The Standardbred e Connection e Focusing on pleasure Standardbreds who are in the public eye.
Standardbreds Take On The
World!
Featuring Standardbreds From: Sweden United States Australia Canada United Kingdom
January 2017
The Standardbred Connection January 2017
Inside this Edition: Exploring the United States Trotting Association
Page 3
Full Circle by Laura Burnside
Page 4
Sidney Rain Brings Miles of Smiles with Jen Moore
Page 9
HERO
Page 10
Hawthorne Race Course Sponsorship
Page 14
3 Up 1 Down With Greg Roberts
Page 15
5 Things Acrylic Nails Taught Me About Hoof Care... by Sarah Kuyken
Page 16
Not A Standard Friendship by Helene Gregory
Page 18
OSAS Adds Colourful Ambassador
Page 21
Standardbreds Succeed at 30th Annual Northampton Driving Society Show by Audrey Cooper
Page 22
From the Track to Hilltopping with Phillippa Bendall
Page 24
by Kathleen Haak
Cover Image: Hunting the Shropshire Hills by Mark Bendall Questions, comments and article ideas can be sent to STBConnection@gmail.com.
Exploring the
United States Trotting Association
L
ong before baseball and NASCAR there was harness racing as a national pastime. In the United States racing often involved neighbors racing down the road – classic road racing. By the early 1800’s racing had become more formal and involved racetracks. Harness racing was very popular, spawning everything from Currier & Ives prints to Stephen Foster songs. It was during this time that the Standardbred breed evolved, becoming “formalized” in 1879, using a standard of time performance of 2 minutes 30 seconds over a mile. Pacers gained acceptance around 1897 with the sport’s first two-minute mile by Star Pointer. As racing matured in the United States so did the organizations governing it. From local and regional groups came the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, which was succeeded by the American Trotting Register Association, now the U.S. Trotting Association (USTA).
The USTA is currently based in Columbus, Ohio. It is a 501(c) (6) non-profit, membership organization (meaning that it can’t accept donations). The group consists of “Standardbred owners, breeders, drivers, trainers, and officials, organized to provide administrative, rulemaking, licensing and breed registry services to its members.” Per their website their mission is to: – License owners, trainers, drivers and officials. – Formulate the rules of racing. – Maintain and disseminate racing information and records. – Serve as the registry for the Standardbred breed. – Endeavor to ensure the integrity of harness racing. – Insist on the humane treatment of Standardbreds. – Promote the sport of harness racing and the Standardbred breed.
As a breed organization, the USTA is unusual in that its primary focus is the sport of harness racing and then the breed. As racing experiences ups and down so too does the organization. Membership, which was once nearly 25,000, currently stands at less than 17,000. The vast majority of that membership is involved in racing, a small percentage are also involved in pleasure Standardbreds. There is some overlap with trainers, grooms, and owners owning Standardbreds even after they have retired from racing.
The Golden Years In the 1990’s there was a renewed effort by the USTA to increase awareness of the Standardbred for non-racing purposes. The Standardbred Equestrian Program (SEP) was created in 1996 and the results were new partnerships with a vari-
H
ety of sport organizations like the American Road Horse & Pony Association, a roadster group. The USTA sponsors several awards and classes including the USTA Roadster Classic, which is held every August in conjunction with the World’s Championship Horse Show, the world’s richest and most prestigious Saddlebred horse show. All of the classes are for Saddlebreds except for the Roadster classes, which allow Standardbreds. Standardbreds who compete in the USTA Roadster Classic must be registered with the USTA and owned by a USTA member. This is an important relationship, the only one that requires membership with the USTA to qualify for an award. In the years leading up to the 2010 World Equestrian Games being hosted in Lexington, Kentucky there seemed to be a flurry of support from the USTA for pleasure Standardbreds. Jessica Schro-
FULL CIRCLE by Laura Burnside
ave you ever wondered what has happened to a favorite race horse or where they may have ended up? In November of 2010 the United States Trotting Association began a program called Full Circle in order to help you find that favorite horse if it should ever require help.
The idea is fairly straight forward. If there is a Standardbred you would like to ‘help’ you can contact the USTA to record your contact information, it will then be attached to that particular horse’s record. There is no charge or obligation for doing this, it is not binding. In the event the owner of that horse begins to look for options for that horse he/she could contact you to see if you could help each other to help that horse. Those options could be almost anything such as they could be seeking a new owner, a turnout area, possible monetary assistance with care for that horse, assistance with retraining for a pleasure home, a forever home, etc…. As a current owner of a Standardbred, which no longer has commercial value one would search the name of the horse to find the full circle logo next to its name. You would then be able to contact the person listed to discuss options. You can enroll a horse even if it is just a name which appeals to you. You do not have to have had contact with it before. Anyone is welcome to try to help. According to Ellen Harvey of the USTA, in the first four years of the program, 444 people enrolled a total of 5,872 horses. Some of them have been enrolled by more than one person so the number of enrollments is 6,273 for 5,872 individual horses. Currently there are over 7,000 Standardbreds enrolled in the program. Unfortunately, once the USTA links the two parties there is no further contact by the USTA so there are no success stories.
eder, USTA Assistant Fair Liason, was assisted by several Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organizations members to pull together a group of Standardbreds that represented the diversity of the breed. A section was added to the USTA’s website highlighting the horses and their skills. Banners and flyers were made. Each of the horses received local and/or regional media coverage. Social media enthusiasm for the breed was abundant. The euphoria lasted about two years.
Current Issues This is not to say that the USTA has abandoned off-the-track Standardbreds. Budgeting concerns limit the number of events actual USTA staff can attend but they are wonderfully responsive when requesting material for booths, demos, and presentations. Ellen Harvey, Director of Harness Racing Communications, has had success in placing stories about retired Standardbreds. An example being the recent CBS’s Sunday Morning profile of Waco Hannover’s 40th birthday, which was well received. Sadly, the last few years have seen a disconnect between the USTA and the pleasure horse community. No Standardbreds have applied for the awards offered through the United States Dressage Federation and the American Driving Society despite horses being involved in competition. There continues to be interest in the American Endurance Ride Conference award, with ten Standardbreds in contention. The USTA claims they receive little support from the pleasure Standardbred community, conversely that community says they lack support from the breed registry.
dardbreds a year in need of re-training within the state of Maine by saying, “The numbers you are getting are fabricated on emotion and the need of some rescues looking for monetary support.”
Four Questions The resulting discussions led The Standardbred Connection to formulate four questions which were then shared with over sixty USTA influencers - these are people who are directors, on boards and/or are very active in the racing community. The responses showed just how little each group knows about the other. We had originally planned to offer a summary of all answers but the USTA’s response seemed worthy of its own category. As we share these questions the summary of influencer answers are in green, the USTA’s answers are in blue, The Standardbred Connection’s editorial staff’s response is in red. 1) Promoting ownership and participation is a common theme among growing breed registries. Currently a large percentage of pleasure Standardbred owners have little contact with the USTA as its primary focus is racing. Any thoughts on how to better connect these thousands of horse owners with the USTA? Summary: Facebook should be used to connect the pleasure Standardbred people with the racing people so that everyone knows which horses are available for sale or adoption.
USTA: The USTA has an outreach program and coordinator who has attended many non-racing equine events to promote Standardbreds and conA recent posts on Facebook highlighted the issue. nect with potential pleasure Standardbred owners. A life-long horseperson, who is USTA licensed, Over the last 20 years, USTA staff have attended was shocked to learn that the USTA had all of these and/or supported nearly 150 of these events and resources. Shortly thereafter the Jockey Club, the in many cases provided their own personal horses Thoroughbred registry, announced a new trail to participate. riding incentive program. Many asked why Standardbreds were not following in the hoofprints of In addition, the USTA has produced and distribthe Thoroughbreds. And then came an article on uted tens of thousands of brochures about Stanthe closing of Scarborough Downs (Maine) in the dardbred pleasure horse ownership, sponsored Portland Press Herald. Maine Representative Don discipline awards at various events and purchased Marean, who is also Chairman of USTA District 9, thousands of dollars in print ads in pleasure horse responded to a claim that there were 200 Stan- publications.
TSC: By all accounts there are thousands of pleasure Standardbred owners. We were surprised that no one was bold enough to suggest a plan to encourage them to become USTA members. It seems conceivable that pleasure memberships could boost the USTA back up to the 25,000 members claimed on their website. It would take a bit of work but in era where The Chicago Tribune runs a commentary titled “Harness racing reaching the finish line after decades of popularity” and the USTA spends thousands trying to bring new fans to the track, why would you not reach out to people who are already interested in your product? The American Quarter Horse Association, Appaloosa Horse Club and The Jockey Club have shown that racing and pleasure factions working together achieve better overall outcome for the breed.
C
2) From 2000-2002 there were 43,808 registered Standardbreds born in North America. All of them will be completely off the track by the end of 2017. Where are these horses going? The USTA reports 9,654 mares bred in 2016. It is difficult to know exactly how many are in the age group we’re looking at but lets generously figure 10% or 965 mares from this age group. That still leaves us with 42,843 North American Standardbreds between the ages of 14-16. It is currently unknown exactly how many are show horses, trail horses or are a means of transportation. Would you support a survey to determine where Standardbreds are going after leaving the track? Summary: No. “Having a business-like attitude does not mean that I am cold and uncaring. I have always treated my horses as though they were my children, and it is always traumatic when a mem-
ongratulations to Gone to Carolina and her owner, Amy Higgins! They won a slew of awards at the recent Maine Horse Association’s annual banquet including: • • • • • • •
SPHO’s 3 Gait Life After Racing Award Grand Championship in 3 Gait Pleasure Standardbred In Hand Open Road Hack Open Show Hack Reserve Champion in 1st Level Dressage Finish Line Trophy Challenge Award
Carolina’s rider and trainer, Kathleen Bailey was also awarded the Adult Equitation Grand Championship. Photo by Kate Gott
ber of the ‘family’ leaves the barn, but I learned long ago that to make a profit, you have to closely manage your stable.” This quote from How to Own Winning Standardbred Racehorses by Paul Siegel accurately characterizes the general response. Many horses go to the Amish and that is a business decision. The Amish are willing to pay $1,000-7,000 (varies greatly by location) for the right horse. USTA: We have a great deal of information obtained by ongoing, real life knowledge and experience that delineates the various outcomes for non-commercial Standardbreds. Experience has also shown us that horses that start in one category, such as a horse placed privately as a pleasure horse, do not necessarily stay in that category. Broodmares do not always remain as broodmares throughout their lives. Conversely, a horse in peril can escape a very bad situation and end up in a new career and a stable home. Their first “home” off the racetrack is usually not their last home or even the first of a limited number of homes. Horses can change hands quickly and there is no mechanism to compel people to record and report their every move once they leave traditional commercial use. TSC: We readly agree that horses change careers and that it is difficult to follow them change by change. We also agree that many go to the Amish but few stay there past their teens. Statistically 30% of this group is deceased - either through natural causes or slaughter. Combined with a 10% calculation of mares going to the breeding shed, this leaves us with roughly 30,000 horses, in their mid-teens, that we don’t know where they are. In theory, there could be as many as 10,000 new pleasure horse owners each year that the USTA has not connected with. Realistically, that is unlikely but there is no research. It is very difficult to counteract claims that “emotion” is a driving force when there is no support for a process that would replace “emotion” with data. A simple survey (which would cost about $300 with a service like SurveyMonkey) shared with Standardbred owners of all types could result in a plethra of information. The data could be used by the USTA to help get the highest return on their outreach dollar.
T
he USTA partners with several horse sport organizations to recognize Standardbreds that are excelling in their areas. Interested in participating? USDF All-Breed Program
• Declare with USDF by Aug. 1 of the award year (horses previously declared remain declared continually). • Fill out the all-breeds declaration form. Submit a copy of your registration, performance or pleasure horse certificate • Horse must have a USDF Lifetime Horse Registration • Owner must be a USDF Participating (PM) Member or Business Member (BM) in good standing AERC Standardbred Endurance Award • The AERC keeps track of all limited distance and endurance rides your horse participates in. The horse with the most miles ridden during the season (Dec. 1 through Nov. 30) is awarded. The winning horse receives a commemorative blanket during the first quarter of the next year. American Driving Society HDT/CDE USTA Award • To qualify for the HDT/CDE USTA Award, drivers must be a member of ADS and drive their Standardbred in at least two HDTs or CDEs during the show season (Dec. 1–Nov. 30).
3) Mustangs have gained national attention through the Mustang Makeover and Thoroughbreds have documented proof that the Retired Racehorse Project has raised the value and demand for OTTBs. In Australia, Harness Racing Victoria’s Harness Education & Re-homing Opportunities (HERO) program has resulted in the Standardbreds being more widely excepted as a pleasure horse. While there have been various attempts to create a similar program for Standardbreds it has always been at the local level. Many in the pleasure Standardbred world are wondering how to create a national program. Do you think the USTA should take the lead or a private individual/ organization? Summary: The industry has more pressing problems than the “disposal of horses that are unsuitable for racing.” USTA: The exposure of Standardbred pleasure horses to the widest possible audience certainly helps educate people about their athletic ability. That is why the USTA’s outreach program has invested so much effort, time, travel and money over two decades in underwriting demos, classes and awards showcasing off-the-track Standardbreds in a variety of disciplines. The USTA would certainly support efforts of those who might like to organize the type of events to which you refer, but the contraction of our staff, correlative with the size of the industry, means we lack the human resources to organize and operate such events. In addition, unlike many of these organizations that are set up as 501(c) (3) charitable, non-profits that are largely funded by donations, the USTA is not. We are a 501(c) (6) non-profit, membership organization that can’t accept donations. That severely limits our ability for funding. TSC: We agree that creating a national program like HERO or the Retired Racehorse Project is expensive and time consuming but the response, while difficult to measure, seems signficant. We also believe that we need a way to promote the very best of Standardbred athleticism. We were interested to learn that the USTA is a 501(c)(6).
4) There are several major horse events coming to the United States in the next few years, including the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2018. Do you think participating in these types of events are important to the future of the Standardbred? Summary: No, it does not help the racing industry. USTA: The value of the USTA’s involvement with major, non-racing equine events has been difficult to measure. In 2010, the USTA financially invested and participated in the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY through sponsorship with New Vocations of a booth at the trade show at the Kentucky Horse Park as well as support and promotion of the “Standardbreds on Stage” demonstrations and the event itself. We may consider participation in the 2018 event, we are awaiting information from the event’s organizers. We have to carefully evaluate the return on investment for every dollar spent to ensure our members and our mission are being served. We cannot commit substantial funds to a project without being able to account for the outcomes to those we serve. TSC: Given the USTA’s focus on harness racing we can understand why there may be disagreements on the value of appearing at major events. Goodwill and social media is difficult to measure. Reach is more tangable. On a personal level, we spent roughly $4,000 to attend all 16 days of WEG and have a horse there for several days. This includes shipping, hotel, and vet expenses. It has been one of the best investments that we’ve made and it is still paying divideds today. While WEG 2018 may not be the best value for the USTA we urge them to continue to look for new opportunities. We don’t know what the answer is to bring the two groups closer but appreciate the USTA’s continued efforts as well as the efforts of SPH enthusiasts.
Sidney Rain Brings Miles of Smiles
S
idney Rain is the 2016 High Mileage Standardbred, an award given by the USTA in conjunction with the American Endurance Ride Conference. The 16 year-old, Illinois-bred gelding is ridden and trained by Jen Moore. The AERC High Mileage Standardbred award is given to the Standardbred that has the most miles ridden during the riding season (Dec. 1 through Nov. 30). All rides are considered, including the limited distance 24-35 mile rides, and standard endurance rides (50-plus miles). Riders must be a member of AERC in order to track horse and rider mileage. This was a tough season for them with Moore battling a major illness. Together the pair officially covered 435 miles. The miles that were spent training for competition are priceless. “I couldn’t be more proud of my amazing partner Sidney Rain. He has been one of my life’s greatest gifts and joys,” says Moore. During 2016, Sidney Rain and his rider, Jen Moore competed in eleven different rides.
Along the way they gathered a variety of placings and awards in addition to the AERC High Mileage Standardbred award. Upper Midwest Endurance Competition Endurance HW - 6th Place - 137.6 pts Endurance Rookie - 2nd Place - 172.4 pts High Horse Mileage - 10th Place - 440 miles Minnesota Distance Riding Association Endurance HW - 3rd Place - 80.4 pts Distance Riding Association of Wisconsin Endurance - 7th Place - 57 pts American Endurance Ride Conference Midwest Endurance HW - 1st Place - 1066 pts Green Bean Endurance 1 Horse, 1 Rider Competition - 1st Place - 440 miles Sidney Rain and Jen Moore are just beginning their endurance career together. They plan great things for 2017! Photo by Nichole Severson Photography.
Harness Racing Victoria has welcomed the State Government announcement of a joint funding pack- HRV CEO John Anderson said horse age of $362,000 to help ensure harness horses are welfare was a critical component of any afforded a quality life in retirement after their racing vibrant and healthy racing industry. career has finished. The Government is providing $181,000 to the Harness Education Re-homing Opportunities (HERO) program, HRV’s flagship and industry-leading welfare program, to retrain retired racehorses to become trail riding ponies, competitive show and eventing horses, or simply pleasure animals and family pets.
“We already have in place a number of broad strategies to manage the care and well being of our horse population, principally under the banner of racing and integrity,” Anderson said.
“We are excited to be partnering with the State Government and sincerely appreciate the support of Racing Minister Martin Pakula MP whose backing is integral to HERO’s success.”
“HRV acknowledges, however, that a key inclusion within a comprehensive and appropriate welfare program is providing an alternate life for Standardbreds no longer racing.
HRV Chairman Dale Monteith says “HRV is extremely grateful to the State Government for this ongoing funding, which will help us to recruit suitably-skilled “We are excited to be partnering with people as registered re-trainers and to increase the the State Government and sincerely number of horses in the HRV HERO program.” appreciate the support of Racing Minis-
ter Martin Pakula MP whose backing is
In the first year of the HERO Program, more than 200 integral to HERO’s success.” horses were either re-homed or placed with a registered HERO trainer in preparation for re-homing.
The HERO program is also working with the Victoria Police Mounted Division to identify horses that may be suitable for police duty. Funding for the program will be sourced from the Government’s Victorian Racing Industry Fund. HRV will also contribute $181,000 to support the program. For the first time, VAS Ltd ran a dedicated Standardbred showcase in 2016, culminating with a rich final held in conjunction with the acclaimed Victorian Saddle Horse Championships. The format for the competition mirrors the very successful Thoroughbred Off The Track Series and provides qualifying heats at Agricultural Shows throughout the State, leading into a $1000 Final at Bendigo in January, 2017.
The Southern Hemisphere’s leading Standardbred breeding operation, Alabar Bloodstock, secured naming rights sponsorship of the event, further cementing its outstanding commitment to life after racing. The Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association of Victoria and Kieffer Australia have lent their support as associate sponsors while Skye Park has provided a presentation rug for the winner. To be staged at Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showgrounds in association with the time-honoured Victorian Saddle Horse Championships, the three-person judging panel for Sunday’s final will be led by Rebecca Cartwright, who has many years of showing and competition experience, in addition to an extensive hands-on involvement in the trotting industry. The final offers $1000 in prize money to the overall winner and $500 for the best newcomer, making it Victoria’s richest life-after-racing Standardbred competition. The competition will be fierce with participants including Standardbred Horse Association of Australia Inc.’s National High Point – National Performance Horse winner Liberty Valence (top left) and MF Hollywood (bottom left), a Royal Melbourne Show competitor.
Alabar HERO Series Finalists Village Man - (rider) Glenys Grivell MF Hollywood - Jess Laughlin Uni Mist - Isabella Cornfoot Starclass Falcon - Rachel Stephenson Gooday Stride - Grace Bilney Paragon Minda - Rebecca Farran Wally Bunter - Caitlin Guppy Heza Prince - Maddie Delai Glen Ayre Prince - Lauren Kumashev Nardoo Sam - Stacey Barker Lochlee Simpson - Jackie Barker Liberty Valence - Claire Hawkey Choppers Brother - Stacey Timms Ochil Hills - Cheryl Kick Zinzan - Cassandra Troon Casino Evil - Connie Turner Sunny Time - Roxann Buscemi Le Brun Kimba - Michelle Drayton Sir Scout’n About - Steph Gibson Born Wild - Belinda Pechotsch Equity Whizzbang- Eboni Knights Ballum Park Royal Maverick - Amy Pilgrim Operative Princess - Stace Towers Dribbles - Deb Thomson Rock Paper Scissors - Loren Stemmer Simply Immy - Stacey Tolley Many thanks to HERO, Harness Racing Victoria, and Standardbreds Australia Unharnessed for the information and photos provided.
Paragon Minda ridden by Rebecca Farran (left) won the title of Best Newcomer along with a check for $500 while Equity Wizzbang and Eboni Knights took home the $1,000 check, winners sash and blanket as the inaugural Alabar HERO Series Winner.
Best Presented Led Standardbred at Victoria Saddle Horse Championships went to Gooday Stride (shown here with rider Grace Gilney)
H
awthorne Race Course in Chicago will be sponsoring American Standardbred Adoption Program (ASAP) at both the Illinois Horse Fair and the Midwest Horse Fair this year! In addition to having information on hand about Hawthorne, ASAP will have a display board and after racing information for Standardbreds. The Midwest Horse Fair is the largest 3-day horse fair in America with an audience of 62,000. The Illinois Horse Fair will allow ASAP to bring Standarbreds to 10,000 horse people.
American Standardbred Adoption Program (ASAP), a non-profit organization serving Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan as well as other states.
W
hen Greg Roberts, also known as Nitty Gritty, talks hoof beats he’s not thinking of clip, clop, clip, clop but rather the unique beat of a single-footing horse. The four beat, rhythmic movement lends itself well to country rap, in particular Nitty Gritty’s new song “3 Up and 1 Down.” The song talks about going to a horse show ‘later tonight’ as well as hitting the trails with natural gaited horses that have that “sewing machine action” of three feet off the ground with one in the air.
Don’t you love a racking horse, so smooth…
Nitty Gritty says, “The inspiration [for the song] came from me being a fan of the gaited, racking and speed horses! I have a couple of them myself including my mare, Ms Emma. I love to watch the horses, hear that four beat sound and see the three up, one down action along with people having fun and fellowship while kicking up some dust.” Not surprisingly there is a lot of behind the scenes work getting everyone ready for the video. The ring was prepped, horses were groomed, tack cleaned and trucks washed. Fifteen horses were used, including several full Standardbreds and cross-breds. Just like a horse show though, everyone had a lot of fun and didn’t want to leave at the end of the day. Currently Nitty Gritty is on a publicity tour with the song. As The Standardbred Connection was reaching out to him, he had just wrapped up an interview on Nashville Entertainment Weekly. During the interview he was asked what exactly a racking horse is and he used a Standardbred as part of his example. A record, featuring “3 Up and 1 Down” should be forthcoming in 2017. In the meantime you can watch the video on Youtube (we’ll add a link on our FB page) or buy the song via iTunes. Nitty Gritty will be the featured performer at several horse events, including Big Guns and Smokin’ the Trails in 2017.
5 Things Acrylic Nails Tau
A
by Sarah
few weeks ago a good friend of mine was visitSo what 5 things did this experie ing, she’s mad in to acrylic nails and I decided it would be a fun, girly thing to go get our nails 1) When gluing shoes on, moisture is not yo done together. Ohhhhh how wrong I was. der them and it made my nails go disgusting shoes on hooves that you haven’t dried off p In the nail department I’m the equivalent of a wild mustang, gun and make sure the hoof is completely pre my natural nails are amazing! Hers are apparently closer work. to that of a 20 year old Thoroughbred with laminitis. When she gets her nails done its a liberating, helpful, beneficial 2) Breakover needs to be short. There’s sho experience. For me it was like some sort of medieval tor- prepared to do anything useful if you pick a ture. comfort of additional leverage if you try and b See photo below of my beautiful nails the day after getting them done, while going shopping for a new grinder, naturally. See photo to the right of my poor, sad nail after losing one of the acrylics and feeling like I’d gotten a bad seedy toe infection, foundered, and was suffering from a hoof wall avulsion.
3) Breakover increases over the shoeing cyc and they became more and more unpleasan hoof today, or what the hoof will look like 5 w
4) Book your appointments in advance. Th ways - some farriers are adamant that horse because a certain amount of time has lapse and some of us are adamant that they shoul matter how little has grown. I maintain that length everytime, and therefore it shouldn’t cases, always exceptions to the rule!). The fa pointed out to me that part of the reason my n well overdue for a manicure! .... Is this ringin
As a novice manicure-receiver, I didn’t know even if I did, as a busy person I probably still lapsed since my appointment as I had a lot of I knew I needed to see the nail technician de to the holidays. My nails are now overdue and
5) Horses for courses when it comes to sho isn’t necessarily right for another. My friends mine hurt most of the time with them, they fe anymore, I couldn’t even peel the sticky-tape Overall it was a terribly unpleasant several we grow at a ridonkulous rate. Another friend tol instead of gel nails and should try them inste composite anyone?)
ught Me About Hoof Care...
h Kuyken
ence teach me about hoof care?
our friend. My acrylic nails got moisture ung. A similar problem happens when you glue properly. Always use your blow-torch or heat epared and dried before attempting any glue
ort, and then there’s extra short. But don’t be long breakover, and expect to enjoy the disbe productive anyway.
cle. As my nails grew, the leverage increased nt. Do you make your decisions based on the weeks from now?
his one is a bit more controversial in some es should never have their hooves done just ed because they may not have grown much, ld always be seen within a certain period no t a good farrier shouldn’t remove the same actually be a problem to go early (in most act of the matter is many people have already So there ya go. Maybe there’s a lesson or 5 to be learnt nails were so bedraggled was because I was from my acrylic nail disaster, or maybe I’m just a crazy ng any bells yet? lady with a hoof care blog spouting out rubbish. Take from it what you will but I certainly found the experience illumiw how frequently they had to be done! And nating! would have lost track of how much time had f stuff on with work and Christmas. Next thing esperately but everywhere was full up thanks d disgusting. The parallel should be obvious.
oeing decisions! What is right for one horse s nails hurt when she doesn’t have acrylics, elt unnatural to me, I couldn’t scratch an itch e off the roll, I’d have to pass it to said friend. eeks and I’m extremely grateful that my nails ld me it was because they were acrylic nails ead next time. (Thinking metal vs barefoot vs
Sarah Kuyken offers innovative hoof care services to the Yarra Valley and Eastern Suburbs of Victoria, Australia. She is a current PhD candidate with a long list of credentials including a Bachelor of Animal Science and Management, a Master of Animal Science, an International Baccalaureate Diploma, and a Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy. Reprinted with permission from her blog at http://www.innovativehoofcare.com.au/.
Not A Standard Friendship by Helene Gregory
J
essica Jacobsson from Sweden and I, Helene Gregory, (also from Sweden) met on Facebook a couple of years year ago. I follow Swedish Standardbred pleasure sites and noticed Jessica. At the time she was very involved with a discipline called Team Chasing, which is a team of three riders and horses jumping over obstacles on a set course, much like a hunter in pair class, but with a lot more speed and action. Sometimes all three horses jump at once, 12 hooves in the air! Jessica and I got to become FB friends and we talked a lot; she took a liking to my horse JB and all the stuff we do over here. She had never been in the US before but made plans to come visit me! Back in Sweden Jessica is the owner of 3 beautiful and talented Standardbreds.
her. Lulu has also competed in some barrel racing, pole bending and key hole competitions and done very well. Jessica and her horses are always up for a challenge. Jessica’s BIG horse is Saphira B.M.W, a tall, grey mare that was just too big to be competitive on the racetrack. She has competed in both jumpers and dressage as well as doing demos. Saphira was injured in 2016 but now has a clean bill of health and is still young so Jessica is excited about starting her back in training. Much like my own background, both Jessica and I joined the local riding school as young girls and around age 12 we both ventured over to the trotters on the racetrack. It is funny that two horse crazy girls, both born in Sweden, grew up doing just the same thing and developed a deep love of the Standardbreds, although our paths never crossed while in Sweden.
One chestnut, Caunis On, is a small quick footed mare that mostly competes in jumpers. She is fast and a challenge to ride as a chestnut mare with her own opinions. The super talented mare has I eventually moved to the US to pursue working jumped regional competitions up to 110cm. Their with Standardbreds in Florida where I met my husgoal for 2017 is to compete in the 120cm classes. band, Jeff, and we settled in New Jersey in 1999. Jessica got a “real� (not horse related) job and Her brown mare, Lulu Face is a dressage horse has her three horses. She gets up at 4:45 every but in true Standardbred fashion that does not limit morning before work to tend for them, and then
Left: Jessica (on the gray mare, Saphira B.M.W.) and her team ended up winning the 2016 Swedish championship in Team Chasing. Below: Jessica and JB take on the coops. Right: Caunis On shows off her jumping ability. Jessica’s blog is in Swedish, but if you want to look at her pictures the link is: http://nouw.com/jessicajakobsson
after work she rides and tries to fit in lessons in both jumping and dressage. Most weekends in the summer she spends on the road competing with sometimes two horses at a time!
on a long trail ride with JB, my 15 year old STB and his pasture mate Stinky, who is owned by a good friend of mine. The weather was really nice and I got to show Jessica the big Assunpink wildlife preserve we have here in NJ, 6000 acres of November 4th - The Adventure Begins! untouched land with miles and miles of trails. On our way back to the trailer, we found some coops After picking up Jessica at Newark, we instantly that I told Jessica to try on JB, and they both sailed bonded and the whole trip back to my house we over them. She loved the way he felt jumping the chatted like we had known each other forever. It natural obstacles. We were both in horse heaven! was fun getting a visitor that shared my own horse interest and although Jessica was only here for a few days, we got a lot done. November 5th: Racing Under Saddle The very next day we went up to The Meadowlands where I was scheduled to ride a Racing Under Saddle exhibition race on the trotter Modest Prince. I ended up winning the race, setting a new North American record, so she got to visit the Winners Circle; experiencing all the fun we ended up having with my big win. November 6th: Cross Country Riding Our next adventure was a visit to the stable where Modest Prince lives. We gave him a big bag of carrots, lots of hugs and kisses. Then we went
Photos provided by the author. November 7th: Jumper Course
November 9th: Dressage
As Jessica has competed on a higher level of jumpers then myself I was eager to get her on him in the arena so the next day we again tacked up Stinky and JB and did ringwork. JB and Jessica were jumping so well we just kept raising the rails. They eventually jumped a course that was around 105- 110 cm (3 ½ feet) and they did it with ease. It was a lot of fun to see JB with a confident rider; it really made me very happy!
On Jessica’s last day in New Jersey we headed for the indoor for some dressage. Jessica was impressed with JB’s skills and how obedient and easy he was to ride. We both feel like that is one of the best traits a Standardbred has. We both love the breed for their trainability, their eagerness to learn and if you earn their trust, they will do just about anything for you. Jessica also pointed out that they are normally very easy to be around as they have been handled since they were young when in harness training.
Jessica was in awe over JB’s ability and how well he was trained. She even mentioned that she would like to take him back home with her because he jumped better than all three of her horses, which I think is the best compliment anyone can say about your own horse! It is nice to hear from someone totally new to your horse how well trained they really is. Sometimes we don’t see the whole picture and only focus on what we cannot do, instead of seeing how far we have really come. November 8th: The Beach We took JB and Stinky to Island Beach State park here in NJ for a beach ride.
As Jessica prepared to return to Sweden we remarked on how we both had similar experiences with our Standardbreds although we live in different countries. We agreed that basic training and a LOT of training makes your horse successful. We must always strive to better ourselves and our horses if Standardbreds shall ever lose the stigma of “can they canter?”, “they can’t jump”, “they have jug heads.” It is up to us as owners to work as hard as we can to prove people wrong. After all, we all love our breed and we know what they can do, we need to show the whole world!
OSAS Adds Colourful Ambassador
T
he Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society, in partnership with Tara Hills Stud, has added a new, colourful ambassador to their line up. Hiltons Hot Stuff, a very unusually marked Standardbred, was unsuccessful as a racehorse but should do well in her new roles.
Hiltons Hot Stuff then spent some time with Karin and Blair Burgess. “She is one of the kindest Standardbreds we ever had. She was never in a bad mood or did anything wrong,” said Karin. However, she wasn’t going to be a world beater on the racetrack so the couple found her a home with OSAS and Tara Hills.
As an OSAS ambassador, Paris (as she’s known around the barn), will take part in the Drive With Us program at WEG which offers fans a chance to ride around the racetrack behind a Standardbred, in addition to being one of the horses used in the very popular HOPE program which is staged at OSAS’s administrator Joanne Colville’s farm. Paris will also serve as an ambassador for the Standardbred sport at a number of shows and competitions. We’re hoping to have her at Kawartha Downs at least once during the 2017 racing season for fans to meet and have their photos taken with.
In addition to her responsibilities at OSAS, Hiltons Hot Stuff will be living up to her name at Tara Hills Stud, serving as a teaser for their stallions this upcoming breeding season. “She’s quickly become a farm favourite around here, she’s a sweetheart and is so dam pretty,” said Tara Hills’ owner David Heffering. “She’s in the front paddock and really stands out against the snow. People driving by actually stop to look at her. She’ll have a good life here, and will be very popular.”
Paris won’t just be popular amongst the Tara Hill studs, which in addition to Royalty For Life include newcomers Crazed and Control The Moment, The seven-year-old mare, who is registered as a along with Hes Watching and Ontario leaders bay, was bred in England and exported to Canada Mach Three, Kadabra, Sportswriter and Muscle in 2014. Her sire is Out Of Nowhere whose father Mass. She’ll be on display at events throughout is the Falcon Seelster horse Million To One who the province in her OSAS role where she is sure was campaigned on the WEG circuit by Joe Hud- to attract many more fans. on and Harry Poulton.
N
Standardbreds Succeed at 30th Annual Northampton Driving Society Show
ot too far from western New York’s racing scene at Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway, the Northampton Driving Society held its thirtieth annual driving show on at Northampton Park. The entries ranged from “VSE’s” (Very Small Equines, or “minis”) to a pair of spotted drafts, and included a couple of Standardbreds who made their mark! Dave Driscoll drove his eight-year old Standardbred mare Rue, also known as Dear Prudence (CR Excalibur-Chip Dream), to win the Single Working Horse class, and was awarded “Best Single Horse Pleasure Turnout” of the entire show, evincing the suitability of his horse, cart and accoutrements for a satisfying pleasure drive.
by Audrey Cooper Maureen Romeo made her debut in the show ring with Glen B (Cambest-No Matter), capturing second place in novice timed obstacles and coming back to win novice Gambler’s Choice, which involved negotiating strategically placed traffic cones, stopping and opening a mailbox, driving a cloverleaf, backing up, and strategizing the selection of obstacles based on the various point values attached to them. Glen B, an exceptionally handsome grey gelding and winner of $163,625 lifetime, was shown by Maureen’s husband, Clark Romeo at the NDS show in 2015, placing third in novice Gambler’s Choice. Remarkably, a couple months later, he qualified and made his last lifetime start at Batavia Downs! Glen B is also used as a riding horse Left: Maureen and Glenn B show off their first place ribbon after winning Gabler’s Choice. Upper Right: Dear Prudence shows off her award winning look. Right: Dave Driscoll and Dear Prudence show that they have what it takes to win in the pleausre arena.
by the Romeo family. Within six months of leaving trainer Ron Stebbin’s competitive racing stable, Glen B was under saddle and climbing hills, crossing bridges and fording creeks on the popular Otter Creek trail system in the southern Adirondack Mountains with calm confidence and even a sense of direction! Rue was acquired by Dave Driscoll in January 2015 from Bob and Lannette Krikorian, who race at Monticello. Dave’s father, the late Hi Driscoll, raised, trained and raced Standardbreds from his dairy farm near Ithaca, New York, so Dave is no stranger to the breed. Pleasure driving and competition are a serious hobby for Dave Driscoll, and despite the popularity of other breeds in this sport, he did not discount the possibility of acquiring a Standardbred. Sure enough, after looking at about fifteen horses, Rue made the cut and Dave is not disappointed. ”She’s a dream to work with on the ground, but gets seriously down to business when she goes in the ring,” Dave said. The Northampton show is only her second; in her debut, she received first place in dressage and third in timed obstacles.
From the Track to Hilltopping
W
hen Phillippa Bendall first met Domino in September of 2016 she wasn’t sure exactly what she was getting. The Standardbred gelding had good confirmation but had been a pasture ornament for two years, before that he had been a successful trotter on the track. Bendall, an experienced horsewoman, was looking for a horse to go out with the South Shropshire Hunt. The Hunt covers a variety of ground - “spongey sheep grazed plateaus and bracken banks” to “rock strewn hills with steep sided heather covering the valleys.” Upon arriving at Bendall’s Shropshire, UK home, Domino was promptly seen by a farrier and received a full set of shoes. Off they went to an Autumn Meet. Autumn Meets are more informal than traditional Open Meets and allows for training of horses and hounds. Bendall says, “Domino was very good with hound sights and sounds. A little fresh but good as gold.”
In addition to the Autumn Meets there were long hacks to the pub with friends to familiarize Domino with working in company. Soon they were ready for the Open Meet season, which starts in November. Bendall reports, “He was brilliant at the opening meet; stood and let me drink copious amounts of port, vital to any hunter!”
The sound of the hounds is a familiar one to Domino, he can hear the hunt’s hounds baying from their home just down the road from where he grazes. This initial training helped Domino remain calm when the horn sounded. “Domino took it all in his stride, was good following at a fair pace with all the others around him. Was on hilly country where he went up and down steep hills perfectly,” said Bendall.
D
omino’s adventures have taken him all over the Shropshire area. The Shropshire Hills area is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. This landscape provides a beautiful backdrop in Mark Bendall’s photos of Domino. Additionally you’ll see Pitchford Hall, one of England’s finest Elizabethan half timbered houses.
Domino is currently hilltopping or following the Left: Domino out with the South Shropshire Hunt. hunt without taking the jumps. Bendall is taking her time with legging him up, no need to rush and Bottom Left: Domino on the last day of the Autumn risk injury when great fun can be had hilltoping Meet. with friends. Below: Domino at Pitchford Hall. For a 13 year old trotter who left the track for the pasture and then left the pasture for the hills, 2017 Next page, Left to Right: With the South Shropholds a bright future. As Bendall says, “He is safe shire Hunt, Bendall showing Domino some affecand sensible. Couldn’t be prouder of his first sea- tion after a successful ride, a few of the Hunt’s son.” pack, Domino and the Hunt’s whips at Pitchford Hall, riding with friends makes the meet more fun.
Scenes From Domino’s New World