Horse-Less Show Jumping Classes to Benefit Underpriviledged Kids Around the World

This weekend, the National Capital Show Jumping Tournament in Ottawa, Ontario will feature a "Horse-Less" Show Jumping Competition in which human competitors of all ages tackle miniaturized horse show jumps on foot. The crowd-pleasing competition, which has classes ranging from Short Stirrup to Grand Prix at the height of 3' (on a course full of creative sponsored jumps designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil) will raise funds for JustWorld International, a nonprofit organization that provides short-term assistance to developing countries with the hopes of breaking the cycle of poverty. JustWorld improves the quality of life and education for children in Brazil, Cambodia, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, and Senegal. JustWorld was founded in 2002 by former Grand Prix Show Jumper Jessica Newman. High performance equestrians from around the world can sign up to become Rider Ambassadors who wear the JustWorld colors on their jackets and saddle pads, helping to bring attention to the causes of the organization.

The Horse Less Horse show classes will be held in the US later this month at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in New York.

For more information about JustWorld or to find out how you can become a sponsor or a rider ambassador, please visit http://www.justworldinternational.org/ or contact Executive Director Jessica Newman at jnewman@justworldinternational.org.


Photo credit: www.startinggate.ca

Steffan Peter's New Saddle Pad from Professional's Choice

Steffen Peters, winner of the 2009 World Cup and 2009 Grand Prix Champion at Aachen, has developed an exclusive line of Dressage Saddle Pads manufactured and distributed by Professional’s Choice.

The oversize pads have a great high wither cut and optional shearling lining. They come in white or black. The show pad (without fleece) goes for about $60.00

For more information visit Professional's Choice or call 1.800.331.9421.

HorseTV launches HSPAN - Horses On Demand!

HorseTV, the first television network dedicated to providing programming for the equestrian lifestyle delivered all around the world, has announced the launch of H-SPAN, an online channel dedicated to the horse industry.


According to HorseTV, "H-SPAN delivers live, interactive, moderated and archived equine and equestrian debates, symposiums, meetings and educational presentations twenty-four hours a day on an on-demand schedule."


Some programming available on H-SPAN right now:

• The Kentucky Intl Equine Summit
• Natl Horse Youth Leaders Symposium
• Kentucky Horse Park Foundation Video
• American Horse Council's National Issues Forum

H-SPAN can broadcast your meetings or debates, symposiums, book releases, speeches or clinics... email them to apply: ideas@horsetv.com.

Club Equestrian Site by USEF Offering Free Event & Business Listings

USEF has developed their new website, Club Equestrian, as a user friendly forum for the equine community.

Right now, users can promote their equine-related event (seminar, clinic, expo, show, fundraiser, etc) for free by filling out the online form. The event will be added to the Club Equestrian nationwide calendar.

USEF members can also list their equine business in the online business directory, which is organized by state and broken down into a myriad of categories and subcategories from Training and Boarding to Alternative Health Care.

The site also features a discussion board, news page, videos and photos and an online encyclopedia.

The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for equestrian sport, responsible for selecting, training and funding our US Equestrian Team and for licensing equestrian competitions of all levels across the country. USEF works for the health and welfare of horses by assisting in humane efforts, disaster relief and in coordination with state and federal governments and other national equine organizations on all issues important to the equine community.

Steffan Peters Edges Out Werth to Win World Cup Final with 84.95%

Steffan Peters become the second American rider in history to win the World Cup Final on Saturday Night at the Rolex FEI World Cup held this year in Las Vegas. He has only been partnered with his horse, the 11 year old gelding Ravel (by Contango), for 14 months. Peters credits Ravel's good mind and sound temper for helping him to the win. Dressage Daily quotes Peters: “Ravel kept it together even with the noisy crowd. I am really one of those lucky guys in the world that gets to ride a horse with a mind like that.” Ravel's success is a credit to Iron Spring Farm's breeding program, of which Contango has long since been a cornerstone stud.

See a video of Peter's historic ride at NBC's Universal Sports Equestrian Channel.

For more live equestrian sports action, The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event starts Thursday, April 23rd and runs through Sunday, April 26th. Held each year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, Rolex draws a crowd of over 100,000. A festive atmosphere pervades the Horse Park with more than 175 merchants, corporate sponsors and food vendors on the grounds. Equestrian Events, Inc. is offering pay-per-view webcasts of the dressage and cross country. Universal Sports' Equestrian Channel will have free, live coverage of show jumping on April 26th.

photo credit: AP Photo

2009 Kentucky Derby - This Year's Opportunity

The 135th Kentucky Derby is less than three weeks away and as I say every year, let all of us "Good Horsepeople" take advantage of this opportunity to promote the horse industry by educating our friends, families and co-workers about our favorite animals. By talking intelligently about the pros and cons of the racing industry in a constructive and supportive way, we can raise awareness for responsible racing and horse-keeping practices, and for the thousands of ex-racehorses that need help transitioning into new careers as sport horses, pleasure horses and companion animals that support and contribute to the equine industry in this country.

Each year the Derby attracts more than 150,000 people to Churchill Downs and millions more will tune in on television. People who rarely interact with horses are suddenly interested in the contenders, their stories and the action on race day. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with a couple of the horses and their stories, as well as the issues current to the racing industry today, especially the retirement and placement of off-the-track racehorses. To learn more, check out CANTER (the communication alliance to network Thoroughbred racehorses) and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

Here are the The Good Horseperson's early picks. If you can't make it to the race, online Kentucky Derby betting is a simple and easy option.

I Want Revenge: This colt by Stephen Got Even recently won the Wood Memorial Stakes, despite the fact that he lost valuable seconds in the beginning of the race after rearing in the starting gate and lurching out of the box slightly behind the rest of the field. In a New York Times article by Joe Drape, I Want Revenge's jockey complements his mount, calling him "such a smart animal" and "mature for his age." He may only have 3 victories in eight starts, but I Want Revenge has plenty of heart and a cool-headed jockey who believes in him.

Papa Clem: A handsome bay colt by Smart Strike (Mr. Prospector), Papa Clem just won the million dollar Arkansas Derby last Saturday, edging out Derby favorite Old Fashioned, who is now out of the race with an injury. Papa Clem's trainer, Gary Stute, has been feeling very good about his colt, who he feels is at the top of his game. After watching the video of Arkansas Derby, Papa Clem seems like the kind of horse who has staying power and the ability to dig in and get the lead at the right moment.

Friesian Fire: This bright bay colt by A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) has the bloodlines and more wins than Papa Clem and I Want Revenge - he is actually unbeaten so far this year, and ran away with a 7 length lead in the Louisiana Derby. Friesian Fire is trainer Larry Jones's only hope in what he's calling his last trip in the run for the roses. Jones will attempt to run him after a 7 week lay-off, which has raised some eyebrows, but clockers caught the colt running very well this morning on the dirt at Keeneland.

image courtesy of www.kentuckyderby.info

Debbie McDonald will be Celebrity Guest Speaker at the 2009 PVDA Ride for Life

The Potomac Valley Dressage Association announced last week that they have confirmed Olympic Bronze Medalist and World Cup Champion Debbie McDonald as the Celebrity Guest Speaker at their annual Ride for Life competition on June 27-28th, 2009. The Ride for Life supports breast cancer research in coordination with John's Hopkins.

Ride for Life's Saturday night Dancing Horse Challenge and Gala features international quality exhibition performances, dinner options and a well stocked silent auction, which includes a riding clinic donated by McDonald. The event is held at Prince Georges Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. Tickets are available at the door starting at 6pm on June 27th, $15 per person.

According to PVDA, the Dancing Horse Challenge has become one of the largest and well attended dressage freestyle competitions in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

For more information about the show, visit Ride for Life's newly revamped website:

www.pvdarideforlife.org

Star Athlete Profile: Combined Driver Chester Webber

Chester Weber won the four-in-hand division at the Sunshine State Combined Driving Event at the Florida Horse Park last weekend.
I have been admiring Webber since seeing his exhibition at the Washington International Horse Show in D.C. last October. The four-in-hand dressage is really something to see...a really impressive example of obedience and submission.


In 2008, Webber became the first American to win an individual medal the Four-In-Hand World Championship, held in the Netherlands. He was also named Equestrian of Honor by the United States Equestrian Federation for dominating most of the combined driving divisions throughout 2008. One of his competition horses, Jamaica, was named 2008 Horse of Honor. Jamaica was a former tourist carriage horse rescued from the slaughterhouse and trained by Webber into a world class combined driving athlete.

Webber intends to qualify for the 2010 Alltech FEI Word Equestrian Games to be held right here in the states at the Kentucky Horse Park. Tickets go on sale beginning September 25, 2009.

Watch the Rolex Three-Day Event on NBC on May 4th!

On Sunday, May 4th at 5pm Eastern Time NBC will broadcast a one-hour special of the Rolex Four-Star Event held at the Kentucky Horse Park last weekend. This year, the Rolex was a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics.

We won't describe the action here, in case you don't want a spoiler, but if you do, check out full coverage at Horses Daily.

According to a press release on the official Event website, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is expected to attract an attendance of 95,000. Highlights from the event will be aired on U.S. national television NBC Sports on May 4 to some 1.2 million households in the United States.

This is great opportunity to support equestrian sports and encourage more national television networks to fork over more airtime for our pursuit - so please, tune in!

Horse Help Hotline Introduced by Kentucky Horse Council

This seems like a fantastic idea - hopefully the news of the hotline will spread far and wide enough that the people who really need it, know about it! Wouldn't it be great to have hotlines like this one for all areas of the country - perhaps this would help with the "unwanted horse" problem that some are using as an argument against the proposed ban on horse slaughter and horses exported for slaughter.

According to the article on http://www.thehorse.com/:

The hotline is available at 866/634-0030, and is the result of a horse industry emergency roundtable meeting held Jan. 23, 2008. Attendees--including a number of breed, veterinarian, rescue, and animal control groups--engaged in a lively and in-depth discussion of the current hay and unwanted horse situation in Kentucky. Solutions, problems, and difficulties addressing the growing
concerns were discussed. The new hotline was one of the tools proposed in this
meeting. The assistance provided through the hotline will be supported by
donations to the Save Our Horses (SOHO) Fund. Donations can be made to SOHO
online or via mail to: Kentucky Horse Council, 4063 Iron Works Parkway,
Suite 2, Lexington, KY 40511.

To read the full article click here

Two Horses Die After Freak Collision in Pasture

This very unusual event caught the attention of the Good HorsePerson early Thursday morning....

Two horses in a pasture in Northern California collided in such a way to break both horses' spinal cords behind the front shoulder. When the owners first caught sight of the dead horses, they assumed foul play, figuring they had been shot.

According to a press release from the sheriff's office the deaths were completely accidental:

"These injuries are believed to be the result of an impact/collision between the two horses. Additionally, both horses suffered head lacerations; not associated with the cause of death."

Accoring to The Reporter the owner of Freckles -Cheryl Kanewske - believed the horses - both normally quiet creatures - were probably spooked by something and accidently ran into one another, probably after dark. Freckles had multiple breaks in his back, a torn lung and several lacerations. Kanewske had owned Freckles since she was nine years old.

Our hearts go out to both owners for this truly bizarre tragedy. Horse owners have been turning their horses out at night for years...is there an increased risk? Do you notice more injuries during night turnout? Interesting food for thought in light of this incident....

48 Thoroughbred Horses Seized in Virginia

If you haven't already heard of this disturbing story, the Good HorsePerson would like you to see this article published on http://www.thehorse.com/ on January 30th.

"Loudoun County, Va., officials seized 48 horses from a Middleburg farm, and animal cruelty charges could be on the horizon for the horses' owners. Officials said many of the horses were emaciated, standing in areas covered by their own feces, and their drinking water was frozen in their troughs. They allege that no hay was found on the property. "

To read the rest of the story, click here:http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=11244&source=rss

The Washington Post reported on January 31 that criminal charges are pending against owners Dennis Danley, Donald Cutshaw and Pablo Cosme. Read the Post article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003592.html?sub=AR

If you want to help thoroughbred racehorses from ending up in a place like this, consider volunteering for CANTER (Communication Alliance to Network Thorougbred Racehorses). http://www.canterusa.org/

photo courtesy of the Washington Post

Budweiser Horse Rocky wins #1 Super Bowl Ad for 2008

This is so cute...worth seeing and great overall horse publicity. Somewhere in America, this commercial no doubt caused a little girl to start begging for riding lessons. Hopefully no one is trying to teach their horse to high-five a dalmation!

http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads?videoId=2065836