A recent edition of Feedstuffs features an article written by Bryan Waldridge, D.V.M., a staff veterinarian at Kentucky Equine Research (KER). The article, which appeared in the August 30, 2010 issue, addresses the nutritional management of horses with liver disease.

The complete article, titled "Targeted Diets Can Aid Horses with Liver Disease," features an overview of hepatic disease in horses as well as feeding recommendations.

Joe Pagan, Ph.D., founder and president of KER, has provided articles for Feedstuffs for several years. He has written on diverse topics related to equine nutrition: feeding strategies for metabolic conditions, water quality and consumption, hindgut acidosis, buffering capacity of forages, colic, and omega-3 fatty acids, just to name a few. A complete list of Pagan's contributions to the magazine is contained elsewhere on this website.

Feedstuffs is a weekly newspaper serving agribusiness decision-makers involved in the manufacture, production, and distribution of agricultural products and services. For over 80 years, Feedstuffs has been providing news, information, and analysis on areas directly related to food production, including the related areas of feed manufacturing, animal health and nutrition, industry trends, feed ingredients, government regulations and marketing.

Saracen Horse Feeds has done it again! The only Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member in England fed the sales-topping yearling at this year's St. Leger Yearling Sale in Doncaster. The filly was owned and sale-prepped by Laundry Cottage Stud and consigned to the sale by Furnace Mill Stud; both farms are clients of Saracen. The filly sold for £120,000, a sales price that was matched by two colts but not exceeded by any other consignment.

Another point of interest: Saracen-fed horses had a significantly better average when compared with the average price achieved by the yearlings fed by other feed manufacturers in the United Kingdom.

To learn more about Saracen, check out the latest issue of Equinews, the official quarterly publication of KER. An article titled "Saracen Horse Feeds at the Sales" tracts the company's success in feeding outstanding sale horses over the last decade.

At the Richland Park Horse Trials, Phillip Dutton finished as reserve champion out of thirty-two entries in the CIC two-star division aboard Why Not. Dutton rode an excellent dressage test that put him in second place after the first day. After adding minimal time penalties on the cross-country course, he produced a double-clear stadium round to maintain his second place standing. Riding Mandiba, Karen O'Connor claimed a third-place finish in the CIC three-star division. In a highly competitive field where less than five points separated the top five riders, O'Connor had no jumping faults and collected only 2.4 time faults in cross-country before executing a perfect stadium round. Both Dutton and O'Connor are sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research and Pennfield Feeds, a KER Team Member.

One month before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the ticket giveaway offered by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) continues.

KER is giving away tickets through weekly drawings to those who sign up for its electronic newsletters, The Weekly Feed and Equine Review, between now and September 24.

To enter on ker.com, go to the contest page and sign up for the KER newsletters. Current newsletter subscribers can enter the contest by selecting the newsletter they already receive.

A new winner will be announced every week. Each week's winner will have a choice of which event to attend from the remaining available tickets. Previous winners have selected tickets to eventing, driving, and vaulting, but many sessions remain available.

Winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on KER's Facebook profile.

Tickets must be used for the winner and a guest (not to be given away or resold), and must be picked up from the KER booth (400-502) at the International Equestrian Festival in downtown Lexington at least one day prior to the event. Read the full terms and conditions.

The Games will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2010. This is the first time the Games have been held in the United States.

KER is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving both the horse owner and the feed industry. Its goal is to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology and apply this knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses. Contact marketing@ker.com for more information.

KER-sponsored rider Karen O'Connor rode Joan Goswell's Mandiba to a win in the CIC***-W at The Event At Rebecca Farm, July 21-25 in Kalispell, Montana.

The pair was named to the United State Equestrian Federation's short list for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held this fall in Lexington, Kentucky.
O'Connor also rode Quintus 54 to a second-place finish in the CCI** held at the same competition.

KER-sponsored rider Phillip Dutton earned top ribbons in the CIC*** with Truluck and Inmidair, finishing third and sixth respectively. Like O'Connor, Dutton has made the short list for the World Equestrian Games, except he has five possible mounts: Connaught, Kheops du Quesnay, The Foreman, Truluck, and Woodburn.

All short-listed horse/rider combinations must participate in the Land Rover 2010 USEA American Eventing Championships for final selection. This event will take place September 9-12, 2010, in Fairburn, Georgia.

Sign up for a chance to win tickets to the Games.

Three horses recently underwent gastroscopy to ascertain stomach health. Brief descriptions of the three horses, all with a different history of RiteTrac administration, follow:

Horse 1: 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding in light training that competes occasionally but travels several times a month; diet includes a well-fortified grain mixture, alfalfa-grass hay, and free-choice pasture; never given RiteTrac; somewhat nervous by nature and oftentimes cranky;

Horse 2: 6-year-old Thoroughbred gelding in light training; diet includes a well-fortified, high-fat, high-fiber grain mix, a balancer pellet, and free-choice access to good-quality pasture; given RiteTrac once daily when cribbing frequency increased; and

Horse 3: 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding in heavy training, ridden six to seven times weekly; diet includes a well-fortified, high-fat, high-fiber concentrate, free-choice grass hay; given RiteTrac as indicated on the label, twice daily mixed thoroughly in a grain meal; during stressful times, he tends to lose his appetite and fret.

Gastroscopy results indicated diverse gastric environments.

Interior view of a horse's stomach.

Horse 1, the gelding that had received no RiteTrac whatsoever, was diagnosed with roughened gastric tissue and small pinpoint lesions that ran the entire length of the lesser curvature of the stomach. No healing lesions were noted. (See a detailed diagram of the equine stomach.)

Horse 2, the gelding that had been placed on RiteTrac a few weeks prior to gastroscopy, was also diagnosed with roughened margins and minute lesions along the length of the margo plicatus. Hyperkeratosis (thickening of tissue) and a moderate-sized healing ulcer were also noted along the greater curvature of the stomach.

Horse 3, the gelding that had received RiteTrac as indicated for a several months, had the healthiest stomach environment. Though there was evidence of healed ulcers, there was no active disease and no noteworthy lesions.

RiteTrac provides total-tract support for horses involved in all disciplines. RiteTrac is one product in the KERx range of nutritional supplements.

For more information on gastrointestinal ulcers, check out "Overview of Gastric and Colonic Ulcers," written by Frank M. Andrews and published in Advances in Equine Nutrition IV, edited by Joe Pagan, Ph.D., founder and president of Kentucky Equine Research.

Diminutive equines took center stage at the 2010 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championships, held recently at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky.

Ponies compete in hunter and jumper divisions at the Pony Finals National Championships.

Championships in six hunter divisions (green and regular) were bestowed to ponies in three height categories: small (not to exceed 12.2 hands), medium (over 12.2 and not to exceed 13.2 hands) and large (over 13.2 and not to exceed 14.2 hands). In addition to hunters, pony jumpers vied for a national championship, and riders from across the country tested their riding skills in the EquiSport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Finals.

More information on the competition can be found on the USEF website.  

Ponies are notoriously easy keepers. Ever wonder how horsemen keep hunter ponies in top competition weight? Kentucky Equine Research (KER) went straight to the source. As part of a larger survey of feeding management practices of sport horses, KER nutritionists polled the owners and trainers of ponies to see exactly what they were being fed. The results of the survey are included in a paper titled "Feeding Horses at the Winter Equestrian Festival: A Review of Common Practices," featured in the proceedings of the 2010 KER Nutrition Conference, Feeding and Veterinary Management of the Sport Horse. 

The Kentucky Horse Park is the site of this year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. You can win tickets to this exciting international event by signing up for one of KER's free electronic newsletters. Enter to win now!

The 38 Australian horses taking part in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will have a place in history as the first equine athletes to participate in this new global effort to introduce young people to the Olympic values.

Australia's Glen Haven Park was charged with recruiting and training the horses for the event, which will include individual and team jumping competitions. The competitors select the horse on which they'll compete through a random draw. See a video of the horses arriving and settling in to the Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre. 

Kentucky Equine Research Team Member, Barastoc (Ridley Agriproducts) is the official feed supplier for these horses for the 12 months leading up to and during the event. The horses receive nutritionally balanced diets with Barastoc feeds and KER supplements to bring out the best in each horse.

KER has worked closely with the trainers and staff at Glen Haven Park to ensure that the transition of horses from Queensland, Australia to Singapore has been as seamless as possible. The horses have been gradually acclimatized during their 12 months of training in lead-up to the games. Their diet and condition been carefully monitored throughout each stage of their preparation. These diets include:

Equestrian uniforms for the Youth Olympic Games.

• Barastoc Calm Performer
• Barastoc Cool Command
• KER Restore
• KER Hemabuild
• KER Equi-Jewel

With little time between the horses' arrival and return to peak competition fitness it has been imperative that everything, from the hay and water was taken with them whilst in transit to ensuring that their usual feed and supplements were at the venue for when they landed, to make sure the journey has been as stress free as possible. All the horses travelled extremely well and landed in excellent condition and have since begun their rigorous training schedule in lead-up to this week's competition.

Learn more about the equestrian events of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

There are still several more chances to win tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) from Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

To enter, just sign up for the KER newsletter of your choice (current subscribers can select the newsletter they already receive to be entered in the contest). Winners of the weekly drawings will be announced on KER's Facebook page every Friday until September 24.

They then have the chance to select the event of their choice from the available pool of tickets--including nearly every discipline.

Previous winners have chosen to see driving, eventing, and vaulting competition.

Read more and enter to win.

Olympian Karen O'Connor has set her sights on this fall's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, reports veteran groom Max Corcoran. O'Connor, who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), holds one of 16 spots on the 2010 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team Short List with longtime mount and Olympic partner Mandiba.

Their next steps in qualifying for WEG will include dressage training with Oded Shimoni and competing in jumper classes at the HITS Culpeper Spring & Summer Show Series. Their next event will be the Richland Park Horse Trials in late August, before heading to the official selection trials, the Land Rover/USEA American Eventing Championships at Chattahoochee Hills.

Corcoran is responsible for O'Connor's top horses, and works with Karen and consultants at KER to assess each horse's different nutritional needs. Each one has to be catered to differently in order to perform its best.

"The most important elements leading up to a competition are overall health of the horse, starting with nutrition," Corcoran said. "Without proper nutrition you cannot have a healthy horse and a healthy horse is a sound horse. My priorities until that time are fitness and soundness as well."

KER products used by O'Connor team include EquiShure, Restore, DuraPlex, Nano•E, Triad, Bio-Bloom, and Hemabuild, while feed is provided by KER Team Member Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.