by Nancy Jaffer | May 7, 2018
Did you miss the Land Rover Kentucky 4-star? Didn’t take the trip to Badminton? Make up for lost time this weekend by getting your eventing fix closer to home at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event.
The competition is held at the Horse Park of New Jersey, 626 Route 524, Allentown, N.J., where new footing has been installed in the grand prix ring.
Dressage for the CCI 2- and 3-star events begins May 10 and continues through May 11, when the CIC 2- and 3-star dressage also will be held.
Cross-country for all divisions starts at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 12. On Sunday, May 13, the final horse inspection is at 8 a.m., with CIC show jumping at 10 a.m. and the CCI jumping beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Tailgating by the water complex is popular at Jersey Fresh. (Photo©by Nancy Jaffer)
Jersey Fresh, presented by B.W. Furlong Associates, is the final U.S. qualifier for the FEI World Equestrian Games. The 150 entries for the event is a record, and will include such crowd-pleasing riders as Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, Buck Davidson and Jessica Phoenix.
For more information, go to jfi3d.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 22, 2018
The ranks of NCAA equestrian competition continue to increase. The newest addition is UC Davis, with a great vet school and a noted agriculture school as well.
The once-threatened nationwide NCAA equestrian program is now going from strength to strength as an entity, with more schools joining. Equestrian (along with beach volleyball!) will be added to the women’s interscholastic competition roster at UC Davis.
There already is a club equesrian team at Davis, but NCAA will begin on a limited competition schedule this autumn. Coaches and staff will be hired over the summer.
Associate Athletic Director Anissa Nachman said, “horses are typically donated or loaned to programs. So getting both the riders as well as the horses at the same time will obviously be a lot of work.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 22, 2018
Israel is building a formidable team that could make the squad a factor in Nations’ Cup show jumping competition. We know the usual powers–Germany, the U.S., the Netherlands, France, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and a few others, but Israel may soon have to be considered as a possible medal contender.
None of the riders were born in Israel. Daniel Bluman, who rode in the Olympics for Colombia, changed his nationality, along with Alberto Michan (Mexico), Danielle Goldstein (U.S.) and now, Californian Ashlee Bond. This is a group with potential.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 17, 2018
You know equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) are good for people. But what about the horses involved?
A study by the Rutgers University Equine Science Center’s Gwendolin E. Stableford Endowed Equine Research Fund came up with potentially groundbreaking research for those interested in the therapies as a way to help veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This was one of the first trials that focused on not only the effects on the human side of this type of therapy, but also on the horse.
The study was conducted at the Monmouth County Park System’s Sunnyside Equestrian Center in Lincroft for five days in April 2016. The center works with the community to provide therapeutic riding and activities to people of all abilities. Volunteers from SPUR (Special People United to Ride), guided seven veterans from Lakewood Veterans Affairs during the trial.
Blood samples were used to look at specific markers in the blood, such as the hormone oxytocin, which is frequently described as the love or happiness hormone. “To our knowledge, this is the first report of the measurement of oxytocin in horses used in EAAT programs” stated ESC Director Karyn Malinowski.
“If the concentration of this hormone increased during the trial, we would be able to suggest a positive effect on the horses,” she said.
The other hormone analyzed was cortisol, the “stress hormone.” An increase in this hormone would indicate that the horses were stressed by their interactions with the veterans.
Rutgers students from the Department of Animal Sciences were shown the proper method of attaching and securing ECG monitors to the horses so measurements could be taken throughout the session. The readings from these devices allowed the team to look at heart rate variability, or the natural variation in time between consecutive heart beats.
The study demonstrated that “EAAT resulted in a reduction in heart rate in horses on both session days, suggesting that EAAT were not perceived as being stressful to the horses,” stated Karyn.
“Coupled with the fact that there were no changes in plasma cortisol, these findings imply that in horses experienced with EAAT, the interaction with PTSD veterans did not result in a stress response.”
“Participants also reported a significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression, along with other symptoms of psychological distress.”
Because this was a pilot study, more research with a larger number of horses is recommended over a potentially longer time frame to study the long-term impact of EAAT on horses. Karyn would also like to add heart rate variability measurements and blood sampling to the human side of any additional research as a way to better evaluate the interactions between horses and humans.
The study has been published as an open access paper, accessible for free here:
http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(17)30776-1/fulltext.
Or listen here to a webinar that was given at Rutgers.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 17, 2018
Our crazy weather has forced postponement of another competition. The Lord Stirling Stable hunter pace set for April 22 has been put off until June.
With more than three inches of rain Sunday and Monday, and the Passaic River overflowing its banks, several of the trails at the facility in Basking Ridge are under water.
“The majority of the remaining trails have standing water on them or very deep footing,” said Margie Margentino, the stable manager.
“We don’t want to see anyone’s horse pull a tendon, not to mention what it would cost the (Somerset County) Park Commission to restore the trails after the event. We also have standing water where all of the trucks and trailers park. So Mother Nature unfortunately forced us to make the decision to cancel.”
Mark the calendar for June 3, when it should be a lovely time for a pace with everything in bloom.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 10, 2018
| Centenary University, the 2017 Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association’s reserve national championship team, won its Zone finals over the weekend and qualified for the national championships, to be held next month in Harrisburg, Pa. The Zone competition was held at Centenary’s equestrian center in Long Valley. Zone finals across the country were sponsored by the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association.
Coached by Michael Dowling and Heather Clark, the Centenary riders are consistently at the top of the IHSA results. They have many Cacchione Cup winners to their credit, including Katherine Steiner in 2017.
Michael credits the success of the Centenary team to the strength of their program, the support of nine full-time faculty members and the depth and diversity of their horses. Training the team, Heather focuses on fine tuning position, while Michael concentrates on effectiveness and the horse’s way of going. Their teaching styles complement each other and play a key role in the team’s success.
“If the rider is more comfortable riding warmbloods, we put them on a hotter type of horse so they can figure that out,” Michael said.
“When we have a rider that’s a little better on a thoroughbred-type horse, then we try to get them more comfortable riding a big warmblood. We constantly try to change it up.”
That’s important, because horses are drawn by lot at IHSA competitions.
As the team gets ready for nationals, the coaches will look at where their riders were weak at Zones and do a lot of strengthening and work without stirrups.
“I’m really excited about the group of students that we have this year,” Michael said. “Every year, we become more determined to put on a better show. Harrisburg is about as close to home as we get, so we have a lot of volunteers coming. It’s going to be a fun event.” |
