Thursday News & Notes from Kentucky Equine Research

Could I be more of a nerd? No. No I could not. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Could I be more of a nerd? No. No I could not. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Well, we’re here at The Fork, one of the biggest events of the year. Due to the timing of the event, you’re sure to see all the big names out and about this weekend, looking for one last good round before the-event-that-shall-remain-unnamed in April. Dreams can be fortified or broken here on cross country day, as the course is usually challenging and the competition tough. I’m running the Advanced this weekend with my old partner (who already saw the warmup for cross country and proceeded to snort and prance for 20 minutes), and I’ll be doing a course walk tomorrow for your viewing pleasure. Two days of dressage stretch before us, with the honorable Jenni Autry at the helm. If you see her, bring her some sunscreen and maybe some wine.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

The Fork CIC & H.T. [Website] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

CDCTA Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]

Pine Hill Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

Spring Bay H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times]

News From Around the Globe:

Following the Rio Olympics this summer, Great Britain’s eventing chef d’equipe Yogi Breisner will be stepping down. Since taking charge eight months before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, his reign includes Britain winning four successive Olympic team medals – three silver and a bronze – five European team titles and the 2010 world team gold in Kentucky. Team GB has confirmed that they will begin the search for his successor in the fall. [Yogi Breisner Stepping Down]

What’s happening at The Fork? USEA has compiled some fast facts for your quick consumption about this Gold Cup competition. How many competitors in the CIC3*? Who designed the cross country? Get set, GO! [Gold Cup Fast Facts]

There’s still time to register to audit the Sinead Halpin clinic in Kentucky next weekend! All the riders and horses have applied and been grouped, but spots are available for auditing. Held at Antebellum Farm in Lexington on the 16-17th, this clinic will not be open to the public, so if you want to check it out, pre-register to audit here. [SHE Clinic in Kentucky]

Time for the weekly H&H eventing quiz! This time we’re testing your knowledge on Eventing Jesus himself, none other than William Fox Pitt. We’re delighted that he’s back in the competition ring, and H&H decided it was a perfect time to put him on their quiz list. No biggie guys, but I got a perfect score, sooooo, top that! (This just means I’m more of a stalker than you, really). [H&H Eventing Quiz]

Lesson horses might actually be the saviors of the world. Which is why Horse Nation is promoting the first annual International Lesson Horse Day on April 26th, and celebrating with an essay contest! Those careful old schoolmasters who taught us as much about persistence, responsibility and other life skills as they did about actual horseback riding. On International Lesson Horse Day, we celebrate those tireless troopers working steadfastly day after day to bring up the next generation of equestrians, whether they’re turning circles on the lunge line in the humble dusty arena of the local lesson barn to schooling upper-level riders in advanced maneuvers in the greatest schools in the world. If you want to win about $400 in Absorbine products, enter this essay contest!! [Horse Nation Essay Contest]

 

 

KER Service of the Week – Educational Resources

With so many variables to consider, feeding and managing horses can get complicated quickly. Never fear—Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is here to help you stay on top of the latest. KER offers a variety of educational resources for horse owners, including the Weekly Feed Newsletter, an ever-expanding library of articles, published research, and even the full text of reference volumes!

KER’s Equinews.com is a reference site for all your horse feeding and management questions, updated daily! You can also get the latest in equine nutrition, health, and management delivered straight to your inbox every week with the award-winning Weekly Feed newsletter.

Advances in Equine Nutrition is a compilation of selected papers from past KER nutrition conferences. These papers cover a broad range of topics and contain a wealth of information related to equine nutrition, veterinary medicine, and exercise physiology. The volumes showcase papers from international authorities on nutrition, sports medicine, and veterinary topics pertaining to the horse. The full text of all four volumes is available on KER’s website.

For the serious science reader, the quantity of published research derived from studies conducted at KER rivals that of leading universities. Areas of study include digestibility, product development, equine health, behavior, performance, reproduction, and more. Check out KER’s collection of published research.