January 13, 2014

AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce new dates for the 2014 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions presented by The Dutta Corp. The event will take place June 12-15 at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, N.J. The event will also feature the Selection Trial for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games US Dressage Team Short List.

The 2014 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions presented by The Dutta Corp will once again hold championships across six divisions: The Dutta Corp/USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship, The Dutta Corp/USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship, USEF Young Adult ‘Brentina Cup’ Dressage National Championship, AGCO/USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championship, AGCO/USEF Junior Dressage National Championship and USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship.

Dressage Canada is pleased to announce that Dr. Volker Moritz has been selected to join a growing team of experts working together in the shared goal of helping Canadian high performance dressage riders be successful at the top level of the sport.

Laura Cardon for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL – January 12, 2014 – Heather Mason (USA) and Zar finished on top of the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle, presented by Everglades Dressage, with a winning score of 72.275% at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AFDF). Second place went to Leida Collins-Strijk (NED) and West Side for a score of 71.150% and Austria’s Katharina Stumpf rounded out the top three with a score of 67.000% on Nymphenburg’s Love.

The FEI Intermediaire Freestyle was on the final day of the first week of the AGDF, sponsored by MTICA Farm and Everglades Dressage. Competition will resume on January 1619 with the AGDF 2 Dressage National and Gold Coast Dressage CDI. The feature event of the “Friday Night Stars” is the Wellington Wild West Show, with exhibitions such as trick riders, comedy acts, barrel racing, roping, Roman riding teams, and more for a full western rodeo atmosphere! The AGDF continues for 11 more weeks of top dressage competition through March 30.

Heather Mason and Zar

Despite a few minor missteps, Mason was overall very pleased with Zar’s performance during the test. “I had two little mistakes. One going into the first shoulder-in that he wasn’t expecting, so we kind of wavered into it. The other one was the second extended canter. He switched [leads] behind when I brought him back. But he felt great. He was very happy. His changes and his pirouettes were very good,” Mason described.

Now that Zar’s rideability has been solidly established, Mason will start to work on his expression in preparation for the AGDF 3 CDI W, presented by US P.R.E. Association and Chespeake Dressage Institute, which runs January 23-26.

“What I need to do is get more power in him still. More power, more expression. He’s very consistent. He’s very obedient. Now I just need to get a little bit more brilliance out of him,” Mason detailed.

“I’m going to start working more with piaffe-passage work, which he’s done before, but hasn’t been a focus,” Mason continued. “I haven’t really been using it to strengthen his [Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire tests], which I think I need to do.”

Mason has developed a close relationship with Zar after riding him for seven years. She broke Zar as a three-year-old, even showing him in-hand, and the KWPN gelding recently turned 10.

“We get along really well. He’s a really easy horse to get along with. He’s very honest under saddle, as long as you don’t act too nervous. That’s the biggest thing with him-he’s a big chicken!” Mason laughed.

Mason tailors her care for each horse, including a simple routine of lunging Zar simply for 10 minutes before he is ridden. Despite a tendency to feed off any nerves his rider may exhibit, Mason says Zar is a simple ride as long as he gets his morning lunge. Zar has even played schoolmaster for one of Mason’s young clients. “I have one junior rider who’s been with me for a few years now and she’ll ride him on the weekends – but she always lunges him first. She’s a fairly timid rider, but she knows how to handle him now. She’s learning a lot on him. She does the changes, (and) she’s learned pirouettes on him,” Mason revealed.

Mason and Zar plan to return for competition at AGDF 3. AGDF 2 resumes Thursday, January 16. The AGDF hosts 12 weeks of world-class dressage competition at The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, continuing through March 30. For full results and more information, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

Final Results: FEI Intermediaire Freestyle presented by Everglades Dressage

Rider, Country, Horse: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%

1 Heather Mason, USA, Zar: 73.500%, 69.125%, 71.00%, 72.625%, 75.125%, 72.275%

2 Leida Collins-Strijk, NED, West Side: 70.625%, 71.500%, 70.375%, 72.875%, 70.375%, 71.150%

3 Katharina Stumpf, AUT, Nymphenburg’s Love: 67.000%, 66.500%, 66.875%, 67.875%, 66.750%, 67.000%

4 Gabriela Stumpf, AUT, Finally Love: 64.500%, 65.125%, 60.750%, 62.625%, 68.00%, 64.200%

Photo Credit: Photos © SusanJStickle.com.

Wellington, FL – January 11, 2014 – At today’s competition at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) CDI W, two young riders made their mark in the show ring. Sixteen-year-old Juan Matute, Jr. (ESP) rode Don Diego Ymas to the win in the FEI Intermediaire I presented by Chesapeake Dressage with a score of 70.579%. Megan Lane (CAN), at 22 years old, took the top placing in the FEI Grand Prix Special, presented by MTICA Farm, with Caravella and scored 68.980%.

The first week of the AGDF concludes tomorrow with a full schedule of national classes as well as the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle presented by Everglades Dressage. The AGDF continues for 11 more weeks of top dressage competition through March 30.

Juan Matute, Jr. and Don Diego Ymas

Matute, Jr. and Don Diego Ymas, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Don Frederico, have been paired for three years, although the horse has been with Matute’s family since he was four years old. This was their first I-1 at a CDI.

Second place in the FEI I-1 was Heather Mason (USA) on Zar, who scored a 69.789%. Jill Irving (CAN) and Dio Mio placed third after they scored 68.895%.

Matute, Jr. is originally from Madrid, Spain, but now lives in Wellington, FL. Of his first I-1 class, he said, “I think it’s a great opportunity to ride with big riders, like the ones that rode today. I think it was a good test with big judges as well. It was our first I-1 at a CDI, so I think it was very successful. I’m super happy,” he expressed.

For their first two years together, they competed at the junior level and after placing fourth individually in the Freestyle at the European Junior Championships this past summer, they decided to move up to the next level. “We know the horse can do the movements, so why not? It’s a challenge,” he said.

This week was also a learning experience for Matute, Jr. “It’s been a fantastic weekend. We learned a lot and it was great. He’s a bit nervous when it comes to showing and being alone in the ring,” he explained. “The first day he was a bit nervous, but on the second day he was much more confident and listened to me more. We rode more as a couple, more together.”

Megan Lane of Loretto, ON, Canada, and Caravella, a 16-year-old KWPN mare by Contango x Riverman, have made their way up to the Grand Prix level together. After successfully competing at the junior and young rider levels (they medaled six times at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior Young Rider Championships), they moved up to the Grand Prix last year.

Megan Lane and Caravella

“I have brought her along from the beginning. When I bought her, I bought her as a hunter,” Lane recalled. “She’s the first horse for my first Grand Prix and my first horse that I’ve brought along to this point. It’s very exciting.”

Judge Natalie Lamping noted that Caravella’s passage was “a little too open in the beginning,” but that as the test progressed, “it became more closed and got more elevation.” She continued, “I think she did a really good job at setting the mare up and being organized in the test. She hasn’t maxed out yet. There is a lot of room for the score to go up. Sometimes you’re limited by the scope of your horse, but they haven’t gone there yet. That was nice to see.”

Lane agreed with the assessment and while she said that her piaffe and passage were a highlight of her test today, she also noted that yesterday’s “canter zig-zag” was the best one she has ever ridden. “It’s nice when that happens in the test!” she exclaimed.

Megan Lane and Caravella with judge Natalie Lamping and Cora Causemann.

AGDF 1 Dressage CDI-W concludes tomorrow with the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle presented by Everglades Dressage. For full results and more information, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

Final Results: FEI Intermediaire I presented by Everglades Dressage

Rider, Country, Horse: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%

1 Juan Matute Jr., ESP, Don Diego Ymas: 68.553%, 70.263%, 72.105%, 70.263%, 71.711%, 70.579%

2 Heather Mason, USA, Zar: 68.947%, 69.079%, 69.858%, 70.526%, 70.526%, 69.789%

3 Jill Irving, CAN, Dio Mio: 72.105%, 66.974%, 68.947%, 70.132%, 66.316%, 68.895%

4 Chris Von Martels, CAN, Zilverstar: 68.684%, 68.158%, 69.474%, 68.684%, 68.553%, 68.711%

5 Gabriela Stumpf, AUT, Finally Love: 69.079%, 67.895%, 67.500%, 66.184%, 67.763%, 67.684%

6 Leida Collins-Strijk, NED, West Side: 66.842%, 66.447%, 66.579%, 66.053%, 67.105%, 66.605%

7 Katharina Stumpf, AUT, Nymphenburg’s Love: 65.658%, 66.316%, 62.105%, 64.342%, 65.526%, 64.789%

Final Results: FEI Grand Prix Special presented by MTICA Farm

Rider, Country, Horse: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%

1 Megan Lane, CAN, Caravella: 67.549%, 69.412%, 69.902%, 70.882%, 67.157%, 68.980%

2 Anna Whit Watkins, USA, Oublette: 62.059%, 64.804%, 62.451%, 63.922%, 62.549%, 63.157%

3 Heather Blitz, USA, Paragon: 64.216%, 59.706%, 58.235%, 58.824%, 62.745%, 60.745%

4 Kelly Layne, Kelly, AUS, Von Primaire: 59.314%, 61.569%, 60.392%, 59.608%, 57.843%, 59.745%

Photo Credit: Photos © SusanJStickle.com.

Horsemen’s Laboratory has been performing fecal egg counts on horse stool samples for more than 20 years. Dr. Byrd’s goal has always been to help horse owners manage their horse’s deworming program. He has always advised horse owners to have their horse’s stool sample tested before deworming their horse, and deworming only when necessary. This approach means that unnecessary deworming is avoided—a happy event for both owner and horse—but also helps to slow the development of resistant parasites.

With no new deworming medication on the horizon, innovative and creative research is required to address the issue of managing parasites in horses. One such project will be spearheaded by leading equine parasitology researcher and veterinarian Dr. Martin Nielsen. Nielsen’s campaign is called “Let the germs get the worms: Testing a novel probiotic compound for treatment of equine parasites.” The project will examine the role of bacteria in limiting the growth of resistant parasites.

What sets this important project apart from most scientific research projects is the funding source. Dr. Nielsen will rely on crowdfunding—voluntary contributions by the public to fund his research—which guarantees that his research will be independent and unbiased. All horse owners have a stake in the outcome of this research project. Horsemen’s Laboratory is encouraging all horse owners to contribute and to help Dr. Nielsen meet his goal of $30,000 by March 10, 2014.

You can sign up for more information on Dr. Nielsen’s project and make secure online donations at http://equineparasitology.ca.uky.edu/, where they can also access videos and educational information.

Horsemen’s Laboratory owner Dr. John Byrd has extensive experience with racing and breeding horses and oversees Westbrook Boarding Stable. He created Horsemen’s Laboratory in 1992 so that horse owners could better evaluate their horses’ worm control programs and make informed decisions about deworming their horses. Dr. Byrd was one of the earliest proponents of performing fecal egg counts prior to deworming. His recommendation has always been to deworm only when the fecal egg count indicated that deworming was necessary—long before anyone else in the horse industry was recommending the new deworming protocol of selective deworming. His early vision was to create a convenient method that would allow horse owners to have their horses checked for internal parasites rather than just routinely deworming them every 6-8 weeks or feeding daily deworming medication. Horsemen’s Laboratory has made it easy for horse owners to follow the new, recommended selective deworming protocol by providing easy-to-order kits, email test results, and periodic reminders for testing.

If you have questions specific to your barn, pastures, or testing program contact Dr. John Byrd by:

• e-mail hlab@horsemenslab.com
• telephone 1-800-544-0599
• contact form at www.horsemenslab.com
• post your question on Facebook

Dr. Byrd is a member of:

• American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)
• American Veterinary Association
• American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists
• American Quarter Horse Association

Visit www.horsemenslab.com to learn more about Horsemen’s Laboratory and parasites, to sign up for the monthly newsletter, and to order testing kits. You can also order kits by calling 1-800-544-0599.

Contact: Sally J. Baker, APR

sbaker@aaep.org or 859.233.0147

Veterinarians who travel to their patients are now closer to having the complete ability to transport and administer controlled substances to provide pain management, anesthesia or euthanasia.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners applauds the U.S. Senate for its Jan. 9^th passage of the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act (S. 1171), which removes a loophole from the Controlled Substances Act that prohibits veterinarians from taking controlled substances beyond their registered premise.

“Most equine veterinarians provide care to their patients at farm or event locations, not in a clinic setting,” explained Dr. Jeff Blea, 2014 AAEP president.  “Our ability as doctors of veterinary medicine to relieve pain and suffering is essential to basic animal health and welfare. The passage of this bill in the Senate is extremely important to the animals we treat.”

Since November 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration has informed the veterinary profession that the Controlled Substances Act does not permit veterinarians to take controlled substances beyond their registered location, such as a clinic or a home.  The DEA indicated that without a statutory change to the Act, some veterinarians may be practicing in violation of the law.

The Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act must now pass the U.S. House of Representatives in order to become law.  H.R. 1528 has more than 140 co-sponsors in the House.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its more than 9,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.