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.

Thoroughbred sire Stratum can add the title of Kentucky Equine Research/Barastoc Champion First Season Sire to his impressive list of accolades following the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association Annual Awards Night.

Dr. Peter Huntington of Kentucky Equine Research (KER) presented the award to Antony Thompson of Widden Stud.

Stratum, a son of Redoute's Choice, is enjoying a memorable debut season on the track with 11 winners (10 in Australia, one in New Zealand) to his credit, led by Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily and stakes horses Pellizotti, Celebration Girl, and Across the Moon, plus metro winners Eclair Mystic, American Crew, Posh Chic, and Rose of Scotland. His progeny have earned $2.7 million this season.

The HTBA Annual Awards Night and Dinner, conducted in the Scone Cup Raceday Marquee on Wednesday, May 12, was attended by 350 guests and hosted by Aushorse and SKY Channel's Jo McKinnon.

The Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association is an organization devoted to fostering and promoting the Thoroughbred breeding industry in the Hunter Valley area of New South Wales, the second largest Thoroughbred breeding region in the world.

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.

Saracen Horse Feeds, KER's exclusive Team Member in the UK, achieved fantastic success at the 2008 Doncaster Bloodstock St Leger Yearling Sales, the last week of August, feeding the top-selling colt.

Consigned by Charlie and Tracy Vigors' Hillwood Stud, the colt by Dubawi achieved the highest price of the sale at £220,000, which was also the second highest price ever to be achieved in the history of the St Leger Yearling Sales.

The colt was purchased as a weanling and during his time at Hillwood, was fed Saracen's Level Grow before transitioning onto Prep 14 and Equi-Jewel leading up to the sales. Level Grow is a high-fat, high-fiber feed specially formulated for growing horses, while Prep 14 is one of the most popular feeds for preparing yearlings for the sale ring. Both Level Grow and Prep 14 contain high levels of oils and super-fibres to provide palatable calories, thereby reducing the reliance on starch in the ration. In addition, both feeds are fortified with Stamm 30, a vitamin and mineral supplement. Equi-Jewel, KER's high-fat stabilized rice bran, has become somewhat of a trade secret in the Thoroughbred yearling industry for its incredible ability to "put a topline" on even the most difficult of yearlings. Prep 14, in conjunction with Equi-Jewel, consistently produces yearlings that are well-toned with excellent toplines, muscle definition and shiny coats during their sales preparation.

KER wishes Saracen well for the upcoming yearling sale season, which includes the Tattersalls and Doncaster Bloodstock October Yearling Sales.

A Dubawi colt prepared by Hillwood Stud sold for £220,000 at the recent Doncaster Bloodstock St Leger Yearling Sales. The colt was fed KER-formulated feeds leading up to the sale.

Small Hunter winner Leslie Webb and Kilpatrick Lord

Bluegrass Horse Feeds and KER would like to congratulate Richard Iggulden and Leslie Webb of Orchard Cottage Stables in County Down for a fabulous result at the 2008 Dublin Horse Show. This pair of virtuoso producers took the Supreme Championship for the third year in a row, with registered Irish Draft Darragh Classic Prince. Fed Bluegrass Cool 'N' Condition, Darragh Classic Prince was on top form at the biggest show in Ireland and took the honours in the Heavyweight Hunter class and the Irish Draft Mare or Gelding class. The seven-year-old bay gelding loved the limelight and shimmered in tip-top condition for his Supreme Championship winning performance.

Darragh Classic Prince was not the only success story for the Orchard Cottage team. Despite heavy rain reducing rings one and two to quagmires, Leslie Webb took the Small Hunter class on Yvonne Pearson's Kilpatrick Lord and went on to lead the parade of champions prior to the Aga Khan Cup event. Also in the ribbons was Corrilea's Imp, owned by Joanne Hepburn of Co. Kildare and ridden by Claire McMahon. The pair put in a foot perfect performance to take the Large Riding Horse Class.

Surpreme Champion Darrigh Classic Prince ridden by Richard Iggulden

The Bluegrass-fuelled success continued in other showing classes too, with Cappa Cochise taking the Reserve Champion position in the Irish Draft Stallion section for owner James Quinn from Galway. With expert help from Richard Iggulden and Leslie Webb, Catherine McDowell's Splash Out won their Coloured Horse class in fine style, as did Seamus O'Rourke's Red Ruby Man who went on to take the reserve in the coloured horse championship.

Paraic Kenny riding Another Razcal in the 128cm National Championship

In between rain showers, the show jumping went ahead amongst the roar of the crowds. Once again Bluegrass Horse Feeds had an important role to play as it is fed to Capt. Shane Carey's Mullentine Parscourt One, who showed amazing potential in the Four Year Old Finals. From the younger generation, Paraic Kenny rode his mother's Another Razcal to success in the 128cm National Championship, showing superb flair and skill as his pony raced around the tricky course.

The Dublin Horse Show successes prove that Bluegrass Horse Feeds produces excellent results, whether fed to speedy 128cm ponies or impressive Irish Draught stallions. Bluegrass Horse Feeds and KER are immensely proud to play such an important role in producing champion horses today and into the future.

Brilliant results were seen recently at the Wagga Racing Carnival with KER fed horses winning six of the eight races on the card. The feature race of the day - The XXXX Gold Wagga Town Plate over 1200m was won decisively by the smart galloper Midnight City. Midnight City is trained by Colby Hill who uses Equi Jewel regularly in his horse's diets.

The Australian Olympic Eventing Team has just been announced. KER sponsored rider Megan Jones and her Australian bred gelding Kirby Park Irish Jester are among five combinations to be selected for the Beijing Games. The team at KER would like to wish Megan, Jester and their connections all the best during this exciting time.

Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester (Irish Enough - Kirby Park Yellow Empress)

Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester (Irish Enough - Kirby Park Yellow Empress) Dressage

Megan Jones and Kirby Park Irish Jester (Irish Enough - Kirby Park Yellow Empress) were absolutely unstoppable at the final selection event for the Australian Olympic Eventing Team - Melbourne CCI***, held from the 6th - 9th of June. Megan and Jester produced a cracking dressage test to score just 35 penalties, leaving them nearly 4 penalties ahead of their closest competitor heading into the cross country. No question was too hard for Jester with a blistering clear round on the challenging cross-country course. With no room for error on the final day, the pressure was certainly on for this formidable pair, but as with all elite competitors Megan kept her cool and presented a seemingly effortless clear showjumping round for a nail biting win at this final selection competition. It would seem that Megan and Jester would be a sure bet for the Australian Team to be finalized at the end of June.

Megan also produced a second brilliant ride in the CIC-W*** class on her second horse Kirby Park Allofasudden (Rustic Amber - Passionate). This stunning young thoroughbred at just eight years of age showed that he will surely be a force to be reckoned with on the international scene in the near future. Sitting in second place after the dressage with a score of 50 penalties Megan and Floyd jumped clear cross-country with just 8.4 time penalties. An unfortunate two rails down in the showjumping phase saw them drop down one place to take out 3rd. Competing against much more experienced 3* horses Megan was ecstatic with Floyd's performance over the competition and sees and extremely bright future ahead for this talented gelding.

Kentucky Equine Research has again been asked to present at the Australian Equine Science Symposium which is being held from the 4th to the 6th of June 2008 on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The focus of this year's conference is:

Research for the 21st Century Horse Industry
- From Genomics to the Winning Post -

KER will present four papers:
• The relationship between size at yearling sale, sale price and future racing performance in Kentucky thoroughbreds
• Skeletal adaptations with onset of training in thoroughbreds
• The relationship between shin soreness, blood parameters and cannon bone measurements in thoroughbreds being prepared for two year olds in training sales
• Feeding protected sodium bicarbonate attenuates hindgut acidosis in horses fed a high grain ration

Dr. Peter Huntington will also be chair for: Infectious Disease - Equine Influenza and Rattles.

Horses and riders sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research and/or its Team Member companies make up almost half of the Eventing Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games. Phillip Dutton has qualified three horses--Connaught, The Foreman, and Woodburn. Karen O'Connor has one horse, Mandiba, on the list. After retiring her experienced mount Winsome Adante, Kim Severson rode Tipperary Liadhnan to a qualifying score this spring. Dutton and O'Connor are sponsored by KER; Dutton, O'Connor, and Severson are sponsored by Pennfield Corporation. The equestrian competition for the Olympic Games will be held in Hong Kong from August 8 to 14.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has maintained a prominent international presence in the nutrition research community for the past 20 years. Research trials have been conducted at the company's research farm since the late 1980s, and results of this research have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of scientific conferences. More importantly, findings from these studies have been put to use in the formulation of feeds for KER's global network of feed manufacturers. The KER Nutrition Conference, held on the 16th and 17th of April in Lexington, Kentucky was attended by 130 guests, including feed manufacturers, sales representatives, veterinarians, nutritionists, and academics from 16 countries. This year's conference focused on the management of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases.