill, to see who could get to the driveway first! I think we both actually lost the game that day, although I did chicken out first and jerked the handlebars to avoid crashing into my older sister April, only to smash face first into a row of mailboxes.

But what does this have to do with riding? And why is winning a game of chicken imperative to successful jumping?

Amy Nelson and Hummingbird’s River. Photo by Vic’s Pics.

At a recent horse trial with my enthusiastic grey OTTB River, I had an epiphany. The last three strides before any fence is just like this game of chicken. You are playing the game with your horse! If you chicken out first by creeping forward with your shoulders, or throwing yourself in a two-point before the jump: you lose! This creeping allows the horse to suck back, stop, or run out right or left. It could also cause them to go long and flat, and simply have a poor jump effort, which leads to knocked rails. If you keep your shoulders back and the horse in front of your leg, ride all to the way to the base up the jump, wait for him to start to leave the ground and then you two point, you won that game of chicken!

Amy Nelson and Hummingbird’s River.

It is so much easier to tell if they are sucking back when you sit back. It is so much easier to avoid a run out if you block the exits to the right and left by sitting up and maintaining rein contact. I will forever call the final three strides before a fence: “the chicken strides.” (Perhaps I should trademark this?)

This magical realization came as a combination of years’ worth of lessons and experience, from Chrissy Hall of Texas showing me how to get deeper to an cross country fence on my spooky horse at the time, Dom Schramm putting my horse River in “trot fence bootcamp,” and Buck Davidson making me sit an entire jump course. And the final moment where it all made sense was at this particular show, after a horrific dressage round, where I went into stadium with a renewed gumption to take on my horse and not back down.

Amy Nelson & Hummingbird’s River
pc: Vic’s Pics

The last three strides before a fence always go as follows:

(3…) River: “Give me my face let me run at it. I MUST RUN.”

Me: “I will not. You have to have contact, and I have to sit back. You’re athletic. You can do this.”

(2…)River: “Then I will just canter in place and throw my head up in the air. I hate you. This is hard. I want to steeplechase.”

Me: “We aren’t steeplechasers. We are eventers. I’m NOT giving in. Jump or crash!”

(1…)River: “I’ll do it … I’ll crash! Let me run! This is hard!”

Me: “I’m not giving in! Jump or crash!!! I’ll ride you THROUGH this fence. JUMP. OR CRASH.

(base of fence) River: jumps beautifully with the best bascule and roundness he has ever had in his life.

(in air) Me: thinking, or possible cursing in front of this nice audience, I can’t be sure, Holy $#@!

Next fence … same thing.

We obviously need to get this worked out before our next show, but the lightbulb moment was worth the entry fees. Next time you jump a fence, ask yourself: who won that game of chicken? Did I win (I kept connection, shoulders back, leg on, until the base?) Did my horse win (I crept forward with my shoulders, took my leg off on 3 … 2 … 1 … strides, and allowed a run out or poor jumping effort)?

This is IMPERATIVE cross country. Ride every jump with the mindset of “over it or through it.” “Jump or crash.” Because I’m betting your horse would much rather choose jump. And if they do pick the wrong one, they will learn from this. Ride your “chicken strides.” Win the game.

Amy Nelson and Hummingbird’s Mendacium. Photo by Vic’s Pics.

A recommended exercise for this would be a start with a simple pole on the ground. Start at the trot, sit your chicken strides … then two-point only over the pole. Slowly build this up to a crossrail at the trot, then a low Swedish oxer, then an oxer. Sitting the trot during your chicken strides makes it obvious if you won. Did you are horse just trot really big or did they actually jump? Did you give up at the last stride and throw yourself into a two-point?

You can then work your way up to cantering a low oxer. Eventually build it up to a course. To play the game of chicken, my students had to shout out after every jump who won that game  — was it them or the horse? This made them very self aware of what their shoulders were doing, and if their position was correct.

The greatest joy in this exercise is to go around a course and shout out “I won! I won!” after every jump. Ride the chicken strides. I may not win a show just yet, but dang it, I’ll win those chicken strides. It really starts to make you feel great by the end.

Why is this so important? It’s vital to win the chicken strides because in cross country, or even stadium, you’re less likely to have a run out or a stop. Riding this way helps eliminate your horse’s poor jumping effort, such as long and flat jumps, which will drop rails. If you win the “chicken strides,” your horse will more likely get to the base and go up-and-over, with a beautiful bascule.

Play chicken with your horse. And win.

3… (I’m not giving up) … 2 … (not gonna do it) … 1 … (seriously I’ll win) … have a great jump.

Amy Nelson and Hummingbird’s Mendacium. Photo by Vic’s Pics.

The Art of Riding in the Rain

By on May 15, 2019 9:00 am -

Photo courtesy of Holly Covey.

Perhaps you only ride when it’s nice. After all, a good portion of the eventing community does just that — going south in the winter to avoid poor riding weather at home further north.

But if you never ride when it is pelting rain, or taste snowflakes as they slap your face, you never get to feel the strength you really have inside you.

Adversity makes us what we are. It is all of who we are, really, as eventers.

That does not mean that we need to be iron warriors or some kind of crazed outdoor freaks, able to survive in all weather. Rather, eventing is a sport that requires a certain amount of preparation and ability to roll with the weather that an eventing competition day brings. Our sport is an outdoor one, and we have to be ready for that.

Those of us on the east coast have been very familiar with weather and how it can affect us. About 20 percent of the events in our region were cancelled last year, a ripple effect that even hit the income level of our national organization. Weather definitely changes things.

More than once in my life, I’ve hid in the corner of a stall, or in the front of my horse trailer, feeling miserable and small as rain poured down on the roof. You relish the last few moments of being dry before you step out in the downpour.

You know your horse doesn’t seem to care — after all, they are out in the pasture in all weather and often don’t seem to mind wet weather, grazing away in a downpour. They are built for earth’s variances, while us humans seem to be always finding roofs to hide under.

Riding in the rain means resolve, and preparation, and confidence in yourself that you can keep your balance and encourage your horse, no matter what the condition that comes your way. As a working student I clearly recall days when rain made the arena a lake, and yet nothing changed — riding went on.

Somehow when you are young and fearless, this seems fun. It’s before you’ve been hurt, or had a terrible accident, or had a horse die or get injured, and your life is changed forever, that you feel that way — bulletproof, waterproof, emotion-proof.

But it is those days of unknowing splendor in the wealth of confidence you rely upon when the adverse days arrive. Riding always has risk, riding in the rain even more. Those that are afraid, that decide not to run, that weigh those risks and wait for another day — that’s when risk figures larger than confidence. And that’s not a black mark — it’s the reality of an injury, a destroyed confidence, a block or limit to ability on the day.

The problem with confidence is you don’t know how much you have until you need it — so much like experience (re: the famous Jimmy Wofford quote). And sometimes, it’s not even confidence you need, but some sort of “what the hell” feeling that goes way back in your soul, to the reasons you were attracted to competition in the first place.

You try really hard not to let the dare devil part rise above the practical risk part, because you know in the end, emotion doesn’t have much of a part in success. Hard work trumps emotion almost all the time in this sport.

So what part of your gut do you listen to? The part that questions, “the ground is really sloppy, is he shod well enough, do I have the right studs, is he fit enough?” Or the part that answers, “we’ve come so far, we’ve ridden all winter in the cold, the rain, the mud, the slop, and the wind blowing down our neck. I’m not giving up now!”

There isn’t a way to make these decisions easily and I wish I could give you a roadmap for the process. You decide on your own what you feel, how you want things to go, and whether your horse is ready for this, and whether you are ready to ride him.

But you don’t know how good you are if you don’t test yourself at least a bit. It’s the quest in us — the thing that makes runners start marathons, climbers top mountains, the thing that started your life with horses — can I do this? Am I good enough? Will my desire translate into actual doing?

And so you try. You put on your jacket, pull on the gloves, and step out into the rain, and you and your horse are in it together.

It means everything. All of who you are.

Go eventing.

 

Wednesday News & Notes from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces

By on May 15, 2019 12:01 am -

Filly by Upsilon out of Anna Bella. Photo via Kurt Martin Eventing’s FB page.

It’s officially spring now that my social media feed is littered with photos of foals. I love seeing their spindly legs and tiny faces. We’ve got a few superstars in the making landing this spring, including this adorable Upsilon filly out of Anna Bella, Kurt Martin’s 4* mount.

National Holiday: National Chocolate Chip Day

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Otter Creek Spring H.T. [Website]  [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]

Fair Hill H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Spring Gulch H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Your Wednesday News & Notes

On Wednesday, May 15th, there will be an Open House Informational Session held at Fair Hill, to present information about the proposed projects and improvements to the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area. This will include information about the enhancements to the steeplechase track. The Open House is from 6 – 8 p.m. [Fair Hill Improvements Open House]

Speaking of Fair Hill, they are still looking for volunteers as jump judges for this weekend’s horse trials. Come out and enjoy the sunshine for what should be a beautiful weekend … unlike the last two weekends. Bonus is being entered in a raffle for a free Starter Horse Trials entry! [Fair Hill Looking for Volunteers]

Vanir Kamira has won Badminton. Chilli Morning has won Badminton. Meet their offspring, a filly born via embryo transfer due to a prize offered at Burghley to the highest placed British-based mare inside the top twenty. The prize offers two embryo transfer breedings so that these high performing mares can continue to compete while simultaneously passing on their talent. [Vanir Kamira’s Offspring]

 

Attwood Wisdom of the Week: 

Want to know more about the most advanced footing solutions on the market today? Please call Attwood Equestrian Surfaces at 888-461-7788.

Tuesday Video from SpectraVet: Jersey Fresh Highlights

By on May 14, 2019 3:30 pm -

Let’s take a look back at the weekend that was at Jersey Fresh thanks to David Frechette whose snippets gives us a view of a variety of riders through all three phases. You can see even more on his YouTube page.

Go eventing.

#JFI3DE: Website, Final Scores, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter

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Jennifer’s Road to the Thoroughbred Makeover: Lessons Learned from a Masters Champion

By on May 14, 2019 2:00 pm -

For 673 accepted trainers, the journey to the Retired Racehorse Project‘s 2019 RPP Thoroughbred Makeover has begun! Between now and the Makeover, to take place Oct. 2-5 at the Kentucky Horse Park, four of those trainers will blog their journeys, including their triumphs and their heartbreaks, successes and failures, for Eventing Nation readers. Read more from EN’s 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Bloggers: Lindsey Burns, Hillary McMichael, Clare Mansmann, Jennifer Reisenbichler.

I started writing this a few weeks ago and put it on the shelf, because to be honest, I didn’t have any cute pictures of George. You know, the important things! We’re in that stage where there are not a lot of milestones or updates, because, as you’ll read below, life is a bit boring right now. But look for us in a few weeks, because I might have entered our first Beginner Novice mini trial today  

From “a few weeks ago me” …

I used to think golf was boring. OK, I still think golf is fairly boring. But my husband loves it, so I’ve learned a thing or two about the game over the past 10 years. Regardless of your opinion on golf, you know who Tiger Woods is. And if you’re like me, for reasons you’ve never quite been able to put your finger on, he is always the one you cheer for. Tiger quite literally had it all at a very young age, and this past weekend, he had it all once again. In most sports, I don’t like the players that win all the time — I’m looking at you Tom Brady. So why did I sit on my bar stool, willing Tiger to win last Sunday afternoon, then watch with tears in my eyes as that last shot went down?

For those of you who don’t follow golf, I’ll skip the soap opera that was Tiger, I’m sure you know that part. But did you know that he last won the Masters in 2005? Or that he won his last Major in 2008? That he had multiple surgeries, a circus of a personal life, and enough setbacks to make a normal person quit? I have a hard time comprehending sticking with something that isn’t quite working out for three years, much less 11. But there he was, in 2019, accepting that green jacket. What Tiger Woods did, in my mind, was nothing short of extraordinary and is one of the greatest feats I’ve ever seen in sports. I doubt many of us can comprehend the baby steps he took to get from 2008 to 2019.

So it is with extra resolve, that I set out to take the baby steps with George this year. We’re about 30 rides in at this point, and for lack of a better word, we’re in the boring stage. We’ve knocked out the low hanging fruit. George steers now, George no longer tries to run away from my leg, George has learned to go out and work, even when his friends are in the barn, George has learned to stand at the mounting block.

However, there are so many things he doesn’t do yet. He pushes against my left leg for a minimum of 10 steps before taking a step away. He doesn’t bend well going either direction. He doesn’t have much of a canter transition. He still looks a lot like a race horse, even with months of let down time. He still gives me the “ears” a lot, the ears that say “Mom, I tolerate you and your crazy ideas up there, but I have absolutely no idea what you want.”

One of our many long walks … I love his ears! Photo by Jennifer Reisenbichler.

It can be so hard to be patient, to get truly excited when something that sucked really badly yesterday sucks just a little bit less today. Or when what didn’t suck so bad yesterday is suddenly 10 times worse today. We are so tempted to get on Facebook and get secretly disappointed when we see another trainer’s horse running a recognized event in April, or see one with a clean flying change at this stage of the game. We have to remember that our horse isn’t on Facebook and has no agenda other than eating grass and feeling safe with his or her human.

Our baby steps might come rapidly, or the tracks might look like a drunk leaving the bar at 4 a.m. Some days we’ll hop off our horse feeling like the world is ours, and other days, it’s all we can do to keep our temper in check and end the ride before we take 10 steps back. Our horses deserve for us to celebrate each and every baby step along the way. Even when we want to quit, even when we’re sick and tired of things not going right, even when we wish we had $10k to buy something civil and trained.   

I’ve always said that I wanted to be a good rider, maybe even a great rider. I’ll admit that I’ve given up on my fair share of horses. And I’ve given up on myself a time or two along the way. Riding and training horses is rarely glamorous and it never goes exactly to plan. Even when we have a great day and everything goes right, there is sure to be one that knocks us on our rear right around the corner. But if Tiger Woods can go through 11 years of baby steps to make it back to the top, surely we owe it to our horses to embrace the process and the many tiny steps that come along with it.

Is he a ranch horse after all? Time will tell! Photo by Jennifer Reisenbichler.

Now back to “current me” …

Like I said at the beginning, I wrote this two weeks ago. In that time, George saw the chiropractor and we’ve finally been able to put in a few solid weeks of riding, even if we are dodging the April showers. I don’t feel like we’ve made a ton of progress, but reading back on my (two weeks old) list of things “George doesn’t do yet” made me realize just how far we’ve come! He is 100% more willing to bend after being adjusted, and he is starting to trust and reach for the bit. He also had the “ah ha” moment regarding leg yielding and moving his shoulders. Plus he’s put in several solid jump schools.

Maybe most importantly, he loves my niece and nephew and is happy to stand all day in the cross ties while they learn to groom. I’ve never been one to keep a riding diary, but using this as the next best thing, I can say it’s been really beneficial so far! The baby steps really do add up fast if you pay attention.

George and Gracie are quickly becoming best friends. Photo by Jennifer Reisenbichler.

 

 

 

Weekly OTTB Wishlist from Cosequin: Welcome Back to Finger Lakes

By on May 14, 2019 11:00 am -

Welcome back to the Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, New York! As one of the northernmost Thoroughbred race tracks in the United States, Finger Lakes has recently resumed live racing after their annual winter break. With the return of horses, trainers, and competition, so follows the local Thoroughbred rehoming organization Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds Inc.

Volunteers from Finger Lakes Finest (FLF) recently posted their first group of available horses this season. Here are three that we think could make nice eventing prospects:

Holly’s Halo. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.

Holly’s Halo (COMEONMOM – CHANCED, BY AMERICAN CHANCE): 2013 15.3-hand New York-bred mare

Can you call a mare hunky? This muscly girl is a homebred who’s very well-loved by her connections and has had the same owner and trainer her entire life. She has raced solely at Finger Lakes and has enjoyed time off from racing with turnout at her owners farm each winter before heading back to the track in the spring. Holly has raced once so far this year and in that race she dwelt at the gate and lagged behind the field, letting her connections know that she wasn’t particularly interested in this racing business anymore. She remains sound and clean-legged, though seems a bit foot sore in her jog video.

Holly has a full sister, Mom’s Chance, who we featured in a 2016 edition of OTTB Wishlist and has gone on to compete in the 2007 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover and be a lovely dressage mount for her owner. With the exception of being almost two hands shorter, Holly looks very similar to her sister both in their coloring and conformation.

View Holly’s Halo on Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds on Facebook.

Power Fixture. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.

Power Fixture (POWER BROKER – FASHION FIXTURE, BY WESTERN EXPRESSION): 2016 16.2-hand New York-bred gelding

This three-year-old is just back from his trainer’s farm where he spent the winter. He didn’t show a ton of aptitude for racing during his training last year and his connections were hoping that he’d come back from vacation this year ready to rock. However, it’s clear now that he just doesn’t like the environment at the track and therefore isn’t thriving. For this reason, Power Fixture remains unraced and ready to find a second career.

With his long legs and flashy movement, Power Fixture is going to be quite impressive-looking once he’s off the track and fills out. With the Pulpit and A.P. Indy sire line, this is your chance to get a great deal on a good-looking horse with sporty bloodlines.

View Power Fixture on Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.

Dr. Sin Dee. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.

Dr. Sin Dee (DR LARGE – NOBODY’S A SAINT, BY QUIET AMERICAN): 2016 15.2-hand New York-bred mare

Dr. Sin Dee has a single career start on her record and she finished the race in dead last. She has remained on the racetrack since then, however, as a safe and easy mount for newcomers to learn how to exercise racehorses. Therefore despite not having raced since last November, “Cindy” still has official workouts on record as recently as last week.

Cindy may yet grow a bit taller, but even so, she’d make a great mount for someone looking for an in-your-pocket partner. This young filly has a sweet personality to match her cute face and petite structure and the FLF volunteers were impressed by how polite and quite she was.

View Dr. Sin Dee on Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.

When Eventing Is a Pain in the Back: An Excerpt From ‘The Rider’s Pain-Free Back’

By on May 14, 2019 9:00 am -

In this excerpt from his book The Rider’s Pain-Free Back, retired neurosurgeon and horseman Dr. James Warson explains why eventers can be prone to back pain.

Photo by Amber Heintzberger courtesy of Trafalgar Square Press.

To persons who are not jumping enthusiasts, falls are the most obvious source of injuries in a sport that involves aiming a galloping horse at an immovable fence. While it’s true that falling, due to a refusal or some other error in judgment, can inflict significant trauma on a rider’s back, hunter, jumper, and event riders also tend to suffer a number of injuries as a result of the normal demands of their discipline.

Because of the huge forces involved in launching a 1,200-pound horse over an obstacle of any size, it is common for hunter, jumper, and event riders to experience the hyperflexion and hyperextension of whiplash, muscle spasms, and disc damage if they misjudge a distance. As a result of the inevitable concussive forces they experience, hunter, jumper, and event riders tend to accentuate wear and tear on the facet joints of their spine. (Bareback or saddle bronc riders also very commonly have huge facet joints. The joints have been slammed against each other and compressed so many times that they have endured a sort of chronic irritation. As a result, they have produced giant, hypertrophic, or enlarged facet joints.) Over time, riders who jump also gradually stretch, and thereby loosen, the anterior longitudinal ligaments of the spine. Damaged ligaments and weakened discs—most often in the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions—are commonly found.

Common Causes of Back Pain

The muscles themselves have pain receptors within them. These are triggered when a particular muscle is stretched, pulled, hit, or injured.

The most common cause of back pain is simply a muscular strain or pull in a person who is in relatively poor condition. The so-called “weekend warrior” who has been indoors all winter, who gets out the first good day of spring to ride, do some gardening, or do some heavy lawn work, is a prime candidate for a strained muscle. People will very commonly overextend the capability of back muscles that have not been properly strengthened and develop significant back pain as a result.

A bulging disc may be responsible for irritating or compressing the nerves of the spinal canal. The nucleus of the disc does not have any innervation. It causes pain only when it bulges or ruptures through the wall of the disc and strikes a nerve that runs behind the wall. Nerves may also be irritated if they come into contact with one of the arthritic or spondylitic ridges that have formed on the vertebrae.

Another cause of nerve irritation occurs when the facet joints overgrow as a result of the laying down of bone due to chronic irritation and trauma. This is especially common in people that experience violent back extension, as can be the case in jumping.

The disc wall itself has nerve fibers in it. Sometimes when the disc is bulging, the patient can actually feel it stretch. A stretching, or bulging disc generally feels like a midline, aching back pain.

Like the nucleus of the disc, bone itself also doesn’t have any pain fibers within it. However, bone is covered with a lining called the periosteum that has pain fibers in it. If you fracture a bone and bleed under the periosteum, it will separate from the bone and will be quite painful.

This excerpt from The Rider’s Pain-Free Back by Dr. James Warson is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).