US Equestrian Magazine

Official Magazine

States Equestrian Federation | Summer 2022

YOUR BEST SHOT Vaccine Best Practices

CAN YOUR FARM GO GREEN? Ideas to Get Started

PONY POWER How Ponies Change Lives

THE NEW RANGE ROVER

CAPABILITY, COMPOSURE AND ELEGANCE

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Vehicle shown: 2022 Range Rover Autobiography. © 2022 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC

Because they do so much for us, we only do what’s right for them.

We’re always by your side in providing your horse with the right care.

Long Live the Horse. zoetisequine.com All trademarks are the property of Zoetis Services LLC or a related company or a licensor unless otherwise noted. © 2022 Zoetis Services LLC. All rights reserved. GEQ-00844

U.S. DR

August 22-28, 2022 HITS Chicago @ Lamplight Equestrian Center Wayne, IL

ESSAGE FESTIVAL OF CHAMPIONS FEATURING USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championship Markel/USEF Young and Developing Horse Dressage National Championships Adequan®/USEF Young Adult Brentina Cup Dressage National Championship Horseware Ireland/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship Adequan®/USEF Junior Dressage National Championship USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship USEF Children Dressage National Championship USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 3

CONTENTS

FEATURES 60 THE POWER OF PONIES 70 GOING GREEN Ideas for a more sustainable farm

60

80 ALL ABOUT VACCINES Dr. Kevin Hankins on vaccine best practices

DEPARTMENTS 8

Partners

10 Sponsors 14

Marketing/Media

16 Letter from the President 18 Snapshot

70

20 USEF News

80

30 Seen & Heard Cover: Ponies make great friends for children and adults, too. Photo: Shelley Paulson Photography

32 How It Works Official Magazine

States Equestrian Federation | Summer 2022

YOUR BEST SHOT

38 Learning Center

Vaccine Best Practices

CAN YOUR FARM GO GREEN? Ideas to Get Started

40 I Am US Equestrian 44 Pro Tip 48 Juniors’ Ring

PONY POWER How Ponies Change Lives

52 Horse Health 86 For the Record

4 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN, SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY, FRANK SORGE/ARND.NL

They can be teachers, teammates, and friends.

Official Magazine of the United States Equestrian Federation

US EQUESTRIAN MAGAZINE Volume LXXXVI, Summer 2022 PUBLISHED BY The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. CHIEF MARKETING & CONTENT OFFICER Vicki Lowell | vlowell@usef.org EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Glenye Cain Oakford | goakford@usef.org CREATIVE DIRECTOR Candice McCown | cmccown@usef.org ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kim Russell | 859 225 6938 | krussell@usef.org SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SPONSORSHIP & SALES Layson Griffin | lgriffin@usef.org ASSISTANT DESIGNER Kendall Neubeiser | kneubeiser@usef.org EDITORIAL STAFF Kathleen Landwehr, Leslie Potter, Kim Russell, Ashley Swift CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Liza Holland. Kim F. Miller Equestrian Magazine (ISSN 1548-873X) is published five times a year: Horse of the Year Special Edition, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, by the United States Equestrian Federation®, 4001 Wing Commander Way, Lexington, KY 40511; Phone: (859) 258-2472; Fax: (859) 231-6662. (ISSN:1548-873X). NOTE: Effective Spring issue of 2018, Equestrian magazine will be published and provided electronically and only four editions will have printed copies and be provided by U.S. Mail. The Winter issue will only be provided electronically. The Horse of the Year issue will be mailed only to competing members as of the date of publication and the year immediately prior to the date of publication. USEF is not responsible for the opinions and statements expressed in signed articles and paid advertisements. These opinions are not necessarily the opinions of USEF and its staff. While the Federation makes every effort to avoid errors, we assume no liability to anyone for mistakes or omissions. It is the policy of the Federation to report factually and accurately in Equestrian and to encourage and to publish corrections whenever warranted. Kindly direct any comments or inquiries regarding corrections to Glenye Cain Oakford goakford@usef.org or by direct dial 859-225-6941. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to US Equestrian, 4001 Wing Commander Way, Lexington, KY 40511. Canadian Publications Agreement No. 40845627. For Canadian returns, mail to Canada Express, 7686 #21 Kimble Street Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, L5S1E9. (905) 672-8100. Reproduction of any article, in whole or part, by written permission only of the Editor. Equestrian: Publisher, United States Equestrian Federation®, Chief Executive Officer, William J. Moroney (859) 225-6912. Director of Advertising, Kim Russell (859) 225-6938.

Copyright © 20120 Equestrian is the official publication of the United States Equestrian Federation, the National Governing Body for Equestrian Sport in the USA, and is an official publication of USEF.

Published at 4001 Wing Commander Way, Lexington, Ky 40511 USequestrian.org

#JointheJoy Follow us on social media @USequestrian 6 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

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ULCERGARD IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: ULCERGARD can be used in horses that weigh at least 600 lbs. Safety in pregnant mares has not been determined. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. In case of ingestion, contact a physician.

ULCERGARD® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. ©2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved. US-EQU-0189-2020

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The United States Equestrian Federation does not endorse or recommend any commercial product or service. Therefore, designations as official suppliers of the USEF of any commercial product or service cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation by the United States Equestrian Federation.

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Reduce inflammation Restore synovial joint lubrication Repair joint cartilage Reverse the disease cycle Adequan® i.m. actually treats degenerative joint disease, and not just the signs.

Ask your veterinarian if Adequan® i.m. is the right choice for your horse. Learn more at adequan.com.

www.adequan.com BRIEF SUMMARY: Prior to use please consult the product insert, a summary of which follows: CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. INDICATIONS: Adequan® i.m. is recommended for the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses. CONTRAINDICATIONS: There are no known contraindications to the use of intramuscular Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. WARNINGS: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. PRECAUTIONS: The safe use of Adequan® i.m. in horses used for breeding purposes, during pregnancy, or in lactating mares has not been evaluated. For customer care, or to obtain product information, visit www.adequan.com. To report an adverse event please contact American Regent, Inc. at 1-888-354-4857 or email pv@americanregent.com.

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1 Adequan® i.m. Package Insert, Rev 1/19.

2 Burba DJ, Collier MA, DeBault LE, Hanson-Painton O, Thompson HC, Holder CL: In vivo kinetic study on uptake and distribution of intramuscular tritium-labeled polysulfated glycosaminoglycan in equine body fluid compartments and articular cartilage in an osteochondral defect model. J Equine Vet Sci 1993; 13: 696-703.

All trademarks are the property of American Regent, Inc. © 2021, American Regent, Inc. PP-AI-US-0442 05/2021

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The United States Equestrian Federation does not endorse or recommend any commercial product or service. Therefore, designations as official suppliers of the USEF of any commercial product or service cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation by the United States Equestrian Federation.

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The United States Equestrian Federation does not endorse or recommend any commercial product or service. Therefore, designations as official suppliers of the USEF of any commercial product or service cannot be construed as an endorsement or recommendation by the United States Equestrian Federation.

14 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Summer brings so many gifts for equestrians: sunshine and longer daylight hours can mean more time in the company of horses, whether on a busy competition morning or a lazy evening hack. These summer days prompt excitement in kids who are let out of school to spend more time at the barn and at competitions—and nostalgia in parents who fondly remember their own long summer afternoons at stables and shows. At US Equestrian, we understand both perspectives, and in this summer issue we account for happy memories even as we focus on making a better future for ourselves, our children, and our equine friends.

Kids and ponies are an iconic equestrian symbol of summer, and we start this season with an homage to that classic pair in our “Pony Power” feature. To explore the timeless appeal of the smaller equines, we talked to a prominent trainer, a former pony rider who now competes jumpers internationally, and two adults who compete ponies in carriage pleasure and combined driving. We found that ponies don’t only provide a solid foundation for the youngest equestrians; they teach and inspire riders and drivers of all ages and disciplines, and they can also help extend equestrian careers or carry them into entirely new directions.

“They may be small, but they’re definitely the boss!” as successful pony rider turned jumping athlete Gia Rinaldi put it. “They definitely taught me some good life lessons.”

If summer is peak pony season, its absolute pinnacle is the USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms, which will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Aug. 9-14. In this issue, be sure to check out our quick guide to some of the family-friendly events around Pony Finals. Can’t make it in person? You can still catch your favorite ponies and riders via USEF Network at usef.org/network.

Junior equestrians and their families also should bookmark our Juniors’ Ring section in this issue, where we highlight three ways USEF can help pay for students’ education. Our quick summary of these scholarship opportunities includes basic application information, including deadlines.

We’re not only considering kids’ futures in this issue, though, but all of ours. To that end, we asked several experts about ways to improve horse operations’ sustainability. They gave us 16 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

plenty of food for thought, plus tips that facilities of any size can consider employing to go a little greener.

It’s not quite back-to-school season, but we also tapped experts from Zoetis, the University of Kentucky, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, and more in this issue to bring you their knowledge on a range of subjects, including methods for controlling flies (in our Pro Tip section), a link to a new video about preventing hoof abscesses (Learning Center), top tips for reducing dust in your barn (Horse Health), and a feature-length question-and-answer session with Dr. Kevin Hankins about best practices for vaccinating your horse or pony.

Here at US Equestrian, listening and learning about your concerns is paramount to our ability to adjust what we do and how we do it, and it’s been a critical component to many of the new initiatives we’ve undertaken these past years. They have been based upon and driven by member feedback and we rely upon that interaction to help us serve you. I’ve ended many a public meeting with “Let us know what you think,” and many of you do, so thank you. In this issue’s How it Works section, we explore one of the crucial ways your feedback helps make equestrian sport better for all: through competition evaluation and compliance. Your feedback is a vital component of the evaluation process for USEF licensed competitions and empowers you to advocate for safe and fair competition, whether you’re showing in your first pony class or going for a national championship. After all, that’s at the core of our mission statement: to provide access to and increase participation in equestrian sports at all levels by ensuring fairness, safety, and enjoyment.

So as you visit competitions this midsummer, please do follow up with an evaluation letting us know what worked well and what you thought might be improved. By doing so, you’ll be helping to ensure that everyone in the equestrian community will have even more happy memories of summer show seasons, now and in the future.

Tom O’Mara President

PHOTO: TAYLOR PENCE PHOTOGRAPHY

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SNAPSHOT

and Quantum Leap tackle the cross-country course at the Land Rover Kentucky ThreeDay Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ in Lexington, Ky. The pair was third overall and won the Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship presented by MARS Equestrian as the top U.S. combination.

18 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

PHOTO: LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN

DOUG PAYNE

USEF NEWS

The 2018 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team won gold medals in both three-gaited and five-gaited competition.

20 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Eleven athletes from eight states will represent the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team at the 2022 Saddle Seat World Cup in Harrodsburg, Ky., from July 25-30. Coaches Katie Case (Simpsonville, Ky.) and Pam Roush (Lutz, Fla.) will lead the U.S. team against several teams from abroad.

The following athletes have been selected for the 2022 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team (in alphabetical order): Three-Gaited: Ella Hampton (Sheridan, Ind.), Bostyn Leffler (Zionsville, Ind.), Alayna Locascio (Dayton, Ohio), Jessica Manzo (Lexington, Ky.), Sophie Ouellette (Springvale, Mass.), and Sophie Yih (Alamo, Calif.).

Five-Gaited: Haley Berget (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Nicole Leone (Kingston, N.H.), Mae Luce (Spring Grove, Ill.), Mia Provenzano (Elmhurst, Ill.), and Lauren Treiber (Hartland, Wis.).

These 11 athletes were selected for the 2022 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team following a series of selection trials at William Woods University in 2019. They are some of the top-scoring saddle seat equitation riders in the country. The 2020 team unfortunately was unable to showcase their abilities when the World Cup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but US Equestrian is pleased to extend the opportunity for these elite riders and coaches to represent the U.S. at the 2022 Saddle Seat World Cup. If an athlete is unable to compete, the next highestscoring athlete from the 2019 Selection Trials held at William Woods University would be selected as an alternate.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a biennial international competition. It originated in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa.

Teams from as many as seven nations now compete for the coveted World Cup titles, riding unfamiliar horses as a true test of their equitation and horsemanship skills. The U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team is supported by a grant from the USA Equestrian Trust.

Additional contribution opportunities can be found at usef.org/donate. Select “U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup” in the dropdown menu.

For additional information or questions regarding the Saddle Seat World Cup, please contact Emily McSweeney, National Breeds & Disciplines Special Projects Manager, at emcsweeney@usef.org.

PHOTO: STEVIE BAGDASARIAN

Eleven Athletes Selected to U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team

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USEF NEWS

USEF Unveils New Five-Point Plan for USA Endurance Program

One aim of the plan is to help more riders get on the path to potentially compete on the U.S. Endurance Team, as Charly Dugan and her Arabian Southern Justice did in the Netherlands in 2021.

Since 2020, the USEF Endurance Sport Committee has worked on building an accessible, sustainable endurance program to bridge the gap between grassroots endurance rides to the FEI level. The committee’s new five-point plan, known as Endurance for Tomorrow, establishes the following five programs: • New national endurance zones • Annual Zone Qualification Championships • A biennial Zone Team Challenge • A USEF Endurance National Championship • USEF year-end and career awards, achievement programs, and revised ranking programs.

each of the four time zones in the continental U.S. Zone team events will provide more accessible opportunities for endurance athletes to have team experience. These events will create more opportunities to enjoy the sport and facilitate more riders entering the pathway toward potential future U.S. Endurance Team selection.

Annual Zone Qualification Championships will be a points-based program in which riders can earn points for US Equestrian year-end awards and potential long-listing for team selection.

Zone Team Challenge and USEF Endurance National Championship

The Zone Team Challenge is proposed as a biennial event with divisions for Seniors and Young Riders/Junior Riders at the 160 km and 120 km distances, respectively. Athletes will have the opportunity to represent their Zone on a team with three to five riders.

The newly revised USEF Endurance National Championship will welcome competitors who qualify at a Zone Qualifying Championship or complete an FEI-recognized ride at the same or greater distance. Both of these proposed championships will also include team competition opportunities at shorter distances to promote inclusivity and grassroots participation.

The goal of the USA Endurance program is to develop opportunities for participation at all levels of the sport, increase the number of events across zones, and collaborate with grassroots organizations and individuals. The program aims to promote a cooperative working relationship between US Equestrian and other national, regional, and breed organizations that have developed and supported American endurance riding for decades.

New USA Endurance Zones and Zone Championships

The proposed new national endurance zones consist of a northern and southern region within 22 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

A series of new achievement awards will recognize athletes and horses for their accomplishments in the preceding season and over their careers. The proposed awards include • Career Horse Mileage Recognition • Career Rider Mileage Recognition • Career Horse/Rider Combination Recognition • International Achievement Recognition • Top Three National-Ranked Senior Riders • Top Three National-Ranked Junior Riders • Endurance Horse of the Year Award • Endurance Rider of the Year Award • Endurance Best Condition Season Award • Endurance Iron Horse Award • Top Five Endurance Lite Riders • Top Five National Riders For more information on US Equestrian Endurance Programs, visit usef.org/compete/ disciplines/endurance or contact US Equestrian Director of Endurance Susan Edwards at sedwards@usef.org.

PHOTO: BECKY PEARMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

New Year-End and Achievement Awards

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 23

USEF NEWS

NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team Names Short List for 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland

24 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Lisa Hellmer Joins U.S. Para Dressage Program US Equestrian has welcomed Lisa Hellmer as the U.S. Para Dressage Program’s new Para Dressage Development Coach. The U.S. Para Dressage Program and Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team have experienced tremendous success and growth over the past four years.

Hellmer will assist Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor Michel Assouline and Discipline Director Laureen Johnson with further implementing the development pathway and supporting new programs for athletes. She will also liaise with the Para Dressage Centers of Excellence with COE Coordinator Laura Roberts.

Hellmer will work closely with Assouline, Johnson, and Roberts while implementing a developing program that can assist and advise athletes on setting and monitoring key performance indicators and tracking competition target goals.

Hellmer also will provide guidance and structure to COEs, including scheduling visits, coordinating targeted symposiums and educational opportunities, and supporting training and coaching at COEs. Hellmer also will conduct observation sessions with athletes and their home coaches and review progress of new athlete-and-horse combinations.

Hellmer, who operates LCH Equestrian out of Ocala, Fla., earned her United States Dressage Federation bronze and silver medals. She is a Silver USEF Para Dressage Coach and a United States Pony Clubs Traditional B graduate from Old North Bride Pony Club in Massachusetts. Hellmer has worked with many top trainers from around the world and regularly hosts clinics and educational opportunities at her Ocala farm.

PHOTOS: TAYLOR PENCE PHOTOGRAPHY, TYLIR RUSS

The NetJets U.S. Jumping Team announced 10 athletes were short-listed for the 2022 FEI Jumping Championships, which take place in Herning, Denmark, Aug. 6-14.

The five-member team was expected to be named in July. The short-listed athletes are • Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) and Gazelle, a 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Kent Farrington and Robin Parsky; Landon, a 2013 Zangersheide gelding owned by Haity McNerney; and Orafina, a 2012 KWPN mare owned by Kent Farrington LLC • Bliss Heers (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Antidote de Mars, a 2010 Selle Français stallion owned by Bridgeside Farm LLC • Lillie Keenan (New York, N.Y.) and Agana Van Het Gerendal Z, a 2011 Zangersheide stallion owned by Chansonette Farm LLC; and Argan de Beliard, a 2010 Selle Français gelding owned by Chansonette Farm LLC • Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) and Baloutinue, a 2010 Hanoverian gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm; and Confu, a 2007 Holsteiner gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm • Brian Moggre (Flower Mound, Texas) and Balou du Reventon, a 2006 Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson; and MTM Vivre le Reve, a 2009 Westphalian gelding owned by Major Wager LLC • Chloe Reid (Wellington, Fla.) and Souper Shuttle, a 2011 Hanoverian mare, owned by Live Oak Plantation LLC • Spencer Smith (Wellington, Fla.) and Quibelle, 2009 Hanoverian mare owned

by Gotham Enterprizes LLC • Jessica Springsteen (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, a 2009 Belgian Warmblood stallion owned by Stone Hill Farm; and RMF Zecilie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare owned by Rushy Marsh Farm LLC • Adrienne Sternlicht (Greenwich, Conn.) and Bennys Legacy, a 2008 Oldenburg gelding owned by Starlight Farms LLC; and Cristalline, a 2008 Bavarian Warmblood mare owned by Starlight Farms LLC • McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) and Contagious, a 2009 Deutches Sportpferd gelding owned by Beechwood Stables, LLC; and Kasper Van Het Hellehof, a 2010 Belgian Warmblood stallion owned by The Kasper Group LLC Athletes and horses were to compete in designated CSIO observation events, including the Nations Cup of Rome CSIO5*, Aachen CHIO, and Knokke CSIO5*, and will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.

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USEF NEWS

Taylor Bradish driving Katydid Duchess in the marathon en route to their third consecutive USEF Combined Driving National Championship for Advanced Single Horses.

26 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Taylor Bradish (Windsor, S.C.) and Katydid Duchess earned their third consecutive title in the 2022 USEF Combined Driving National Championship for Advanced Single Horses with a final score of 138.85. The championship was held as part of the Katydid CDE at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.

The Reserve National Champion title went to Raymond Helmuth (Cambridge, Iowa) with Kendro, a 2015 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Helmuth Equine. The pair finished on a score of 143.18.

Bradish and “Duchess,” Jennifer Matheson’s 2009 Welsh pony cross mare, previously won in 2021 when the championship was held at the Garden State CDE and in 2020 at Live Oak International.

“I really enjoy the pressure and learning how to compete through it,” Bradish said. “I knew it was going to be a tough weekend; there were so many nice horses and drivers there to challenge us.”

Bradish added that this year’s win was especially sweet thanks to the shared history between the event and her horse.

“Duchess was bred and owned by Katrina Becker and Jennifer Matheson on Katydid Farm, where the show originally ran,” said Bradish. “This made it very special for her owners and I to win here.”

PHOTO: MEGHAN BENGE PHOTOGRAPHY

Bradish, Katydid Duchess Clinch Combined Driving National Championship

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SEEN AND HEARD

In & Around the Ring

PHOTOS: TAYLOR PENCE PHOTOGRAPHY, ASHLEY SWIFT/US EQUESTRIAN, LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN

Below: Ben Ebeling on Indeed and Katie Duerrhammer on Quartett, the top two finishers in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle at the FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA CDIO3* in Wellington, Fla., share a high five during the awards ceremony.

30 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Right: Sharkey Team members (left to right) Ella HallmanLuhn, Braelyn Webb, Sumire Talik-Martinez, and Rachel Flanagan (not shown: Lauren Hoyt) celebrate winning the Champion Upper School Team title at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association National Finals in Harrisburg, Pa. Below: Kimberly Palmer and Rosenstolz 99 finished third in the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final in Leipzig, Germany.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 31

HOW IT WORKS

Competition Evaluation & Compliance

“We want to work with managers and officials to help people have the best experience possible and help make sure that they feel safe and that their horses are safe,” said Director of Compliance Debbie Saliling.

32 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

US Equestrian licensed competitions are required to maintain a level of quality and service for participants in order to maintain their affiliation. When an aspect of a competition’s facilities or related services isn’t up to standard, the path to resolution goes through the dedicated staff within US Equestrian’s Competition Licensing, Evaluation & Safety and Compliance departments.

US Equestrian licenses more than 2,300 competitions held across the nation annually and uses a diverse system of feedback to evaluate the performance of these events. There are three ways that competitions undergo performance evaluations: post-competition reports from USEF licensed officials, Compliance Department staff ’s on-site evaluations, and

USEF member feedback through the evaluation process.

US Equestrian members are empowered to advocate for themselves and their horses for a safe and fair competition by completing a confidential Competition and Licensed Officials Evaluation. Competitor feedback is a vital component of the competition evaluation

PHOTO: LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN

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HOW IT WORKS

34 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

process, and to ensure that their feedback is received by US Equestrian, all members are encouraged to participate in the evaluation process. The evaluation forms can be found at usef.org/compete/competition-evaluation/ select-competition or through the Member Tools section of the member dashboard.

Katlynn Wilbers, US Equestrian’s Senior Director of Competition Licensing, Evaluation, and Safety, encourages members to submit an evaluation with any feedback, whether it’s positive or negative. However, if you have a concern at a show and you feel comfortable doing so, speaking to a member of the competition management team while at the event is often the most effective first step.

“If a member is experiencing challenges at a competition, we recommend that they reach out to the competition manager, steward, or technical delegate to see if the issue at hand can be resolved at the show,” said Wilbers. “However, if they’re uncomfortable doing so or if they’d like to create a record of their experience, they’re encouraged to submit an evaluation.”

Some of the common concerns reported in competition evaluations are facility conditions—such as stabling and footing—or with management, office staff, and officiating. Every evaluation is reviewed by US Equestrian staff.

“The Competition Licensing, Evaluation, and Safety department reviews each evaluation,” said Wilbers. “Individual concerns are routed to the appropriate departments, such as Compliance, Regulations, or Licensed Officials.

These departments will conduct any additional follow-up required with the member, official, or competition management to resolve the reported concerns.”

Feedback about judges or other officials is directed to the Licensed Officials department, while the Regulations department receives reports of violations or those concerning equine welfare or conflict between competitors. For this article, we’ll take a closer look at the role of the Compliance department, which is tasked with ensuring that competition facilities are up to standard.

Compliance: Taking the Next Step

The Compliance department is the team within US Equestrian tasked with evaluating competitions to ensure they are upholding USEF rules and standards with a focus on safeguarding horse and human safety and welfare. Compliance staff attend approximately 55 events each year to conduct inspections of competition venues. Since most of these venues host multiple licensed competitions throughout the year, the reach of these inspections extends to approximately 750 events.

PHOTO: TAYLOR PENCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Competitor feedback is a vital component of the competition evaluation process and empowers US Equestrian members to advocate for safe and fair competitions.

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Debbie Saliling, the Director of Compliance at US Equestrian, explains that her department exists to support competition management and officials in ensuring that participants and their horses are provided

Some common concerns reported in competition evaluations are facility conditions, such as stabling and footing.

36 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

a safe and enjoyable experience at USEF licensed competitions across all breeds and disciplines. “When we get to a horse show, we try to communicate that we’re all working towards the same goal,” she said. “We want to work with managers and officials to help people have the best experience possible and help make sure that they feel safe and that their horses are safe, and point out things that can be improved.”

Competitions are typically selected for an onsite visit based on a variety of factors, including concerns raised through competition evaluations submitted by competitors, steward or technical delegate reports, or from sport or competition departments within US Equestrian.

They may also be randomly selected for inspection on occasion. Staff may also attend events that have had no reported issues to connect with show organizers and exhibitors to keep the lines of communication open and serve as a resource.

The Compliance department works diligently to address areas of concern raised at each competition, such as issues with footing or stabling, which may raise safety concerns for competitors. “Issues with footing and

stabling, and also concerns around operations of the competition, such as the PA system not being audible or required signage not in place, are the most common areas of noncompliances reported,” said Saliling.

The USEF Rulebook has fairly comprehensive requirements for show facilities and amenities, and in some cases they vary by discipline. Managers are ultimately responsible for ensuring the competition complies with regulations and standards. While attending competitions, Compliance staff will point out any issues with both management and stewards or technical delegates to give management the opportunity to resolve it.

“Our aim is to get issues fixed, not to issue a penalty,” said Saliling. “Resolving the issues with competition management promptly while at the competition assures that competitors may enjoy an improved experience almost immediately, when immediate resolution is possible.”

Competitors can help keep shows compliant by following the facility guidelines set by the show. Show managers are ultimately held responsible for maintaining facilities up to standards, but exhibitors, trainers, and barn staff contribute to the environment.

Show management is required to provide appropriate space to dispose of manure and used bedding, for example, but if participants ignore the protocol and dump their muck buckets in other places, they may be creating a compliance issue.

After a competition visit by a Compliance staff member, a letter is sent to the organizer memorializing any deficiencies and requesting a remediation plan and timeline for any issues not addressed during the competition.

With the exception of especially egregious or recurring problems, a conversation with Compliance will precede any other action, and organizers will have an opportunity to resolve any issues first. In situations where issues remain unresolved or are deemed to be egregious, the matter is referred to the Regulations department and may result in a penalty or non-renewal or conditional renewal of a competition license.

Compliance reports, correspondence, and competition evaluations are kept on record within US Equestrian and may have an impact on competition license renewals or mileage exemption requests. “Our goal with the Compliance functions is to help organizers have the best possible competitions that provide a safe and positive experience for horses and members,” said Saliling.

PHOTO: ASHLEY SWIFT/US EQUESTRIAN

HOW IT WORKS

LEARNING CENTER

New Video: Hoof Abscess Identification and Treatment

Dr. Evan Becker demonstrates the use of hoof testers to help identify a hoof abscess.

A new video in US Equestrian’s Learning Center examines this common and frustrating equine problem and demonstrates several treatments to tackle it.

A hoof abscess can be painful for horse and owner alike, because even a relatively minor case of this common issue can lead to significant interruptions to a horse’s training or competition schedule. Many horses will experience this type of infection during their lifetime, often due to bacteria trapped in the hoof capsule. If not treated properly, an abscess can lead to more serious health issues.

If you’re not sure how to identify or treat a hoof abscess, US Equestrian’s online Learning Center at usef.org/learn has resources to help, including a new video with Dr. Evan Becker of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.

In the video, Becker explains what causes hoof abscesses, how to assess your horse if you suspect an abscess, best practices for preventing an abscess, and several treatment options for horses that do have them.

38 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

For more information, be sure to check out the link under Additional Information on the video page, which will take you to the US Equestrian magazine archive’s story “Hoof Abscesses: Tips for Treatment and Prevention.”

These great resources are only part of the total Learning Center online library that’s available to all US Equestrian members. The Learning Center features more than 100 videos on topics ranging from horse care to training and grooming tips to equine medication best practices and concussion safety. And there’s more. The online Learning Center also connects you to a vast library of supporting material, including articles, web links, webinars, and US Equestrian publications and pages.

Not a member yet? Join US Equestrian at usef. org/join and start exploring the Learning Center and other membership benefits today.

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I AM US EQUESTRIAN

as much as you

LOVE YOUR HORSE

by Mia Rodier-Dawallo

“ At the end of the day, what’s the point of coming down the centerline if you don’t have a smile on your face?” writes Mia Rodier-Dawallo (center), shown after her victory earlier this year in the FEI Para Dressage Grade II Individual Test with Cato in the Perrigo CPEDI3* at Desert Dressage.

40 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Para dressage athlete and coach Mia Rodier-Dawallo reminds equestrians to recognize and counter the dangers of negative self-talk.

One Monday morning as I was doing what I love doing—sending aggressively encouraging messages to my students about how I love them and I think they are superstars and I hate to see them put themselves down—I had a very memorable interaction with one particular student. I have the honor and pleasure of teaching her at Bailiwick House, which is owned and operated by Patty Mayer in Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.

This student is an absolutely exceptional rider and human being who has been riding since childhood but took a break from riding for 40 years and has been getting back into it during the last several months. She is such a naturally gifted rider, but like all naturally gifted riders, she has perfectionist tendencies.

In her last lesson with me, we had been working together specifically on her connection—which, if we’re being honest, is difficult for riders of all levels, even Grand Prix riders.

She had done a really great job in this lesson, and I was commending her for her hard work. She rebutted my praise by saying, “Yes, I had him nicely on the bit, but what about my position? I’m tilted too far forward.” And this negative self-talk inspired me to send her this text message:“Our sport does not exist in 20 meters by 60 meters. It exists in six inches: the six inches between your ears and the six inches between your dance partner’s ears. Take the win, because if you start to relegate special moments like these, you will never be able to find joy in what you do. If you’re on a lifeboat and you start to poke holes in it, you will drown in the waters of self-sabotaging perfectionist tendencies that, in the long run, will become almost impossible to unlearn. … For every thing you do right, allow yourself to feel worthy. Because, at the end of the day, what’s the point of coming down the centerline if you don’t have a smile on your face?”

PHOTO: TERRIMILLER.COM

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Now, if you’re wondering if I’m this intense ALL the time, the answer is a resounding yes, of course! Would you expect anything less from me? I send very aggressively encouraging text messages like these on an almost daily basis, and that got me thinking: why? Why am I constantly sending messages just like this one? Why are there so many opportunities to refute this kind of thinking? Why do I constantly find myself building back up the people I love most from a place of so much negativity? And the obvious answer is the pervasiveness of negative self-talk.

Negative self-talk is such a prevalent issue that is so ingrained in high-performance sport and more specifically in equestrian sport, and, of course, in the sport I love most of all: dressage. Dressage is not only physically demanding but also is so immensely mentally and psychologically demanding. We are essentially relying on the mutual trust and respect of a feral giant with four legs and a lot of opinions to do our bidding and perform an academically harmonious dance while a paid critic breaks down our inadequacies movement by movement while we try not to have an episodic breakdown from innate perfectionist tendencies. Oh, yeah, and in case that wasn’t enough, you have to do it all while wearing men’s formal wear from the 1800s!

Your horse can make the hardest days of your life bearable and break your heart. Your horse can make you believe in yourself and give you the humbling of a lifetime. All within the same week. Our sport is a rollercoaster and unique from others. You take all of this and combine it with an antiquated culture of silence and toughing it out and never being allowed to be vulnerable or open or honest about when you’re struggling, and you have a nasty recipe for a myriad of mental health concerns and a heaping portion of negative self-talk on the side.

I feel very strongly that there needs to be a cultural shift that makes room for more positivity, more vulnerability, and more of an open dialog about mental health. I go out of my way to reassure all of my students, loved ones, etc., that regardless of what anyone else might tell you, it is okay to not be okay, it is okay to struggle, it is okay need help, it is okay to cry and to be embarrassed and to have rides that didn’t go the way you plan.

You’re allowed to feel scared, and you’re allowed to feel anything and everything that you want or need to without judgment.

Nobody is perfect, and it sets an unhealthy precedent to strive for perfection. Is my goal to go to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ and the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions? Yes. But you know what other goals I set for myself on a daily basis?

42 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Getting out of bed in the morning, practicing self-care, reminding myself that I am deserving, exercising gratitude, making sure that my husband, my horses, my family, and my friends know that they are loved. Nobody is perfect. Don’t lose yourself trying to become something that doesn’t exist.

It is an extraordinary honor to sit on a horse, but with great honor comes great responsibility. And I feel that it is crucial to have open conversations and keep the dialog open about matters like mental health when it is so easy to feel alone and to forget your worth. I feel that becoming disabled late in life and being successful in our sport in spite of that on my journey to self-love has given me a unique perspective on matters such as these. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Don’t be afraid to talk to a therapist. Don’t be afraid to love yourself as much as you love your horse!

Mia Rodier-Dawallo is a Grade II international para dressage competitor, a survivor of assault and post-traumatic stress disorder, and a Persian-American multiple award-winning rider, instructor, and clinician for both para dressage and dressage riders. She is the 2021 USDF Grade II Reserve National Champion and a USEF Emerging Athlete ranked fourth in the FEI World Individual Ranking in her grade.

For USEF’s mental health resource guide, plus other helpful information and links, visit usef.org/about-us/diversity-inclusion/ dei-resources.

PHOTO: TERRIMILLER.COM

“I feel very strongly that there needs to be a cultural shift that makes room for more positivity, more vulnerability, and more of an open dialog about mental health,” writes Mia Rodier-Dawallo.

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PRO TIP

HOW TO

Get Rid of Flies

by Glenye Cain Oakford

Keeping the fly population down in the barn and off your horse is relatively simple, according to University of Kentucky entomologist Dr. Jonathan Larson.

It’s important to control flies, and not only because they can drive you and your horse to distraction. According to Absorbine®, the makers of UltraShield® EX fly spray, biting flies drink four cups of horse blood every 10 days. And flies and other pests like mosquitoes and gnats aren’t only nuisances; they also can carry harmful diseases, like West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Western equine encephalitis.

“In 2019, 90 cases of West Nile virus were reported in horses in 25 different states, while Eastern equine encephalitis in horses totaled 184 in 24 states,” Absorbine recently advised in its blog. “The best defense against diseases transmitted by common pests is to consult with a veterinarian for a geographically appropriate vaccination program. But measures can also be taken to help reduce the threat by reducing the number of pests in and around the barn.”

The two most common species on a barn are house flies (which don’t bite but can spread disease) and stable flies (which do bite), says Dr. Jonathan Larson, extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky.

“Both are pesty, but for different reasons,” Larson explained.

“House flies can carry pathogens; they crawl around in yucky things, pick up pathogens on their body, and can drag those along a horse or on food—they can also do that to human beings. Stable flies, on the other hand, are biting pests. They have a really nasty mouth part that can poke through the skin and draw blood, which is annoying. You can see your horse react to that, and I react pretty poorly, too, when I get bitten around my ankles.”

Both species reproduce in large numbers, and they’re quick to become mature pests. House flies reach maturity in seven to 14 days, while stable flies take 21-25 days to become adults. So quick, early action will help you get on top of a potential fly problem.

“Insecticides do help, but you really want that integrated, holistic approach,” Larson emphasized.

House flies and stable flies aren’t just irritating. They also can carry disease.

44 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Start by getting rid of fly breeding grounds, Larson advised.

“Anywhere that the female can lay her eggs, if you can eliminate that, you’re cutting the problem off at the root,” he said.

“That will help your animals have a happier summer.”

STEP 1: KEEP THOSE STALLS CLEAN “Both house flies and stable flies prefer a moist area to lay their eggs in,” Larson said. “They like manure or a mixture of manure and straw. Horse manure generally is a little dry for these species, but if gets wet—if it’s getting rained on or there’s a leak or if the horse is urinating on it—that will introduce the possibility that flies will use that.

“Make sure you have a nice, tidy cleaning schedule so manure and damp bedding or hay are getting removed,” he said.

STEP 2: DON’T DUMP SOILED BEDDING NEAR THE BARN Don’t just pile damp materials in a corner or in a muck pile near the barn; that only relocates the problem (and muck

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If you have a swampy area or pond, consider using an organic mosquito dunk to help kill mosquito larvae.

“Keep any piles of manure away from the doors of the barn, so that when flies emerge from there they don’t have easy access to the barn where the animals are,” Dr. Jonathan Larson recommends.

Preventing Mosquitoes

“Mosquitoes have a slightly different way of developing, versus stable and house flies,” Larson said. “They are fully aquatic as larvae. They’re down in the water, feeding and breathing. They have snorkels on their rear ends, which is a pretty interesting way to go through life. So if you have outside water sources—a bird bath or buckets or even old tires or things in a junk pile that can accumulate water—eliminate that water on a weekly basis. Dump it out, tip it over, scoop it 46 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

out, and you’ll cut that mosquito’s life cycle in half. You’ll get rid of the larvae and you’ll see fewer adults.

“If it’s standing water that you need to have around, like a pond or a stream or a lake, or if you have a swampy area, you can treat that with a mosquito dunk,” he added. “That’s a BT (bacillus thuringiensis) organic product, and it will kill the larvae that are in there, so you’ll see fewer adults.”

Using Sprays

Brad Barkemeyer of Barkemeyer Performance Horses in Scottsdale, Ariz., uses a number of at-home remedies to combat pesky (and disease-carrying) flies. His recommendations include x To help protect the entire property, use a permethrinbased premises spray. When using a hand-held sprayer to treat areas outside the barn, be sure to avoid bee and aquatic habitats. x Spray the stall walls and around feeders to discourage flies from gathering. Be sure to sweep up any spilled grain, supplements, or treats. x Apply a light spray to brushes prior to grooming. This will result in consistent, full coverage. An added bonus is a polished, clean hair coat. x Consider providing additional protection with fly masks and fly sheets.

Barkemeyer also suggests choosing fly spray carefully. “Not all fly sprays have the same ingredients and some are more appropriate for specific situations,” he noted. “I like using UltraShield EX from Absorbine for effective protection from flies and other insects whether at home, on the road, or at competitions.”

Larson also recommends moving away from broad-spectrum treatments like organophosphates or organochlorine and focusing on targeted applications like hand-held permethrin spray you can apply directly to your horse or on areas where pests might congregate or to use baits that attract, collect, and kill flies.

PHOTOS: FRANK SORGE/ARND.NL

piles also can sometimes catch fire). Spreading manure is a safer bet, and it can help your pastures.

“Wheelbarrow the soiled bedding right out of the barn or wherever the horses are and dispose of it elsewhere, far from your animals,” Larson said. “Keep any piles of manure away from the doors of the barn, so that when flies emerge from there they don’t have easy access to the barn where the animals are.”

STEP 3: CLEAR UP DAMP AREAS REGULARLY “Focus on maintaining good drainage to eliminate any puddles or standing water,” Larson said. “Eliminate wet materials around any water troughs or tanks you have. Clean that up every three or four days to cut that life cycle for the flies.

If you see manure near a trough that is dry, you don’t have to worry about it as much, but once it starts getting wet, flies will take advantage of it.”

STEP 4: USE SCREENS AND/OR FANS “A tight screen on windows can help keep flies out of the barn,” Larson said. But make sure there aren’t any gaps or holes in the screen. “Anywhere that a fly can get in, it will, and a fly can squish itself down pretty small. If the screen gets damaged, you’ll want to replace it in a pretty timely fashion.

“If you have a fan that you can point down and out so that it will blow flies as they try to fly in, that can also help,” he added.

“You can monitor for flies that have invaded by using those sticky traps and fly paper that you place or hang in the barn.

That can tell you if a problem is starting to get out of hand.”

JUNIORS’ RING

Three Ways USEF Can Help You Pay for School

If you’re looking for scholarship or grant opportunities, don’t forget that the equestrian side of your life can help.

The Higher Education Equestrian Scholarship

Deadline: July 31 Open to graduating high-school seniors, the Higher Education Equestrian Scholarship offers five $1,000 scholarships to students committed to furthering their equestrian knowledge and skills during their college or university careers.

Applicants must continue their involvement in equestrian sport or activities throughout their higher education to be eligible. That can 48 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

mean by pursuing an equine-related degree or classes, but it can also be through participation in an intercollegiate team or club, an equestrianrelated internship or job, volunteer work, or any other proven commitment to equestrian sport and learning. Scholarship funds go directly to the recipients’ educational institution.

To apply, students must be active competing or subscribing members of USEF who are preparing to enter college or university in the fall of the current competition year.

Applicants must submit a completed application form, an essay, and at least one reference from an individual from the horse industry.

Applications must be submitted to the USEF office in Lexington, Ky., no later than July 31.

For more information, contact Emily McSweeney at emcsweeney@usef.org.

USEF National Youth Sportsman’s Award

Deadline: Aug. 15 US Equestrian established the Youth Sportsman’s Award to identify future leaders across all breeds and disciplines in the equine industry and to distinguish outstanding youths for their

Rebecca Share is the 2022 USEF National Youth Sportsman’s Award winner.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF REBECCA SHARE

Start by checking out the United States Equestrian Federation’s three major opportunities for USEF members: the Higher Education Equestrian Scholarship, USEF National Youth Sportsman’s Award, and the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant. All have deadlines this summer, so move fast to take advantage of this chance to earn funds toward your education.

For more information about USEF grants and scholarships, visit usef.org/learning-center/ youth-programs/grants-scholarships.

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JUNIORS’ RING achievements. The award comes with a $1,000 grant payable to the educational program of their choice; reserve winners also receive a grant of $500 payable to the educational program of their choice.

The Youth Sportsman’s Award is open to those age 17 or younger as of Dec. 1 of the current competition year who are active members in good standing with US Equestrian and their recognized national affiliate organization. Applicants are expected to demonstrate an ongoing commitment and dedication to the promotion of equestrian sport; serve as a positive role model for peers; and exhibit characteristics that exemplify positive sportsmanship principles. They are also required to show that they are involved at any level (local, regional, or national) in equestrian competition and in their communities, and they must provide three letters of reference.

For complete application requirements, visit usef.org/learning-center/ youth-programs/grants-scholarships/ youth-sportsman or contact Emily McSweeney at emcsweeney@usef.org.

Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant

50 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Opposite: The Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant competitions consist of a multiple-choice written test at the Zone level and a multiplechoice test and hands-on horsemanship test at the National level.

Above: Equestrian sport promotes mental and physical wellbeing and teaches equestrians valuable life skills, but it also can help students fund their educations.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BLENHEIM JUNE CLASSIC III, HOWARD SCHATZBERG

Deadline: Varies by competition venue The Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant program is open to junior riders competing in hunter/jumper pony classes at participating horse shows at the Zone and National levels. Winners at the Zone level receive a $100 grant to be used toward educational or equestrian-related expenses; National winners receive a $500 grants to be used toward educationrelated expenses. Grants are awarded in four age groups: eight and under, nine to 11, 12 to 14, and 15-17.

Emerson Burr competitions take place at participating horse shows throughout the year. At the Zone level, each participant takes a short multiple-choice tests on horsemanship, as well as a possible essay question. The National level competition takes place each year at the USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms, which this year run Aug. 8-14.

The National competition consists of two parts: all participants take a multiple-choice test, and the top four finishers in each age group from the multiplechoice exam move on to a hands-on horsemanship test. Winners are chosen from each age group based on knowledge and horsemanship skills.

For a list of participating Zone competitions, more detailed information, and suggested study material, visit usef.org/compete/disciplines/hunter/emersonburr-horsemanship-grant or contact Samantha Robinson at srobinson@usef.org.

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USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 51

HORSE HEALTH

The Case for

CLEAN AIR

by Kim F. Miller

52 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Perform dust-producing barn chores—like cleaning stalls and sweeping or blowing out barn aisles— while horses are outside.

PHOTO: VPROTASTCHIK/STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Hay and bedding are two major sources of respirable dust, but there are steps you can take to reduce dust—which can also help prevent or manage equine asthma.

A veterinary education would have been helpful to absorb every bit of information conveyed in the “Respiratory Diseases in Horses” session at last December’s American Association of Equine Practitioners convention in Nashville, Tenn. However, common sense was enough to get the main takeaway for horse owners: reducing respirable dust in the horse’s environment is critical to preventing or managing conditions on the equine asthma spectrum.

The spectrum is broad, starting with mild and moderate asthma cases that are usually reversible. Severe equine asthma sits at the other end. It can cause remodeling of the airways and usually can only be managed, not cured.

Inflammation in the airway causes all grades of equine asthma, and the main cause is respirable dust. Throughout the four-hour AAEP session, veterinarians were urged to help their owners recognize and reduce respirable dust in their horse’s living spaces.

“Dust” might sound simple, but in the equine world it is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic matter.

Bacteria, endotoxins, mites, mold, and fungal spores are common components. Myriad other particles in dust can activate the horse’s inflammatory and allergic responses.

Triggers lurk everywhere, observed Dr. Renaud Léguillette of the University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine faculty.

“Horses are shipped in trailers, live in stalls, and are fed inside stables,” he said.

Even when these dust sources are identified, sustained owner compliance can be difficult. In a 2020 study1 of 49 horses with severe equine asthma, only six owners were described as “good” in following dust management recommendations. “For the six who did comply, the measures worked very well,” Léguillette noted. Clinical signs including breathing effort and coughing were much improved.

“It’s frustrating, because even for those who do all these efforts, if there is one mistake in the chain—say, the owner is on holiday—it is not forgiven with asthma,” Léguillette said. “Doing a good job most of the time is not enough.”

While that’s discouraging news, it’s also powerful inspiration to recognize and reduce respiratory risks before problems arise or progress to extremes.

PHOTOS: COURTESY HAYGAIN, SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Recognizing and reducing respirable risks is critical to our horses’ respiratory health.

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HORSE HEALTH Home In on Breathing Zone

The horse’s breathing zone should be the focus point. “Not all dust gets into the lungs,” Léguillette stated. “Dust in the corner of the ceiling is not as important as the dust around the nose, in the area where the horse is breathing.”

Particles in the range from 10 to 2.5 microns can penetrate a horse’s upper airways and lungs.

The smaller the particle, the farther it goes.

Deep in the lungs, these bits cause inflammation that can impair the transfer of oxygen from the alveoli to the blood stream and the removal of carbon dioxide during exhalation.

(and 60 minutes if there is the additional goal of the decreasing sugar content).

Steamers can offer additional help. The Haygain Hay Steamer, the official hay steamer of US Equestrian, is proven to reduce up to 99% of the respirable irritants found in forage, without depleting nutrients. A study published in 20182 determined that feeding Haygain-steamed hay reduced the risk of mild equine asthma by 65%.

“If, logistically, you can’t steam or soak, then some horses who are quite badly affected might need to go on complete pelleted feed until the condition can be brought under control,” Reuss noted.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s Dr. Sarah Reuss suggests feeding hay on the ground, which allows particles to drain down and out, rather than into, your horse’s nose.

Forage First

“Start with hay,” Léguillette advised. “That has the biggest impact on breaching the respiratory system and having the highest endotoxin concentration. Then bedding. Then everything else!”

“Most owners can tell if their hay is supermoldy and dusty,” noted Dr. Sarah Reuss of Boehringer Ingelheim. “But even outside of that, if you are going to feed long-stem hay, at a bare minimum you should soak it, and if you have access to a hay steamer, that’s excellent.”

Soaking has been a conventional way to dampen respirable dust. “But you have to make sure that you are truly soaking it, not just spritzing it,” Reuss said. She advises 10 minutes of soaking to avoid significant loss of nutrients 54 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

How forage is fed matters, too. “Feeding hay on the ground puts gravity in your horse’s favor,” Reuss explained. It’s nature’s way of allowing respirable particles to drain. Conversely, hay net feeding can result in four times higher exposure to respirable particulates.

From a respiratory health standpoint, Léguillette and Reuss strongly discouraged feeding free-choice round bales. Round bales can have high levels of endotoxins and organic dust, especially unhealthy when the horse has its nose stuck inside for long periods. If round bales are the only available option, Reuss recommended storing them in a shed and forking out portions to be fed off the ground.

Bedding

Bedding is the second biggest source of respirable particles in the barn. That’s why it was an early consideration when Dr. Karen Laidley began planning the design of her Fruition Farm in Redmond, Ore. Her holistic approach to horse care dictated flooring that would prevent urine and feces from seeping to the subfloor. In ComfortStall Sealed Orthopedic Flooring, she found built-in cushion that requires only enough bedding to absorb

PHOTO: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Léguillette noted his colleague Dr. Laurent Couëtil’s work with a wearable device that measures the amount of dust particles in the horse’s breathing zone. It’s been used in research correlating quantities of respirable dust with lower performance in racehorses. The device may eventually have commercial application that could make clear to owners the existence of the most harmful dust: the particles that are invisible because of their small size.

Left: Ideally, there should be two ways for air to move in and out of each stall to facilitate good ventilation.

Right: “If you are going to feed long-stem hay, at a bare minimum you should soak it, and if you have access to a hay steamer, that’s excellent,” said Dr. Sarah Reuss of Boehringer Ingelheim.

fluids, plus an impermeable surface that’s easily cleaned and disinfected. Even though Laidley’s horses live outdoors as much as weather and air quality allow, the veterinarian wanted the horses’ indoor hours to be as free of respiratory risks as possible. “This flooring cuts down ammonia odors that can affect horse’s respiratory health as well as our own,” she explained.

• Avoid using leaf blowers around horses.

• Clean stalls and aisles when horses are outside.

• Do not store hay or straw above stalls.

“Even with a tarp, the dust filters into the stalls,” noted Reuss.

• Think beyond the barn: use low-dust footing in arenas and turnouts and/

Among numerous low-dust bedding options, Laidley found Easy Pick’s TripleScreened Douglas Fir shavings ideal for absorption and affordability.

or spray water on outdoor surfaces to dampen dust.

• Educate those who care for your horses on ways to reduce respirable risks.

The good news on the equine respiratory health front is that there is increased awareness of possible problems in their early stages.

Central California veterinarian Dr. Phoebe Smith does not see a lot of severe asthma, possibly because the arid region has less mold.

The dry, perpetual drought climate, however, offsets that with plenty of dust.

“What I see more often are cases on the milder end of the spectrum, and these present very differently than the severe cases,” she explained. “The presenting complaint is usually [that] the horse is not performing as well—not meeting the cross-country times or hitting rails or an elite athlete that is just off their mark, but lameness has been ruled out.

“There’s a misconception that nasal discharge or coughing is always present with respiratory issues, and that is not always the case,” Smith added. As more owners consult with veterinarians when these subtle symptoms emerge, cases are caught earlier, managed more easily, and, above all, prevented from recurring with improvements to the environment.

Ventilation

Environmental approaches to improving respiratory health have been a hot topic in the veterinary world for many years. Laidley experienced this when dairy cattle were part of her practice several years ago. “Problematic lung issues were a big financial concern with herd health for cows, and it was directly impacted by ventilation,” she said. “That was huge when I was in veterinary school, and I have expanded on that to educate my client horse owners and when I built my own barn.”

Ventilation also is a key point in Boehringer Ingelheim’s efforts to educate owners on the barn-associated causes of equine asthma. “Ideally, there are two paths for air to go in and out of every stall,” Boehringer Ingelheim’s Reuss explained. “That gets harder in colder climates, but it’s better to have a horse blanketed in a cold barn than naked in a closed barn.”

Six More Tips

There are other steps you can take to reduce respirable particles in your horse’s environment.

• Let horses live outdoors whenever possible, assuming good air quality and that your horse’s respiratory issue is not caused or worsened by pollen or a pasture grass.

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1. Owner Compliance to an Environmental Management Protocol for Severe Equine Asthma, J. Simoes. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

2. Fungi in respiratory samples of horses with inflammatory airway disease. J. Dauvillier, Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine.

PHOTOS: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OIF HAYGAIN

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We love you!

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HONOR HILL FARM

PO NY POWER

Intelligent, hardy, and athletic, ponies make excellent sporting companions—and great teachers. On the eve of the USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms, we consider ponies’ special appeal to kids and adults alike.

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PHOTO: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

BY LIZA HOLLAND

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 61

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HAYGAIN

Right: Ponies help teach young equestrians about responsibility, perseverance, and the importance a good work ethic.

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“I want a pony!” is many a child’s refrain. A pony can be a dream realized, and well-trained ponies are a great entry equine for kids. They have a reputation for being smart and good teachers, and their smaller stature is not quite so overwhelming. A good pony will take care of their kid. But ponies have also become great companions for adults, extending the time to enjoy ponies and equestrian sport in new ways.

Bred for strength and function, ponies have been humans’ stalwart partners for centuries.

Although their power and hardiness historically has made them popular choices for working roles, ponies are most often used for recreation and competition today in the United States.

Smart, athletic, handy, and sometimes mischievous, ponies can make perfect partners for young equestrians, teaching them everything from nailing the ideal distance to a jump to coping with the occasional willful “pony attitude.”

“I think that there’s no better teacher than a good pony,” said Patricia Griffith, rider and trainer at Heritage Farm in Katonah, N.Y., and a veteran coach at

SMALL PACKAGE, BIG LESSONS

But even the naughtiest pony can teach kids and adults important lessons, not only about horsemanship, but also about life.

“I think ponies teach kids that they have to be willing to persevere and work through it,” said Griffith. “You’re dealing with another living animal that has feelings, which makes our sport different than others. And I think it does teach kids at an early age how to be a good winner as well as how to be a good loser, which is very important.

“It’s also about realizing that these ponies also have feelings and moods,” she added. “Some days they feel better than others. And some days maybe they feel great and you don’t ride that well. And the next day, maybe you rode it perfectly, but your pony wasn’t quite on the same page as you as a teammate. It’s kind of a life lesson that things don’t always go as planned.

PHOTOS: LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN, (OPPOSITE) SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Above: “You start to learn at a very young age what’s important to you and that you get out what you put in. And I think the kids start to realize that at a young age,” said trainer Patricia Griffith.

numerous USEF Pony Finals presented

by Honor Hill Farms. “I think by virtue of their size, you know, the great teachers for these kids are the ponies.”

A good pony, Griffith notes, also can help launch a young rider’s career.

“The great ponies are partly responsible for the success of many of our Olympians,” she said. “You know, Lillie Keenan had a bunch of great ponies, and now she is riding on all these teams for the country. Reed Kessler was the youngest U.S. Olympic show jumper ever, and I started her off on ponies.”

Good ponies can also showcase a young rider to the best advantage, and these ponies—like hunter ponies Mardi Gras, Helicon, Take Notice—are legends for good reason, Griffith says.

“I mean, they were literally machines,” she said. “It was like the pony knew the course. They’re so smart, so smart, and they learned by repetition, and they know their jobs.”

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 63

64 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

PHOTOS: LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN, (OPPOSITE) SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Left and inset: Mary Phelps and her team of ponies, Shetlands Bugsy Malony, Al Capony, and Kimba and Shetland/Welsh cross Tony Da Pony competing during the marathon phase at Live Oak International.

Above: “There’s a size or a shape for everybody as far as the ponies go, and you just can’t help loving them,” says Dr. Ruth Wilburn, who breeds Welsh ponies at Rollingwoods Farm.

“It’s the same in life. You have to learn to roll with the punches and deal with that.

“It also teaches them about feeling and reading another animal’s feelings. Being able to do that is something that’s challenging, and I think they have to quickly learn that the pony is not the same every day and you have to adjust your ride.”

Those lessons provide a good foundation that young or new equestrians can build their future careers on, whether as amateurs or professionals.

“They might be small, but they’re definitely the boss,” Gia Rinaldi, a successful junior rider who is now a show jumping athlete competing internationally, said of ponies.

Rinaldi grew up near Wayne, Ill., where she started off competing ponies in short-stirrup and hunter seat equitation before graduating to horses and Fédération Équestre Internationale-level jumping.

“I had a few good ones growing up,” Rinaldi said of her early pony experiences. “They definitely taught me some good life lessons. I got my first pony, Peppermint Patty, when I was about five years old—I had always been asking for a pony—and she really tested me.

She was really tiny, even smaller than a small

pony, and I was even smaller than she was. She definitely knew how to take advantage of me, and she would test me a lot, both riding and on the ground. One time I had to get one of the ladies at the barn to go in the stall and catch her for me because I couldn’t. I definitely had to grow at lot of patience with her!

“I’m glad I had the start that I did on ponies, and on ponies who were maybe a little bit tougher, because it taught me to be a much stronger rider. I had to figure things out and learn what my pony did and didn’t like.”

Those horsemanship lessons were reinforced, Rinaldi said, by the fact that she took care of her own ponies, which gave her an intimate view of their personalities, behavior, and quirks.

“We didn’t have grooms growing up, so we basically had to do everything ourselves, and that taught me a lot. You get to know your ponies better—what they like, what they don’t like, and every little detail about that.”

For children, ponies present the opportunity to get that hands-on experience of equine management in a smaller package that’s less overwhelming.

“For small children, small ponies are what they need,” explained Dr. Ruth Wilburn, breeder of Welsh ponies, including such successful competitors as Rollingwoods Knee Deep, winner of the Small Regular Pony Hunter National Championship at the 2021 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms. She and her sisters Joanna Wilburn and Sally Ross Davis operate Rollingwoods Farm in Olive Branch, Miss. “A small pony is one they can tackle themselves, try to get on by themselves, and not be scared because the animal is twice their size. As they grow, then they can have a little bit bigger pony.”

Wilburn has also seen first-hand the powerful positivity that ponies can bring in equine-assisted therapy as a board member at Angel Heart Farm, whose stable of ponies and

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 65

NOT JUST FOR KIDS

The joy of ponies isn’t limited to kids, though.

“I think, nowadays, some of these adults have figured out they don’t need a 17-hand Warmblood to do dressage, that a 14.2-hand pony is quite adequate for doing dressage or doing hunter stuff,” said Wilburn.

Wilburn shows her own ponies in carriage pleasure driving, and she’s not alone in enjoying the athleticism and fun of competing ponies as an adult. Combined driving athlete Mary Phelps, who is based in Micanopy, Fla., competes a popular group of Shetland ponies known collectively as “The Flying Gangsters”: Bugsy Malony and Tony Da Pony, recently immortalized as Breyer® models, as well as Al Capony and Kimba. They include the reigning USEF Combined Driving National Champion Advanced Four-in-Hand Ponies and the pair with which Phelps won the pony pair cones phase—combined driving’s equivalent to the jumping phase in a three-day event—at the 2019 FEI Driving World Championships for Ponies in Hungary.

“I had no idea that I would end up doing a Pony World Championships, but I did,” Phelps said. “I want to talk about the fact that I’m 71 and an FEI 3* competitor, and I’ve been able to do it and it keeps me healthy. I’m lucky.”

Phelps was drawn to combined driving partly by what she describes as “more of a family atmosphere,” and the ponies had their own appeal. “There’s just so many things about having ponies, especially in driving, that makes it great,” she said. “I can handle the equipment by myself, and it’s not too heavy. They don’t need shoes, so their feet are perfect. And they’re

66 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

small ponies, so it’s actually better that they don’t have shoes. And if they step on you, you don’t break a foot!

“And they’re smart,” she added. “It’s sort of like having a dog. They just have a different mental approach to deal with. And they were also forgiving as I learned along the way, because I wasn’t always doing things right. But when I would learn how to do something right, they were like, ‘Oh, that’s what you mean. Okay, I can do that.’

“They’re also a challenge, because they’re so smart that they can outsmart you.”

HARDY AND SMART

Pony smarts can present a challenge for adult and child alike, but their intelligence also makes ponies adaptable and resilient— hallmarks of a good equine companion and competitor, pony lovers note. Those are the mental characteristics that Welsh pony breeder Wilburn actively seeks.

“We’re looking for a pretty pony that has a good brain and is kind with a good temperament, because most of these are going for kids,” she said of her breeding program. “We think temperament is most important. It’s nice that they’re pretty, but they have to have a good brain.”

Griffith, the Heritage Farm trainer, agreed. “I also want a good brain, because ponies can learn bad habits,” she said. “The kids are little, and it’s easy for a pony to learn, ‘Hey, I just stopped, put my head down, and the rider goes off.’

“We’ve had a few of those ponies that that was their move. They were talented ponies, but they were not the personality to deal with a beginner rider. They’re little, they’re quick, and they know their riders.”

In addition to a good mind, Griffith said, she’s looking for a good canter.

“I like a quality canter, because you jump from the canter,” she explained. “So the canter has to be balanced. When a horse has a balanced canter, they show you the distance quite easily.

A pony with a naturally good canter is going to be a naturally good lead-changer, which is something that’s difficult to teach kids, to really balance for the change. So I look for a pony

Inset: Competing ponies can help teach discipline to young equestrians Below:: “I’m glad I had the start that I did on ponies, and on ponies who were maybe a little bit tougher, because it taught me to be a much stronger rider,” says FEI show jumper Giavanna Rinaldi.

PHOTOS: ANWAR ESQUIVEL, LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN

Arabian horses provide therapy for pediatric cancer patients and those with other chronic or life-threatening issues. The ponies’ small stature makes it easier for kids to mount them, and their temperament is solid for this type of work, Wilburn explained.

“It’s so amazing to see these kids be all pouty and not feeling good at all and then watch them after they’ve been with the ponies,” she said.

“Their little faces light up, and they are a different child when they leave there.”

with a naturally good canter, because I know the changes are going to be easy and I know that a lot of different levels of riders are going to be able to ride it.

“If it’s a superstar with a great canter, super,” she continued. “If it’s not the fanciest pony, it could be a great teacher, one that has that rhythm where it shows them how to jump and teaches them how to jump.”

That teaching will extend well beyond the ring, too, helping young equestrians build their riding careers and life skills.

“I feel like it really teaches discipline,” Griffith said of pony competitions like USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms.

“You’ve got to get up, you’ve got to be on time.

You’ve got to know your course. These are things that your trainer can’t do for you. You’ve got to learn from a young age that ‘Hey, maybe I’m exhausted, maybe going out last night wasn’t a good choice.’ You start to learn at a very young age what’s important to you and that you get out what you put in. And I think the kids start to realize that at a young age.”

Whatever your age or discipline, there’s probably a pony out there waiting to share companionship, good humor, and even some competitive thrills with you.

“They are hardy, little, smart creatures,” Rollingwoods Farm’s Wilburn said. “There’s a size or a shape for everybody as far as the ponies go, and you just can’t help loving them.”

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 67

THE PONIES ARE COMING! Get Ready for USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms

For peak pony fun, there’s no better place to be than the Kentucky Horse Park for the USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms, where national championships are decided and lifelong memories—and friends— are made.

The event, which draws around 850 ponies and 550 riders annually, takes place Aug. 9-14 in the heart of Bluegrass horse country. It’s a showpiece for all pony aficionados as the spotlight turns toward the ponies and riders who have qualified for this prestigious event. Here are our top tips to help competitors and spectators make the most of Pony Finals week: Catch all the action, indoors and outside.

Check out the family-friendly activities for non-riders, too.

The new Pony Finals Activity Center is open to competitors and their noncompeting friends and family, too.

There are lots of ways to join the fun.

Pin a note, photo, or small piece of memorabilia to the Pony Finals Memory Board to memorialize your Pony Finals experience. Visit our craft stations and our selfie stations—and show your friends on social media #WhyILovePonyFinals. Local to Lexington or coming from afar? Show us where you hail from by pinning your starting point on our map.

Learn more at the free USHJA Clinics.

The United States Hunter Jumper Association will host a full slate of learning opportunities during Pony 68 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Finals, including a virtual session of mental skills coaching and in-person model and educational clinics in the Covered Arena. Don’t miss the Judge’s Perspective clinic and the chance to walk a course. All are free and open to competitors and noncompetitors alike. Find out more at ushja.org/PonyFinalsClinic.

Take the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Test.

There’s another national championship on the line during Pony Finals, and you don’t even need a saddle.

Pony Finals hosts the national Emerson Burr Horsemanship competition, awarding $500 educational grants to winners in each of four age groups.

The Emerson Burr competition at Pony Finals consists of a multiplechoice test followed by a hands-on horsemanship test.

Not competing at Pony Finals?

No problem: the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Test is open to noncompetitors, too, though only Pony Finals competitors are eligible for grants. Learn more about the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Grant at

usef.org/compete/disciplines/hunter/ emerson-burr-horsemanship-grant.

Leap into Pony Land.

Pony Land is back! There’s an inflatable obstacle course, as well as a Horseless Horse Show hosted by Dalman Jump Co. that features kidsized jumps.

Join the Golf Cart Parade.

Each barn chooses a theme and decorates their golf cart for this iconic Pony Finals event. All families are welcome! The parade takes place in the Rolex arena at the end of competition on Thursday, Aug. 11.

Meet the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.

Want to enjoy (or start) a riding team back home? Visit the IEA, one of USEF’s Education Partners, to learn more about how you can make team memories to last a lifetime through interscholastic equestrian competition in the disciplines of hunt seat equitation, Western equitation, and dressage. They’ll have a booth on site, next to the concierge table. Learn more at rideiea.org.

PHOTO: LESLIE POTTER/US EQUESTRIAN

Based on feedback from the 2021 event, the hunter competition returns to the iconic Rolex Stadium again in 2022, while the Pony Medal competition will take place in its pre-pandemic setting in the airy Alltech Arena. And don’t miss the exciting Pony Jumper competition in the scenic outdoor Claiborne Ring.

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GOING GREEN(er)

BY GLENYE CAIN OAKFORD

For many farm owners, the first step toward building a more environmentally friendly operation isn’t voluntary; they get pushed onto the path of greater sustainability when a neighbor complains about a manure pile or a local agency cites them for a contaminated waterway. That scenario is increasingly common in areas where suburban sprawl is creeping closer to farmland, and it can take an unsuspecting equine property owner by surprise. For others, the impulse to “go green”—or at least

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greener—is driven more by concerns about climate change, biodiversity, and soil health.

Whatever their reason for exploring better sustainability, equine operations that do pursue greener practices can reap surprising rewards, including lower costs, new revenue streams, greater efficiency, and the satisfaction of contributing to a healthier environment.

Phil Le Dorze, who co-owns IOS Ranch on Bainbridge Island, Wash., with his wife Juliet, has enjoyed those benefits and more.

PHOTO: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

If you’re on the fence about trying to make your equine operation more environmentally friendly, consider the costs of the status quo—not only to the wider environment, but also to your bottom line, sustainability experts suggest.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 71

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on a concrete pad that has a lip around the edges so that water runoff is not an issue,” she said, noting that a simple solution like this at a small facility can cost about $2,500 to $5,000, depending partly on the number of horses housed there.

“Then you can cover it. Ideally, it’s great if it has an actual tin roof or some sort of structure over it, but even if you tarp it, you are in compliance.”

RISK MITIGATION

Experiences like hers and Le Dorze’s— the unpleasant shock of a complaint or a fine—are common prompts for equine farm owners, Bogardus said.

“There are regulations at the federal and state level, and often at the county level, that set out specific things you have to do with your manure disposal; many people aren’t even aware of that, because the regulation is not consistent,” explained Bogardus. “What happens in most cases when I get a phone call is because someone has turned a farm in” to local authorities, she said. “What that means is somebody doesn’t like the sight of a large manure pile, the odor is drifting toward somebody’s home, or there’s concern about water contamination.

“It’s not that people are trying to break the laws or break the rules,” she added. “I think it’s just that they’re unaware of them, and they are not uniformly enforced. The risk stems from several things. One is that a complaint gets called in by neighbors, but another is through tracing. Local, state, and even federal agencies tracing water contamination can just go right up rivers or creeks until they find the source of input and that can result in fines or even, in some cases, lawsuits.”

But even if your neighbors are content and you never face a fine or a lawsuit from a government agency or environmental group, there’s another compelling reason

PHOTOS: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY, FRANK SORGE/ARND.NL

The couple’s jumping and dressage horses are based at the eight-acre property, which averages 15-20 horses and produces about two to four cubic yards of waste each day. That waste—the daily output of horse manure and dirty shavings—was the problem that prompted Le Dorze to look for more environmentally sustainable way of doing business in the first place, back when he owned the farm in partnership with hunter jumper trainer Mollie Bogardus.

“Mollie and I got fined by the health department of Kitsap County years and years ago because we had too much uncovered manure around the place,” Le Dorze explained. “It was very expensive for us, because we were on a tight budget trying to make a living with the horses, and that really got imprinted in my mind.”

The pain of that fine put Le Dorze and Bogardus on two different but related paths to sustainability. It inspired Bogardus to found a new business, Aveterra, which today offers education, consulting, and solutions related to composting technology and organic waste processing. After Bogardus sold her interest in the farm to Le Dorze’s wife, the couple embarked on a plan to remodel the property, including installing an onsite composter and solar panels, among other innovations.

“We decided that we wanted to do it so that it would be sustainable,” Phil Le Dorze explained.

The Le Dorzes’ large-scale project and ultimately cost several hundred thousand dollars—some of it offset by grants—over a number of years to turn their property into a green showplace. But horse farms with much smaller budgets also can make a positive impact on environmental quality, says Bogardus, starting with that pesky manure pile.

“The simplest thing you can do is pour some concrete and get the material stored

to consider “greening” your manure disposal, Borgardus says.

“For many places, the expense of manure disposal is a staggering cost,” she explained. “It’s right up there with annual feed bills or any of their really high-end expenses.”

With just a few simple and relatively inexpensive adjustments, Bogardus said, a stable can move its daily manure output from an expense to a potential asset.

“If you compost it correctly, where you’re meeting regulatory requirements, it could become something you can spread on your fields, use as mulch in your garden, or even potentially sell to a local landscape company or garden center,” she explained. “Whether you give it away to a neighbor or ultimately turn it into a business, there are really good green options to give this material second life.

This is part of shifting your mindset from manure being a disposable material to seeing it as something of value.”

GETTING STARTED

Once you decide to investigate sustainable practices like composting, you’ll discover that there are a lot of resources available.

“There is a plethora of information on the web, and companies such as mine are here to help and assist people,” said Bogardus. For those interested in composting, she also recommends checking for classes.

“Oftentimes, your local conservation district will offer some compost classes to

get people started. If nothing else, contact your local district and chances are they will send a representative out who will guide you through the process. And so many of these districts have matching funds available.

“There’s also the United States Composting Council, which offers incredible classes. I think they’re usually three- or four-day classes that cost some money.

But you will find out everything you ever needed to know about composting and also create a relationship with these people who are sources you can go back to time and again when you have questions or issues or if you decide you’re going to take the next step and turn it into a business.”

Bogardus also advises clients to undertake a financial analysis of their operation.

Even solutions that sound expensive, like installing an advanced in-vessel composter that can handle larger loads and significantly shorten composting time, can actually make good financial sense for some clients, she said.

“If you’re hauling the material off site for 20 horses, paying somebody to truck it away and paying for the ultimate disposal, then it is going to be financially advantageous for you to spend the $150,000 to get one of these in-vessel composting systems that can run the manure through basically in 30 days,” she explained.

Many equine operations assume that paying for manure disposal and many other traditional practices are inescapable

Above: “On a horse farm you’re moving stuff all day: bedding, hay, feed,” the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Steve Higgins said. “Think about the layout of your property: where are the roads? Where are the structures? Where is the work being done?” Locate your storage to maximize logistical efficiency.

Opposite (top): “What happens in most cases when I get a phone call is because someone has turned a farm in” to local authorities, said Aveterra CEO Mollie Bogardus. “What that means is somebody doesn’t like the sight of a large manure pile, the odor is drifting toward somebody’s home, or there’s concern about water contamination.”

Opposite (bottom): Turning horses out in dry lots instead of grass pastures during wet weather can help reduce mud and preserve grass and soil in forage pastures.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 73

Opposite (top): “Even if you have six to eight inches of bedding on top of that mat, when a horse urinates, it hits that rubber and spreads out and fouls all kind of bedding,” said Dr. Steve Higgins, a proponent of pervious flooring in barns.

Opposite (bottom): The sheltered grouphousing model, especially when paired with compost footing, can make hay use and mucking-out more efficient while also reducing horses’ boredom, says the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Steve Higgins.

Below: Runoff from muck piles that are uncovered and sitting on the ground can contaminate nearby waterways.

74 74 SUMMER SUMMERISSUE ISSUE2022 2022

costs of doing business, but that mindset can prevent farms from innovating and improving efficiency, says Dr. Steve Higgins, the director of environmental compliance for the University of Kentucky’s Agricultural Experiment Station.

“We’re using cultural practices and traditions that need to change,” Higgins said.

His recommended starting point: take a step back and try to analyze your operation with a fresh perspective. Where are you losing time or duplicating effort? How far are you having to carry or haul hay from your storage area to your horses?

How much hay are you losing because the horses are using it for bedding in a muddy pasture? How could that pasture be improved to promote grass and prevent mud? Where and how are other resources or time draining away every day? And if you find yourself defending a practice or process as “how we’ve always done it,” stop and question whether it still makes sense, from an efficiency standpoint.

“The most important thing a person can do is become a student of their own occupation,” Higgins said. “Creating efficiencies can boost sustainability.”

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Higgins’s approach is a full-facility one, from the stall floor to the layout of the property. When analyzing an equine operation and talking with the people who work there, he looks for subtle inefficiencies that add up to expense, in both wasted resources and environmental degradation.

PHOTOS: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY, FRANK SORGE/ARND.NL

Higgins encourages property owners to be innovative and open-minded, and he suggests looking to other countries and other livestock industries for ideas.

“There’s money to be saved by being more sustainable on a farm,” Higgins said. His ideas for equine operations include concepts that challenge traditional equine business methods but are good starting points for building a sustainability mindset and preserving costly resources, from hay to workers’ time: Use pervious flooring instead of dirt or rubber mats.

“Dirt cannot hold up or provide the mechanical strength you need to support the weight of a horse,” Higgins said. “People put rubber mats in to provide cushioning for the horse to stand on.

In my opinion, stalls need a pervious floor—something that will actually drain. “Even if you have six to eight inches of bedding on top of that mat, when a horse urinates, it hits that rubber and spreads out and fouls all kind of bedding. A pervious floor will allow that liquid to go through the floor.”

Consider group-housing horses instead of stalls.

“In my opinion, the whole box stall design is flawed,” Higgins said. “You’re looking at a 3,000-year-old technology developed by the Egyptians that has not changed one bit. Conversely, when we look at what some Europeans are doing as far as horse management, they’re going more to group housing that significantly reduces their labor.”

In a group-housing system, horses live together in an open area under shelter. These areas can be bedded with compost.

“You can leave that bedding in there and pick up the fresh piles

75

Flooded, muddy paddocks contribute to soil erosion,

or even till those in,” Higgins said. “If you are mucking out stalls every day, you’re going in and taking out bedding every day and discarding it because it’s fouled.”

The sheltered group-housing model, Higgins says, can also conserve hay: horses can eat free-choice from feeding stations and are less likely to play with their hay out of boredom or use it for bedding, as often happens with roll bales in a muddy field.

Consider different wood choices.

Traditional white oak fences are aesthetically pleasing, but there are less tree-intensive alternatives that also might be easier on the wallet. “You can use wire fencing with vinyl ribbon across the top to give it a board-facing look,” Higgins said. “I’ve seen V-mesh fencing on boundaries of horse some farms, and that also can also help keep predators from getting onto farms.

For interior wood, Le Dorze of IOS Ranch opted for bamboo. “Traditional wood stalls, the horses chew on them, and it’s expensive wood,” Le Dorze said. “So we found a place that was only 11 miles away from us, and they milled bamboo there. Bamboo is not expensive, and it’s hard as steel. And, on top of that, the horses don’t like to chew on it.”

Avoid drip-edge barn roofs.

Installing gutters on your barn, along with the flexible end tubes that direct water away from the base of the barn, will help prevent the repetitive splashes that can damage barn 76 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

walls and foundations. Cantilever roofs also are helpful, Higgins said.

Store materials close to where you’ll use them.

“On a horse farm you’re moving stuff all day: bedding, hay, feed,” Higgins said. Storing those centrally or close to where they’ll be used will save you both time and money, in the form of fuel.

“Think about the layout of your property: where are the roads? Where are the structures?

Where is the work being done?” The goal: to place your storage to maximize the efficiency of your logistics.

Some cattle farmers store their hay in the same sheltered group-housing space on the edge of the field where their animals live, allowing the cattle to eat hay free-choice through a barrier that progresses as the hay is consumed. Higgins proposes a similar system for horses, noting that it saves hay from rotting in the rain and eliminates the need to move hay at all.

“This increases sustainability over time,” Higgins said. “You’re not going into a field, you’re not rutting up your pasture. You’re lowering your operating costs from now on.”

Use feeding systems that help conserve hay and pasture.

“Look at your pastures in winter,” Higgins suggested. “Are they denuded and muddy? Is there a lot of wasted hay? Those areas require a huge amount of labor and equipment to renovate, and they’re hard to work in.”

PHOTOS: ARND BRONKHORST/ARND.NL, AMY DRAGOO/ARND.NL

are harder for workers and equipment to navigate, and require a farm to use more hay when their horses could be eating grass.

For feeding hay outdoors, placing it in roofed structures or huts along the fence line prevents the need to drive a tractor into the field and tear up the land. Horses stretching to eat the hay in the hut will also drop less on the ground, reducing waste.

Place dry lots strategically to reduce runoff and pasture damage.

Higgins recommends placing a dry lot at the intersection of as many grass paddocks as possible to create a pen for your horses during bad weather. This will help prevent mud in the grass paddocks, which preserves grass, which in turn prevents runoff.

Leave pasture grass longer to help prevent overgrazing.

“Leave forage taller in a pasture, six or eight inches deep or so, and you’ll get the efficiency of the horse taking one bite and getting a mouthful, as opposed to having to take many bites to get that mouthful, which overgrazes the field down to the nubs,” Higgins explained. “In an overgrazed field, an animal is also more likely to be walking off pounds trying to graze.”

Rotational grazing also can be helpful to allow one sector of a pasture to recover as horses move on to other areas. Use electric tape—which can be solar-powered—to make smaller paddocks in larger pasture to create rotational grazing that way.

Many solutions, Higgins points out, don’t rely on complex technology or genius innovations; they’re simple common sense. But they might require bucking a traditional mindset or, as in the case of the Le Dorzes’ complete farm remodeling, a willingness to spend money to ultimately save money—and the environment.

Today, the Le Dorzes’ one-time liability, the manure pile that drew a fine from the Kitsap County Health Department, has been transformed into an asset. IOS Ranch’s composted manure now enhances the soil in the Le Dorzes’ outdoor grass ring, and they even sell it to landscapers at $30 a yard.

The total cost of making their farm a sustainable showplace is more than most would consider, Phil Le Dorze acknowledges. But he encourages property owners to do what they can.

“I know we have a lot of problems,” Le Dorze said. “I know we have a lot of homeless people and all kinds of problems. But if we don’t do something, we’re living on borrowed time. You can already see it now. There are already places on the waterfronts where you can see the water is rising and eating under the roads. The water is coming up, and the signs are that it’s happening even faster than we thought it would.

“I sleep well at night,” Le Dorze added. “I know not everybody can do it on this scale, but I feel good about what we’ve done.”

The University of Kentucky’s Dr. Steve Higgins suggests using electric tape as an alternative to plank fencing and for creating small, mobile areas for rotational grazing.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 77

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80 80 SUMMER SUMMERISSUE ISSUE2022 2022

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT

BY GLENYE CAIN OAKFORD

Dr. Kevin Hankins, Managing Equine Veterinarian at the global animal health company Zoetis, shares his wisdom on equine vaccination best practices that can help you make the most of your horse’s vaccines.

What equine vaccines are musthaves? What role does your horse’s location play in vaccination? How can drought contribute to a mosquito-borne disease like West Nile? And why can giving a five-in-one vaccine be better than five individual injections? Understanding these factors and making a plan with your veterinarian are key to creating an effective vaccination plan for your equine operation. And before you compete, remember to consult the United States Equestrian Federation’s Equine Vaccination Rule in the General Rules section of the Rulebook. We sat down with Dr. Kevin Hankins of Zoetis to get his perspective—as both an equine veterinarian and a horse owner—on creating an equine vaccine regimen that maximizes a horse’s protection. When he’s not carrying out his duties for Zoetis and running his own practice in Olsburg, Kan., Hankins can be found riding Western pleasure or roping off of one of his Quarter Horses.

Let’s start with the fundamentals: what are “core vaccines” and which vaccines are they?

The core vaccines contain the antigens that every horse needs to be vaccinated for every year, no matter their age or what they do or where they are located. Those vaccines are for Eastern and

Western equine encephalitis, tetanus, West Nile virus, and rabies. Those five are core because those five diseases either have basically no treatment and a high mortality rate or, as with rabies, zoonotic potential, meaning it can spread from an animal to a human.

There are also risk-based vaccines that veterinarians might recommend. What are those, and how can people find out what risk-based vaccine their particular horse needs?

The most common risk-based vaccines are for equine influenza and equine herpesvirus-1 and -4. Those three antigens are responsible for a large majority of the respiratory disease that’s out there.

The next most common is probably strangles, or Streptococcus equi subspecies equi. That one is something that should be really discussed with your veterinarian. It’s not a standard vaccine that you’d recommend for every horse. It depends on their risk or the facility that they’re in and whether they’ve had a previous strangles problem. With strangles, in addition to potentially vaccinating for it, you also do a lot with biosecurity to try to prevent it.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners provides a list of risk-based vaccines that includes those as well as anthrax, botulism, equine viral arteritis, rotaviral diarrhea, Potomac horse fever, snake bite, and Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 81

Those are things that the horse owner really needs to sit down with their veterinarian and determine whether their horse is at risk for those diseases.

Above: Having your horse vaccinated two weeks before they travel will allow time for their immune response to offer good protection.

Right: Dr. Kevin Hankins is managing equine veterinarian at the global animal health company Zoetis and also owns Quarter Horses.

Absolutely, because you do get diseases like Potomac horse fever, which is more common on the East Coast than on the West Coast.

This brings up a good point with one of the core diseases, too: West Nile.

The five core diseases require vaccinations once a year, but in some areas of the country, especially in the South where you get almost a year-round mosquito population, it’s probably advisable to give a West Nile booster. So you might actually give West Nile twice a year in southern Florida, Louisiana, places that might be prone to or locations geographically that might be having West Nile incidents that year. That can apply here in Kansas, as well.

There are times here in the Midwest when West Nile really surges and we actually recommend a second West Nile booster.

What’s really interesting is that we see some of the highest West Nile instances during drought conditions. When West Nile first hit, and when it got really bad in the Midwest, we were under a large drought condition. What happens is that the mosquitoes reproduce and the virus replicates at about 86 degrees ambient temperature. So what happens when you have drought conditions? You can have small pools of water that feed mosquito reproduction more than usual. They lead to great breeding grounds for the virus and the mosquitoes both.

So you’ll have a drought, it’ll help replicate the mosquitoes and the virus, and then when you get a big rain after that, it distributes those infected mosquitoes to a larger area. So, typically, any year that we have big West Nile outbreaks they are usually preceded by drought conditions.

Horse owners should work with their veterinarians and be aware of things that are going on in their area, because the geography where they are could really change what they would vaccinate for that year and maybe even the next year or so.

So it’s important to communicate closely with your veterinarian about each horse’s circumstances and vaccination needs.

The relationship between the horse owner and the veterinarian is really important. The horse owner can sit down with their veterinarian and say, “Okay, what does my horse do for a living?

82 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

PHOTOS: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY DR. KEVIN HANKINS

Should an owner consider their horse’s geographic location when they talk to their vet about risk-based vaccines?

“THE BIG TAKE-HOME MESSAGE IS Where’s it going to travel? What’s going on geographically in my area? What are some of the disease concerns? What am I going to be doing with my horse in the future? Is my mare going to become a broodmare?”

There are so many things that can come into play. It’s important for the veterinarian and the horse owner to sit down together and not only make a plan for right now, but also look down the road a little to see what that horse owner is going to be doing with their horse in the future. You want to make sure that the horse is receiving the vaccines it’s going to need and also that it’s not getting over-vaccinated. I know a lot of people like to go to Dr. Google, and some horse owners might think, “Oh my God, I need to vaccinate for everything.”

But over-vaccinating can be just as bad as under-vaccinating. So having that guidance from your veterinarian is important.

It’s also really important to have your veterinarian vaccinate that horse instead of trying to do it yourself. If you aren’t a veterinarian and you vaccinate your horse, in the case of rabies, it can cause your horse to be considered to be unvaccinated.

With rabies—and this is one disease that really comes into play in all 50 states in the U.S.—if a horse owner who isn’t a veterinarian acquires a rabies vaccine on their own and vaccinates their horse for rabies, that horse is considered unvaccinated for that disease. That really comes into play in case of exposure. Most states require unvaccinated horses that have been exposed to rabies or bitten by a rabid animal to go into six months quarantine or to be euthanized. So even if a horse owner has a videotape of themselves getting that vaccine and vaccinating their horse for rabies, the states are going to consider it non-vaccinated.

TO WORK WITH THEIR VETERINARIAN TO SET UP A PROGRAM FOR THEIR HORSES.”

Dr. Kevin Hankins Another good reason to have your veterinarian handle vaccination is the chain of custody. You can be assured that those vaccines have been handled adequately coming from the manufacturer to the veterinarian to the horse owner. You can be assured it’s been appropriately refrigerated, kept out of direct sunlight, and administered appropriately. That doesn’t always happen when a horse owner acquires a vaccine from other sources.

You kind of lose that custody chain.

Here’s another thing that I really like, too, something Zoetis offers that others don’t: if a horse owner has their licensed veterinarian vaccinate their horse with the Zoetis vaccines, they’re covered up to $5,000 dollars per horse for diagnostics and treatment and farm call if that horse becomes ill. For instance, if your licensed veterinarian administered

Fluvac Innovator® 300 days ago and your horse comes down with a snotty nose, Zoetis will pay to have that veterinarian come out, diagnose it, do all the testing, and pay for the farm call. Even if it doesn’t come up as equine influenza, they still pay.

It doesn’t cost the horse owner anything. But the big thing is, it keeps those vaccines in the hands of a licensed veterinarian.

And it gives that horse owner peace of mind that, “Hey, if something happens, I’ve got a free insurance policy, where Zoetis will cover all this, including treatment, up to $5,000 per horse per year.” The owner doesn’t have to do anything except have their veterinarian vaccinate and keep good records.

What are the advantages of a single, all-in-one core vaccination like Core EQ InnovatorTM to vaccinate against all five diseases covered by the core vaccines?

Having a single injection for the core vaccines raises compliance, for one thing, especially for the rabies vaccine—because, believe it or not, there’s not a very high percentage of rabies vaccination in horses.

That’s surprising, considering the zoonotic potential of rabies and the fact that people exposed to rabies will have to go through the post-exposure series of injections.

In addition to increasing vaccine compliance, it also makes it very easy and puts it in a one-milliliter (or 1 cc) dose.

So for the veterinarian to go out in the spring and be able to give a single onemilliliter dose vaccine to cover all five core vaccines, that makes it very convenient for the veterinarian and the horse owner, too.

The more times you inject a horse, the higher the chance of a reaction. So having USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 83

“OVERVACCINATING CAN BE JUST AS BAD AS

Is there any advantage in terms of not interrupting a training or competition schedule? And is it wise to rest a horse after any vaccination?

UNDER-

Yes, because in general you do want to rest a horse after vaccination. Typically, I recommend that you rest the horse the day after vaccination, just because I want the immune system to be able to focus on those antigens that we just gave the horse.

We want to keep interruptions to training to a minimum, so I think giving them a day off is important while they mount an immune response. If you vaccinate them and then put them right back out into work, or, worse yet, put them right in a trailer and haul them someplace, the immune response to that vaccine is not going to be adequate yet and you’re not going to protect your horse very well.

So if they’re going into competition or if they’re going someplace for a show, I think the general recommendation is that you vaccinate them at least two weeks before they travel. That way they mount a proper immune response.

The nice thing about Core EQ Innovator and Fluvac InnovatorTM is that you can give the core vaccine along with the Fluvac equine influenza/equine rhinopneumonitis vaccine on the same day.

Even though there’s basically seven antigens going in there, the horse’s immune system responds very well.

In fact, they get a little over four times the immune response to the flu antigen when we separate our flu vaccine from the core vaccine.

So in early spring, your veterinarian can give your horse the core and the flu/ rhino vaccines. Your horse’s immune 84 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

VACCINATING. HAVING GUIDANCE FROM YOUR VETERINARIAN

IS IMPORTANT.” Dr. Kevin Hankins system can handle that very well. Then give them that day off.

For those competition horses, you might come back in the fall and give them a flu/rhino vaccine again if they need it.

It’s interesting that a horse can get more protection against equine influenza if you separate that vaccine out from the core vaccines.

Can you explain how that works?

There’s an effect called antigen interference, and it actually happens in the syringe itself, or in the manufacturing process instead of in the horse, when you blend those antigens together.

Every antigen thrives under a different pH level. When you mix a whole bunch of them together, they try to find an average pH level where they kind of all get along together. The assumption is that maybe that pH level is not very friendly to equine influenza.

So taking the flu and the herpesvirus part out of the mix of the core vaccines allows the antigen for equine influenza, which is one of the most important respiratory diseases, to get about four to 4.7 times greater immune response when we measure titer levels than when it’s included with the core diseases.

That’s a huge difference, especially for horses that are at stables or in training or traveling. You want to make sure they maximize their immune response, because that correlates with protection.

Recent EHV outbreaks have made people even more aware of the importance of vaccinating against equine herpesvirus. Can you explain why it’s important to be aware of and protect a horse against equine influenza, too?

With equine influenza, it’s not only the acute phase of the disease, it’s what happens to the lining and the protection of their respiratory tract. What happens with flu is that when a horse inhales the flu virus, it attaches to the lining of their lungs and the respiratory tract, which has all these little finger-like projections called cilia. They’re there to protect and move bad stuff up and out of the lungs. But when the equine influenza virus attaches to the cilia, it starts destroying them. It’s going to take a minimum of three weeks for that horse to regenerate the cilia.

When they don’t have that protective cilia, you don’t want those horses in training and shipping anywhere. If they

PHOTOS: SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY

the single vaccine also brings down the possibility of a reaction, as well.

breathe in bacteria, fungus, anything like that, it can go right to the endothelial lining of the lungs, which cannot be protected by that cilia. So with flu and a performance horse, first you lose that six to eight days where they feel horrible and they’re coughing like crazy. Once that’s over, you’ve lost another minimum of three weeks.

And if they get a bad enough case of flu, their oxygen exchange capability will never be the same again. A lot of times these horses that have flu chronically have inflammatory airway disease the rest of their lives.

So it’s really important to protect them from flu.

What is your take-home message for horse owners and barn managers regarding vaccines for horses?

The big take-home message is to work with their veterinarian to set up a program for their horses. It’s good for the horse’s health and for the horse owner’s pocketbook to have a plan in place.

I can’t stress enough that it’s so important for the horse owner to develop that relationship. It’s great for them to go off and search Dr. Google and learn as much as they can. But the one who knows their horses is their veterinarian.

Above: Before competing, also remember to consult the United States Equestrian Federation’s Equine Vaccination Rule in the General Rules section of the Rulebook.

Left: Talk with your veterinarian not only about your horse’s general health, but also about their competition and travel plans, as well as any future plans like breeding, as part of making a vaccine plan together.

USEQUESTRIAN.ORG 85

FOR THE RECORD

Penalties for Rule Violations OFFICIAL NOTICES Contributed by the Regulation Department unless otherwise indicated. The following official notices are only intended to give penalty information for a given case and not to disclose the factual basis for each violation or penalty. For matters heard by the Hearing Committee, a Hearing Panel decides each case based on the evidence presented at the hearing and takes into account many factors that may raise or lower a given penalty. For example, the Hearing Committee takes into account such things as whether the violation was intentional or unintentional, the nature of the violation, the credibility of witnesses, Penalty Guidelines, penalties in similar cases, past violations of Federation rules by a respondent, and many other mitigating factors.

US Equestrian members can access and search the United States Equestrian Federation Suspension List online at USequestrian.org. Hover over the Compete tab on the homepage. In the menu that appears, click Ineligibility List under Rules, Regulations, and Grievances.

B E LY N DA B O N D o f Pilot Point, Texas, violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Equifest II Horse Show held on August 4-8, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse HEROLOV DE WY after it had been administered and/ or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that BELYNDA BOND be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by HEROLOV DE WY at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

DALTON BUDD of Sheridan, Ind., violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Lexington Junior League Horse Show held on July 12-17, 2021, in that he, as trainer, exhibited the horse ANDERSON COOPER after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that DALTON BUDD be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was 86 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by ANDERSON COOPER at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

JOHN D. GARDNER of Pendergrass, Ga., violated Chapter 7, GR702.1d, of this Federation, in connection with the All American Horse Classic Horse Show held September 8-11, 2021, in that he approached the competition steward and forcefully removed a bamboo pole from her hands immediately following her confiscation of the pole from another exhibitor.

Gardner also used disrespectful language, including the use of profanity, toward the steward.

The Federation entered into an informal resolution with Gardner to resolve this matter outside of a hearing. Gardner fully cooperated with the Federation throughout the proceedings.

In determining the proper penalty, the Federation took into account the seriousness of the violations and determined that the following penalty was appropriate.

For these violations it was determined that JOHN D. GARDNER shall be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, G R 703 .1 a , a n d f i n e d $300 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1k.

ALEXANDRIA GARRITY of Flemington, N.J., violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection

with the Old Salem Farm May II Horse Show held on May 18-23, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse EXCLUSIVE BREW after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that ALEXANDRIA GARRITY be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by EXCLUSIVE BREW at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

GREAT SOUTHWEST EQUESTRIAN CENTER, LP, as Licensee, violated Chapter 3, GR302.1.h.3, of this Federation, in connection with the Texas Winter Frost Fire Horse Show held December 16-19, 2021, in that the competition offered and held the USHJA Jumping Seat Medal class, although the competition was not licensed to hold this class.

The Federation entered into an informal resolution with Great Southwest Equestrian Center to resolve this matter outside of a hearing, to which they fully cooperated with the Federation throughout the proceedings. In determining the proper penalty, the Federation took into account

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FOR THE RECORD the seriousness of the violation and determined that the following penalty was appropriate.

J’ADORE Z at said competition must be redistributed p u rs u a n t to C h a p te r 7, GR703.1g.

For this violation it was determined that GREAT SOUTHWEST EQUESTRIAN CENTER, LP, as Licensee, shall be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $500 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1k.

LACY HUDSON of Austin, Texas, violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Tryon Summer I Horse Show held on June 18-20, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse CASSIOPEIA CELLESTIN after it had been administered and/or contained in its body dexamethasone in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level.

JESSICA HART of Bedford, Mass., violated Chapter 4, GR410-411, of this Federation, in connection with Fieldstone Spring Festival I Horse Show held on May 12-16, 2021, in that she, as rider/lessee, exhibited the horse, J’ADORE Z, after it had been administered and/or contained in its body Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid.

For this violation it was determined that pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1b and GR703.1f, JESSICA HART be found not in good standing, suspended from membership and forbidden from the privilege of taking any part whatsoever in any licensed competition for five months and is excluded from all competition grounds during licensed competitions for that period: (1) as an exhibitor, participant, or spectator; (2) from participating in all Federation affairs and activities; (3) from holding or exercising office in the Federation or in any licensed competition; and (4) from attending, observing, or participating in any event, forum, meeting, program, clinic, task force, or committee of the Federation, sponsored by or conducted by the Federation, or held in connection with the Federation and any of its activities.

The five-month suspension shall commence on March 1, 2022, and terminate at midnight on July 31, 2022.

Any horse or horses owned, leased, or of any partnership, corporation, or stable of hers, or shown in her name or for her reputation (whether such interest was held at the time of the alleged violation or acquired thereafter), shall also be suspended, pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1c, for the same period.

JESSICA HART was also fined $5,000 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by 88 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

For this violation it was determined that LACY HUDSON be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $1,250 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. This fine was enhanced due to the level of dexamethasone detected.

It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by CASSIOPEIA CELLESTIN at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

LANGER EQUESTRIAN GROUP, INC., as Licensee, violated Chapter 3, GR301.1, and Chapter 9, GR902.3, of this Federation, in connection with the Riders Cup Horse Show held October 21-24, 2021, in that they held unlicensed local hunter classes on licensed dates.

The Federation entered into an informal resolution with Langer Equestrian Group, Inc., to resolve this matter outside of a hearing, to which they fully cooperated with the Federation throughout the proceedings.

In determining the proper penalty, the Federation took into account the seriousness of the violation and determined that the following penalty was appropriate.

For this violation it was determined that LANGER E Q U E S T R I A N G R O U P, INC., as Licensee, shall be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $1,000 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1k.

DONALD LEFEVER of Roberts, Wisc., violated Chapter 4, GR410-411, of this Federation, in connection with Sahara Sands Spring Classic Horse Show h e l d o n A p r i l 3 0 - M ay 2 , 2 02 1 , i n t h a t , h e , a s trainer, exhibited the horse

MAGNETIC PERSONALITY after it had been administered and/or contained in its body acepromazine and 2-(1-hydroxyethyl) promazine sulfoxide.

For this violation it was determined that pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1b and GR703.1f, DONALD LEFEVER be found not in good standing, suspended from membership and forbidden from the privilege of taking any part whatsoever in any licensed competition for two months and is excluded from all competition grounds during licensed competitions for that period: (1) as an exhibitor, participant, or spectator; (2) from participating in all Federation affairs and activities; (3) from holding or exercising office in the Federation or in any licensed competition; and (4) from attending, observing, or participating in any event, forum, meeting, program, clinic, task force, or committee of the Federation, sponsored by or conducted by the Federation, or held in connection with the Federation and any of its activities.

The two-month suspension shall commence on April 1, 2022, and terminate at midnight on May 31, 2022.

Any horse or horses owned, leased, or of any partnership, corporation or stable of his, or shown in his name or for his reputation (whether such interest was held at the time of the alleged violation or acquired thereafter), shall also be suspended, pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1c, for the same period.

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DONALD LEFEVER was also fined $1,500 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by MAGNETIC PERSONALITY at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

JAMIE MILLS of Columbus, Ohio, violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Brave Horse IV Horse Show held on July 21-25, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse DOUBLE PLAY after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

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FOR THE RECORD For this violation it was determined that JAMIE MILLS be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j.

It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by DOUBLE PLAY at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

ANGELA MOORE of Johnstown, Ohio, violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Brave Horse VI Horse Show held on September 1-5, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse SWEET SPOT CTF after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that ANGELA MOORE be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by SWEET SPOT CTF at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

MARY RIVAS of Sag Harbor, N.Y., violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with The Princeton Classic Preview Horse Show held on July 21-25, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse WONDERBOY MARCKHOEVE after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that MARY RIVAS be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by WONDERBOY MARCKHOEVE at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

KOBI RHODES of Wellington, Fla., violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC Summer III Horse Show held on August 26-29, 2021, in that he, as trainer, exhibited the horse CASHEW Q after it had been administered and/or contained in its body dexamethasone in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level.

90 SUMMER ISSUE 2022

For this violation it was determined that KOBI RHODES be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by CASHEW Q at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

ALEXIS SCOTT of West Des Moines, Iowa, violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the NSHR National Championship Finals Horse Show held on September 16-18, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse WGA ROSE DANCER after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that ALEXIS SCOTT be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by WGA ROSE DANCER at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

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MOLLY SEWELL of Wellington, Fla., violated Chapter 4, GR410, of this Federation, in connection with the HITS on the Hudson VIII Horse Show held on September 8-12, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse INVERNESS after it had been administered and/or contained in its body methocarbamol in a plasma concentration exceeding the maximum permitted level and guaifenesin.

For this violation it was determined that MOLLY SEWELL be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $750 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by INVERNESS at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

LISA TOMASELLI of Southbury, Conn., violated Chapter 4, GR410-411, of this Federation, in connection with the Old Salem Farm Horse Show held August 26-29, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse VALENTINA after it had been administered and/or contained in its body hydroxyzine and cetirizine. The facts and mitigating factors in this case supported the following penalty even though it is below the suggested range for Category II Violations outlined

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FOR THE RECORD in the Drugs and Medications Penalty Guidelines.

For this violation it was determined that LISA TOMASELLI be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $1,000 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by VALENTINA at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

NADA WISE of Hempstead, Texa s , v i o l ate d C h a p te r 4 , GR410-411, of this Federation, in connection with the Great Southwest Round Up Horse Show held May 6-9, 2021, in that she, as trainer, exhibited the horse

SAUSALITO after it had been administered and/or contained in its body hydroxyzine and cetirizine.

The facts and mitigating factors in this case supported the following penalty even though it is below the suggested range for Category II Violations outlined in the Drugs and Medications Penalty Guidelines.

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For this violation it was determined that NADA WISE be censured pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1a, and fined $1,000 pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1j. It was further directed that for this violation of the rules, all trophies, prizes, ribbons, and monies, if any, won by SAUSALITO at said competition must be redistributed pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1g.

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