MSEDA News

By Sarah E Coleman

As with most girls, Erin Pullen, owner of Go Big Eventing in Shelby County, Ky., was drawn to horses as a young girl. Erin fell in love with the sport of eventing because of influential force Jennifer Crossen of Windy Knoll Farm in Winchester, Ky. Jennifer taught Erin on some very kind lesson horses that instilled in her the confidence to run cross county. “I owe Jennifer so much,” says Erin. “Without her guidance I doubt I’d be the rider I am today.”

Erin began Go Big Eventing in 2012, catering to a vast array of horses and riders, though her specialty is off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Having worked on the track for 13 years, in positons ranging from galloping, assistant training and eventually having 30 racehorses under her care, Erin loves and truly understands the Thoroughbreds. “They have their own language, one I very patiently learned to understand,” she explains.

Erin’s clientele also includes adult riders who started riding a little later in life, and Saddlebreds that have recently flocked toward her. One of Erin’s favorite parts of Go Big Eventing is seeing horses and riders learn and excel at new disciplines. As with the Thoroughbreds, Erin is extremely patient in helping her students reach their goals, whether that is the American Eventing Championships or a one-star event.

In addition to training and teaching, Erin has lofty goals for her two personal upper-level horses, Big and Tag, as well: She would love to compete at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and abroad.

Erin’s OTTB Big is currently competing at the Intermediate level. Erin and Big have an extensive history together: Erin owned and trained him during his racing career, then retired him as a 4-year-old after he suffered a minor injury. “He and I have the greatest partnership, he’s a beast and a blast on cross country, and has so much grace and elegance in the dressage ring. He has helped me with every other horse I bring along,” Erin says of Big           Photo by Liz Crawley

Tag, Erin’s second horse, is also an OTTB. In 2014, the duo was 11th at the AEC’s at Novice, and at Team Challenge that same year they were second at Training. In 2015, the pair moved to Prelim, where they completed the CCI* at the Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge and then finished seventh in their first Intermediate at River Glen in November. 

Photo by Liz Crawley

The Fitness Formula

So what does it take to keep her upper-level horses fit and ready to compete? Diligence. As Erin doesn’t go South to train in the winter it’s absolutely imperative that she be based at a facility where she can continue to ride year-round. Erin is based out of Allday Farm, owned by Dr. Steve and Kim Allday, who were Erin’s first sponsors. Erin has 16 stalls on the property, which includes 82 acres with some cross country jumps, a generous covered arena and an outdoor arena.

After the conclusion of her show season in November, Erin allows both her horses to have the month of December off, then begins to leg them back up in January. Her goal is to compete her horses, on average, once a month. As she is now riding at the upper levels, more travel is necessary to get to events like Poplar Place and Chattahoochee Hills.

Erin begins to bring her horses back into shape with lots of flat work, riding them six days a week. She works on the basics, including transitions, balance, straightness and lateral work. She incorporates in ground poles, raised poles and cavaletti before starting any sort of conditioning work. Once the flatwork becomes easier, with fewer breaks needed before being pushed, Erin begins to get her horses out of the ring for conditioning work, which she can do on the farm. She can then ask them for hill work, with lots of walking up and down hills first, then trotting.

“I let the horses tell me when they’re ready to start galloping,” Erin explains. “I have to be careful galloping Big and Tag, they tend to keep themselves pretty fit. They both have knack for having silly antics in the dressage arena if they’re a little too fit!” 

Depending on the level of horse, they’re in work at least a month before going back to competing, Erin explains. “With Big, I always drop him down a level when he starts out in the year. As he’s getting older, I don’t ever want to push him past what he’s ready for.”

“He’s a funny one—he’ll let on that he is tougher than he is, but I have to be able to recognize that and protect him from himself,” she comments. Here again, knowing Thoroughbreds and her horses is imperative to getting Big properly conditioned for his show season.

Photo by Liz Crawley

Maintaining Human Fitness

Erin doesn’t have to do any specific training to get herself ready to perform at the upper levels, as her job tends to keep her quite fit. “The farm has a lot of space in between paddocks, so I do a lot of walking. I ride at least six or seven horses a day, and I do stalls,” she explains. “When I teach, you’ll never see me sitting; quite often I will be constantly walking or sometimes running next to one of my beginner riders.”

However, Erin does pay close attention to her diet. “I don’t eat junk food or drink soda,” she says. “I always have a bottle of water nearby and healthy snacks that are easily grabbed” so she can fill up on the good stuff instead of quick, tide-me-over-for-now junk food.

Photo Credit Xpress Foto

She keeps grapes, cheese cubes, smoothies and protein bars on hand, and constantly drinking water keeps her from getting the “oh my gosh, I have to eat right now!” feeling.

A conscientious approach to horses, which Erin honed on the track, has served her well with Go Big Eventing. Taking care of herself, as well, can only help her on the path to success. 

By Sarah E Coleman

Midsouth Eventing and Dressage Association has a unique requirement for membership in addition to paying dues: members must volunteer at events to be eligible for year-end honors.

While this may seem onerous to some, the number of hours to volunteer is not a burden: Members must donate 8 hours of their time total, over the course of the competition year (December 1 through the end of the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event in October as it is the last horse show in the area). Four of these volunteer hours can be at any MSEDA-sanctioned show, but the other four hours must be at either MSEDA Dressage in the Park or Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge. Members can obtain hours by fence judging, stewarding, bit checking, scoring and jump crewing, to name just a few possibilities. Riders, too, are eligible for these awards in the division in which they compete. For example; a rider who competes in Preliminary Eventing is eligible for awards at that level. If the same rider competes at Preliminary Combined Tests and First Level Dressage, they will be eligible in those categories as well. If they garner the most points of all of the competitors in a given discipline (Eventing, Dressage or Combined Tests), they are eligible for overall High Point Rider, Overall High Point Horse or Mare of the Year, Master Rider (for adults over the age of 50), Junior/Young Rider (for anyone under the age of 21), or special awards such as the Grasshopper Award, for the High Point Thoroughbred, or the Pony Club Award for active Pony Club members who are also MSEDA members, to name a few.

Volunteer coordinators at each show must sign off on volunteer hours. Forms can be found and printed from the MSEDA website.  Completed forms must be sent to Mary Margaret Sterling (sprgcrk@bellsouth.net). All forms MUST be SIGNED by the Volunteer Coordinator at the show for the hours to be counted. If a member is interested in a special award such as the Pony Club Award, the Grasshopper Award, the Adult Amateur Award, or the Hall of Distinction they must notify Mary Margaret Sterling in writing that they would like to be considered. Points for those awards will not start accruing until Mary Margaret is notified.

In addition to being eligible for year-end ridden awards, there are also year-end awards that recognize the people who accrue the most volunteer hours during the competition year called the Volunteer Awards. Twelve people who accumulate the most hours are recognized at the MSEDA banquet. Incredibly, the top winner of the 2015 MSEDA Volunteer Awards, logged over 158 hours helping at events!

Click here to read the Volunteer Awards from 2015.

Download the form to begin tracking your hours here.

By Jen Roytz

Around this time each year riders young and old are thinking about what competitions they want to enter throughout the upcoming season with their horse(s). What is the best way to create a plan that will be easy to follow and allow you and your horse to peak at the right time?

Lexington-based trainer Jenn O’Neill, barn manager and trainer at Antebellum Farm, says it is important to be goal-oriented.

“I suggest my students pick one or two goals for the upcoming season,” said O’Neill. “They don’t have to be big ‘riding career-defining’ goals, like winning the AECs or a big FEI competition, but they need to have a goal,” said O’Neill.

The goals can be simple, like moving up a level in competition throughout the year, qualifying for the American Eventing Championships (AECs) or competing in their first one-star event. Then, it is all about mapping out a plan to get there.

When moving up a level in competition, for example, O’Neill suggests deciding well in advance what specific competition will be the least intimidating to move up to a more challenging level, then plan your competition schedule using that as an end-goal. She also strongly suggests making sure your coach can be there for support and guidance.

“Moving up a level can be stressful, and having someone there to remind you that you can do it is really important,” said O’Neill, an advanced level rider who has competed at the CCI** level. “I find that meeting the minimum requirements to move up a level is seldom enough to be prepared, so I want my students to be overly prepared and confident to go out and get the job done safely.”

Be considerate of your horse’s abilities as well as your own. If he or she is struggling to comply with what you are asking, they may not be as ready as you are for such a big challenge. An outside perspective from your coach or a trainer can be helpful.

Photo credit JJ Sillman

As is the case with everything in life, even the best laid plans often need to be adjusted along the way. So many things can impact your progress, from weather and injuries to having an uncharacteristic poor performance. Be open to modifying your plan, allowing you to stay focused on your greater goal.

“It’s always good to have a back-up plan in case an outing doesn’t go

The bottom line is that the goals one sets should be fun an achievable. It is good to have a bit of nervous excitement when attempting a new challenge, but the task you are facing should never feel overwhelming or scary.

“Choose goals that are realistic and achievable with hard work, but don’t forget to dream a little,” said O’Neill. “Go out of your comfort zone a little with that end-of-year goal, but don’t forget, this sport is supposed to be fun for both the rider and the horse!”

Photo credit JJ Sillman

Congratulations to our door prize winners and a huge THANK YOU to all those who donated prizes! We are so grateful for your support of MSEDA!

By Sarah E Coleman

Eager participants were greeted with enthusiasm during Daniel Stewart’seducational clinic at the MSEDA Annual Meeting held at the Four Point by Sheraton.  Starting Saturday morning, and continuing through the afternoon, attendees were taught a plethora of helpful hints to manage their horse-show nerves.

A successful international trainer and instructor for over 25 years with a degree in Sport Science and a host of World Championships, World Equestrian Games and Olympics competitors on his resume, Stewart believes that one of the easiest ways to be a successful rider is to think positively. Throughout the day, he incorporated the power of positive thinking into everything he taught, and imparted ways to stay positive in the heat of the moment.

Some of these ideas included:

By Jen Roytz

The Mid-South Eventing and Dressage Association’s annual meeting and awards banquet was held on January 30^th and 31^st in Lexington, Kentucky and included a wide arrange of speaker topics, updates and, of course, the year-end awards for the 2015 competition season.

Photo by Suzanne Fischer

The featured educational speaker on Saturday was internationally renowned coach, clinician and author Daniel Stewart. Stewart, who has trained riders to success in various World Championships, World Equestrian Games and Olympics, also gave a riding clinic on Sunday and Monday at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Sunday’s MSEDA board meeting covered a wide range of topics, including updates and takeaways from the USEA and USDF conventions, the unveiling of the new MSEDA website and the election of six new MSEDA board members for 2016: Kristin Posner (VP, Dressage), Cheryl Steele (Treasurer), Julie Congleton (Central Seat), Chelsea Smith (Central Seat), Megan Carr (Western Seat) and Eric Sampson (Northwestern Seat).

The highline of the weekend was Saturday evening’s 2015 MSEDA Awards Banquet, which honored all year-end award winners. Special award winners include:

Volunteer Julep Cups

Debbie Hinkle- 158 hours

Millard Spencer- 140.5 hours

Vicki Baumgardner- 124.5 hours

Ron McGinley- 123.5 hours

Carol Robertson- 121.5 hours

Shelley Ryan- 101.5 hours

Leigh Ann Robertson- 95.5 hours

Rudy Vogt-90.5 hours

Thomas Bell- 87.5 hours

Mary Ann Andres- 83.5 hours

Lori Snyder- 81.5 hours

Margorie Hines- 80.5 hours

Special Recognition Awards

Mary Margaret Sterling

Lynn Anthony Miles

MSEDA Grants for 2016

Anastasia Curwood $500

Susan Harris $1,000

Christine Brown Memorial Grant (2016)

Katie Hagerty- $1,500

Dressage Show of the Year (2015)

Antebellum

Horse Trials of the Year (2015)

Midsouth Pony Club Horse Trials

Kob Ryen Memorial Trophy

Mary Margaret Sterling

Dressage High Point Junior Rider

Mary Grace Timmons

Dressage High Point Young Rider

Madison Deaton

Dressage High Point Senior Rider

Joan Gariboldi

Dressage High Point Master Rider

Catherine B. Jacob (tie)

Susan Posner (tie)

Dressage High Point Adult Amateur

Catherine B. Jacob

The Spy Games Memorial Trophy Dressage High Point Award

Susan Posner and Tympani

The Tundra Memorial Trophy Dressage High Point Mare

Aryus (tie) owned by Catherine B. Jacob

Brunswik (tie) owned by Catherine B. Jacob

The Craig Bryant Memorial Trophy Eventing High Point Junior Rider

Paige Pence

Eventing High Point Young Rider

Chelsea Kolman

The Bennet Trophy Eventing High Point Senior Rider

 Megan Moore

The Helmut Graetz Trophy Eventing High Point Master Rider

Alston Kerr

The Midnight Sam Memorial Trophy Eventing High Point Award

Sir Earl Grey owned by Alston Kerr

The Philosopher Trophy Eventing High Point Mare

Miss Airheart owned by Mandy Alexander

The Grasshopper Trophy High Point MSEDA OTTB

Miss Airheart owned by Mandy Alexander

The Bryn Wilborn Memorial Trophy for MSEDA members who competed at the NAJYRC Championships

Paige Pence and Class Action

Hope Walden and Lily Langtry

Mary Peabody Camp and Rivertown Lad

Click here to see the full list of year-end award winners.

By Sarah E Coleman

Congratulations to all of our recent MSEDA Grant recipients. These grants were awarded at the MSEDA Annual Awards Banquet on Jan. 30, 2015. 

$1,500 Christine Brown Memorial Grant: Katie Hagerty

Katie Hagerty is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, where she is studying to be a business marketing major. Her ideal career will be in the equine industry working at a sales rep. Katie trains under Allie Knowles and is currently in Ocala, Fla., at Buck Davidson’s farm with her two horses: Rocksteady (also known as Eddie), a 10-year-old Thoroughbred and Courtly Miss (also known as Missy), a 10-year-old Thoroughbred.  

Katie is using her grant money to ready both mares for competition; Missy for  The Fork and the Carolina International two-star prior to the Ocala International CCI two-star. All of these events are in preparation for the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in Colorado this summer. Katie is aiming Eddie for a one-star in Ocala in 2017.

$500 MSEDA Educational Grant: Stacy Curwood

A MSEDA member since 2009, Stacy Curwood has a 6-year-old Thoroughbred named Special Dark, or Sparky. Stacy will use her grant to attend a week of dressage “boot camp” with “S” judge and USDF gold medalist Sandy Osborn at Ashland Farm in Georgia. Stacy will be blogging through a training diary while there and will be bringing Sandy up to Kentucky for a Ride-a-Test clinic later this year, open to MSEDA members, and the dressage and eventing communities. Stacy is honored to have been chosen for the scholarship, and is hopeful that MSEDA members will benefit from what I learn and from the clinic.

 Photo by  Wendy Wooley/ EquiSport Photos

$1,000 MSEDA Educational Grant: Susan Harris

Susan Harris is very thankful to receive this grant; she is training in Wellington, Fla., with Kathy Priest and Shelly Francis on her 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Endavour Adventure. Learning his flying changes and aiming toward Third and Fourth level, Kathy is so thankful for the grant to allow her to continue his training. She also used part of the grant money to attend the USDF Trainers Conference in Loxahatchee, Fla., with Johann Hinnemann.

By Jen Roytz

As the temperatures dip down around freezing or below, it can be difficult to keep weight on our horses, especially those who are up in age or known for staying on the lean side. At least every two weeks, it is advised that you asses a horse’s BCS (Body Condition Score) and weight, using a weight tape or scale.  Based on the nuanced changes you see in your horse’s weight and BCS, there are simple adjustments you can make to manage their weight.  

Staying Warm

One of the easiest things you can do to help your horses maintain weight is to help them stay warm during the winter, as the colder they are, the more calories they will burn trying to keep their body warm. If they aren’t in regular work, the best option is to let their body do what it does naturally and grown a thick winter coat, which provides plenty of insulation to keep them warm. If they are outside most or all of the time, making sure they have some type of shelter to avoid harsh wind and freezing rain is key.

If they are in work and you are keeping their coat thinner or clipped. Note that the blanket is smoothing the coat down, thus taking away much of its heat-retaining properties, so changing blanket weight or layers as temperatures warm or cool is necessary to maintain the horse’s comfort. Also, be sure to inspect the horse without a blanket on regularly to make sure it is maintaining weight and isn’t developing any skin irritations or rubs.

Regardless of whether the horse is indoors or outdoors, be sure their access to water is not compromised (frozen) and that they are drinking enough, as a reduced water intake can lead to decreased food intake and gastrointestinal issues.

Feeding

Horses don’t have ample grass to graze upon in the winter, so owners must be sure they provide enough forage for their horses – about 1.25 to 2% of forage per day. While increasing the amount of forage offered is important during winter months, increasing the quality is also paramount, especially for individuals who are proven hard keepers.

“Select less mature grass hay that contains more leaves than stems and include a legume forage, such as alfalfa, clover, or lespedeza that can provide more calories than typical grass hays on an equal weight basis,” said Catherine Whitehouse, MS, Nutrition Advisor for Kentucky Equine Research. “Offering poor-quality hay – those high in indigestible fiber – can limit the amount horses will consume, which can be a factor in weight loss, even if they have access to forage such as a round bale.”

If forage quality is an issue, Whitehouse suggest providing an alternative forage product, such as beet pulp, forage cubes, pellets, or chaff, which are high in fermentable fiber.

“If the horse is receiving grain, it may be as simple as increasing the amount offered by two to three pounds per day,” added Whitehouse.

Adding a top dressing to a horse’s feed, such as stabilized rice bran or vegetable oil, offers highly digestible energy and calories, which will help horses maintain body heat and weight.

Hard Keepers

When it comes to senior horses or those who are known to be hard keepers, being proactive can help them immensely as temperatures drop.

“Horses that repeatedly lose body weight during the winter should have their BCS assessed in the fall and, if needed, be started on a weight-gain diet with a larger amount of calories prior to the start of winter,” said Whitehouse. “Consider reducing their workload during the winter, if possible, to allow more calories to be used for maintaining weight and condition.”

She also suggests using a fixed formula concentrate with fixed ingredients that uses a combination of energy sources, such as starch, fat and fermentable fiber, which should help maintain weight.

If you have questions about how to help your horses maintain a healthy weight through the winter, KER nutrition advisors are available for consultation via email or phone. Go to www.ker.com for more information.

By Sarah E Coleman

We all know one: A blanket-busting horse that seems to delight in ruining even the toughest-denier cover-up money can buy. Inevitably, these horses seem to destroy their blankets right before a holiday, major weather event or when their other blanket of the same weight is out for laundering. 

Even though we’ve been lucky so far this winter, with our horses going without heavyweight blankets for many months past normal, there’s still plenty of time for your beast to beat up his clothes. If he decides now is a good time to put air conditioning in his blanket or rip off straps and buckles, here are some quick ways to keep your kid comfortably covered until you can get his blankets to a professional. 

Unfortunately, your blanket needs to be as clean as possible to make the repair—usually a tough thing as Kentucky winters don’t really lend themselves to clean horse clothes. If the body of the blanket is torn, and you’re worried that washing it completely may cause the fill to fall out, spot washing near the repair is A-OK. The most important this is to ensure that at least the edges of where you will repair, in addition to a few inches on either side, are clean. While you could soak the blanket and clean it with soap and water, cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and letting it dry will work just fine.

Addressing the Broken Bits

Broken straps, chest, belly or leg, are the most difficult to repair without professional help. If your horse was able to break these straps that were professionally put on, it’s likely that he’ll blow through most repairs you are likely to make, as well, but don’t let that discourage you from trying!

Most home sewing machines don’t have the oomph to get through both the blanket’s fill and the strap to hold the straps on securely. In addition, some horses manage to destroy the almost the entire length of a belly strap, leaving you very little to work with!

If your horse has destroyed his belly straps, an elastic blanket surcingle can be used behind the withers to hold the blanket in place until you can properly repair it. If you happen to have an older blanket on hand, you can try cobbling together a new strap, sewing the new piece onto the old and sewing a new hook onto the body of the blanket for a fastener. 

With any blanket repair, you’ll want to use the heaviest thread you can. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have heavy thread on hand, try using braiding thread, dental floss or fishing line. While a large, blunt needle may be easier to wield, working it through all the layers of fabrics and straps is tough. 

If your horse has frayed the elastic and lost a T-strap, you can either use a sewing machine or hand-stitch the elastic around a new piece of hardware. 

Though smaller, leg straps can be a bit harder of a repair as they require stitching through additional layers of fabric. A heavy-duty sewing machine is usually necessary to fasten the hooks securely to the body of the blanket. If you do try to reattach the straps, consider using leather or heavy canvas as a backing to make the repair less prone to re-tearing.

If you can’t seem to get the leg strap to stay even with a repair, you can tighten the remaining strap as much as possible between his hind legs or you can use baling twine as a tail cord to try to keep his clothes in place until they can be professionally repaired. 

Your Horse May Look Homeless … But At Least He’ll Be Dry

Horse can be such stinkers; even if he’s top-dog in his field, it seems like a given that he’ll find some nail or other sharp object on which to tear his (usually new and/or very expensive) blanket.

Large rips and small holes in the body of the blanket can be the easiest to repair. If your blanket is made of polyester, consider using a lighter to (carefully) seal the hole. Though it may smell horrible, this usually works for smaller tears. 

For blankets made of other materials, try making a woven duct-tape patch to hold the tear together (like the lattice weave you do for the bottom of a hoof pack). A blanket-specific waterproof patch is also easy to apply, as is an iron-on jean patch from a craft store. Simply trim the patch to a size slightly larger than the tear, iron on and let cool completely before putting it back on your horse.

Super glue is also an option to repair tears and small holes; just be sure to allow the glue to dry completely before testing its strength.

No matter what repair you make, waterproofing the repair is never a bad idea. Spray-on waterproofing is the easiest and quickest to use—just double-check that the type of waterproofing you purchase is useable on your blanket’s material. Also, be sure to check what temperature is recommended to get the best effects of the waterproofing; if it recommends over 50 degrees F, you may need to take the blanket into a garage or other climate-controlled area for best results.

Even if you’re not a super-savvy seamstress, sewing is best for large tears. Remember that the repair need not be beautiful—it just has to be functional. A straight or zip zag stitch is easiest, and hand sewing is always an option. 

When to Cry Uncle

Finally, if your horse is ripped from stem to stern, it may be time to call it quits. If you do choose to trash your blanket, be sure to cut off all the hardware (including leg or belly straps, if they’re salvageable) and save them for later use.