8 minute read

Becca Schaffauser slides her way to success

“Maintaining her horse’s soundness and mental state plus overcoming her own self-doubt while showing so frequently and needing to always be at the top of her game was a tall order for a then 12 year-old. She studied therapy and preventive medicine for her horse and worked on maintaining her own competitive mindset constantly.”

- Jeanna Schaffauser

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Becca and Buttons On my GT. Photo by Rhonda Leach

equestrian. Though the family will be moving their business to the Darling 888 Ranch in Princeton, KY in March 2023. Becca will continue sliding and spinning her way to the top of the Reining world.

Accomplishments • NRHA (National Reining

Horse Association) Youth 13 & Under World Champion • NRHA Youth 10 & Under Short Stirrup World

Champion • Three time Quarter Horse

Congress Reserve Champion • NRHA Derby 13 & Under and Short Stirrup

Champion • TNRHA (Tennessee

Reining Horse Association) High Point Rookie • TNRHA High Point

Youth 13 & Under.

By Michele Harn and Jeanna Schaffauser

She was born into it. Her father (Sam Schauffauser) and grandfather (Randy Schaffauser) are professional Reining horse trainers with a barn full of champion horses. Her mom, Jeanna, is a non-pro competitor. But having it all on the proverbial silver spoon doesn’t guarantee success in the show arena. No, that takes endless hours in the practice pen, hours researching therapies for her equine athletes, and a dedication seldom seen. Fourteen-year-old Becca Schaffauser of Eads, Tenn. has made the very most of the opportunity she was born into.

Becca is a competitive, focused young lady. Becca’s mother, Jeanna Schaffhauser, tells of Becca “riding unassisted when she was 2 years old on Hunter ponies and competing in Reining when she was 7 years old.” She also danced competitively for 8 years before deciding to focus solely on the horses. Part of that focus includes researching therapies to keep her competition horses in top condition and preventative medicine for all the horses in the barn. Becca enjoys learning more about veterinary medicine as an additional way to provide the very best for her equine partners. Her parents are proud of the role she plays in managing the horses.

We asked Becca’s mom to tell us about challenges she has faced.

“In order to accomplish her NRHA World Championship (which is a cumulative high point award for the year in NRHA), Becca had to get creative to help her horse, Cruz, avoid burn out. With the help of family friend and Ranch Riding guru, Matt Lantz, of Michigan, Becca taught Cruz Ranch Riding, and she credits adding Ranch Riding at shows for their Reining world title win. ‘It gave Cruz something different to think about. Reining can be terribly predictable for the horses, and Cruz learned to relax and really listen to me when we started showing Ranch Riding.’ Maintaining her horse’s soundness and mental state plus overcoming her own self-doubt while showing so frequently and needing to always be at the top of her game was a tall order for a then 12 year-old. She studied therapy and preventive medicine for her horse and worked on maintaining her own competitive mindset constantly.”

Becca competes at NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) and AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) events including the NRHA Futurity and Derby, National Reining Breeders Classic, Quarter Horse Congress, AQHA Youth World Show, and many other smaller events in TN, FL, GA, KY, IN, OK, and TX. Besides Reining she also competes in Ranch Riding, Ranch Trail, and Ranch Rail to keep her horses in top physical and mental condition. Her equine partners are Dun Got My Rest (Cruz), Buttons On my GT (Buttons), and Tinsel At The Ryman (Harold) who was recently sold.

It’s a Family Affaire

Becca’s father, Sam Schaffhauser, a NRHA Professional and Judge, ranks in the top 75 all-time NRHA riders with earnings over $600,000 and top placings in every major NRHA event. Sam is also passionate about developing young horses and coaching riders to the top of their games. Becca’s grandfather, Randy Schaffhauser, a NRHA Professional and multiple IBHA (International Buckskin Horse Association) Reining World Champion, has been training horses for over 50 years. Randy enjoys both showing and coaching Non-Pro and Youth Riders in both Reining and Ranch Riding. Becca’s mother, Jeanna Schaffhauser, grew up showing AQHA All-Around and shifted her focus to reining over 20 years ago after meeting Sam. She serves as manager of Sam Schaffhauser Performance Horses and shows Reining Futurity and Derby horses in the Non-Professional division.

Becca certainly has a bright future as a third generation

Above: Becca and Dun Got My Rest. Photo by Rhonda Leach

From the Experts

Sponsored Content by Kentucky Equine Research The Basics of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome

Modern feeding and management scenarios often place horses at risk for gastric ulcers. Common management practices that place horses at risk of gastric ulcers include meal feeding, diets high in concentrates and low in forage, intense training schedules, and social stressors.

The prevalence of gastric ulceration depends largely on breed, use, and disposition. Racehorses seem to be most bothered. In untrained Thoroughbreds, prevalence of equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD), which affects the upper portion of the stomach, is 37% but escalates to 80100% within two to three months of race training. ESGD is not as prevalent in show and sport horses, ranging from 17-58%. Horses kept primarily at home and used in familiar environments have the lowest prevalence of ESGD at 11%.

Conversely, the prevalence of equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), which damages the lower portion of the stomach, is less well documented but seemingly less widespread in racehorses and more common in leisure and sport horses.

Numerous clinical signs of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) have been identified, though expression of these signs varies from one horse to the next. • Poor appetite: feed intake is generally reduced, and some horses will lose their appetite for only certain elements of their ration, such as grain or hay. • Loss of weight or body condition: weight loss is generally associated with reduced appetite, but may be attributed to chronic, low-level pain. • Dull hair coat: perhaps due to weight

loss and low-grade pain. • Behavioral changes: often show signs of sourness toward horses and humans, including increased frequency of pinned ears and wringing tail; some horses become more reactive, while others become duller. • Abdominal discomfort: some horses will lie down more frequently or will stand in a stretched position; ridden horses often express discomfort while adjusting the girth. • Decline in performance: though this might be an effect of reduced energy consumption and weight loss, distraction due to pain could be the cause. • Colic frequency: recurrent colic with mild to moderate pain has been identified in horses with gastric ulcers.

The only reliable method for diagnosing gastric ulceration is endoscopy, also known as “scoping,” which must be performed by a veterinarian. During gastroscopy, a thin, flexible tube outfitted with a camera is inserted into the mouth, threaded down the esophagus, and passed into the stomach, providing visualization of the stomach lining. Nutritional management strategies can reduce the risk of gastric ulceration. Key considerations include: • Horses should be fed a forage-based diet. Continuous access to pasture forage may be preferable for at-risk horses, but free-choice hay or haylage can be fed to stabled horses that are not overweight.

For overweight horses and ponies at risk of EGUS, hay with low energy content should be fed in small meals throughout the day with a goal of feeding no

more than 1.5-1.7 lb. per 100 lb. of body weight daily. Horses on all-forage diets should be fed a ration balancer to ensure protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements are met. • Feed concentrates only when necessary to satisfy energy requirements. Consider feeds that are low in starch with higher levels of fat (oil, stabilized rice bran) and fermentable fiber (beet pulp, soy hulls).

Add chaff or alfalfa pellets to concentrate meals to dilute starch intake. Feed small concentrate meals, three or four times daily. • If concentrates cannot be tolerated by especially sensitive horses, vegetable oil (canola oil) can provide energy to the diet. Mix oil with alfalfa pellets or chaff.

Horses on high-fat diets should be supplemented with a natural-source vitamin

E, such as Nano-E®, a research-proven product with superior bioavailability developed by Kentucky Equine Research.

A diet of high-quality forage (pasture, hay, or hay alternatives) and limited starch should reduce acidity of the stomach, support healing of the stomach lining, and decrease the likelihood of ulcer recurrence.

In addition to dietary changes, other pharmaceutical agents or supplements are available for the treatment or prevention of EGUS. Omeprazole is the only FDA-approved treatment for gastric ulcers in horses. Omeprazole blocks secretion of hydrochloric acid for 24 hours when given to horses at the recommended dosages. Further, antacids such as aluminum phosphate buffer gastric pH, and sucralfate buffers hydrochloric acid by increasing bicarbonate secretion and stimulating prostaglandin secretion.

For more information on Kentucky Equine Research digestive health products developed to support gastric health, visit ker.com/digestive-health.

Kentucky Equine Research is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving horse owners and the feed industry. The company advances the industry’s knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology, applies that knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses, and supports the nutritional care of all horses throughout their lives. Learn more at ker.com.

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