The Thoroughbred mare Camille gained acceptance into the Hanoverian studbook. She is fed KER-formulated products.

The Thoroughbred mare Camille (Prize Ring/Crystal Glen-Rotunda), owned by Neil and Mary O'Connor, was the highest scoring non-Hanoverian mare at the American Hanoverian Society and Mid-Atlantic Hanoverian Breeders Club Mare Performance Test, Inspection and Foal Registration, held November 7 and 8 at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA.

Camille was accepted into the Hanoverian studbook, and her offspring are eligible to receive Hanoverian approval upon inspection.

Camille is the dam of O'Connor's two-year-old filly named As Di Ani Z and a 2010 colt named As Di Valentia, recently purchased by Diane Halpin of Great Falls, VA. Both youngsters are sired by the jumper stallion As Di Villagana. The colt was at Camille's side during the inspection, and he was accepted and branded as Hanoverian.

One product used by the O'Connors is Re-Leve.

Neil and Mary use several KER products on their horses, including Re-Leve and EquiShure. KER Team Member CFC Farm and Home Center provides scientifically formulated feeds for all of the horses managed by the O'Connors.

Australian show jumper Chris Chugg has been selected to represent Australia at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with his horse Vivant. Chugg is one of several WEG competitors proudly sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Chugg and Vivant have been based in Europe for the past year, where they have collected a number of wins and placings on the Grand Prix and World Cup circuits.    

Chris and his wife Helen have been vigilant with Vivant's diet and have ensured that he is never without his supplements, which include KERx EquiShure, KERx EO·3, Glucos-A-Flex, Restore, and Preserve.

Everyone at KER would like to wish Chris and Vivant every success at the WEG.

Other KER equestrians competing at WEG include eventers Phillip Dutton and Karen O'Connor, driver Chester Weber, and para-dressage riders Grace Bowman and Mary Jordan. Australian eventer Megan Jones was also selected but her horse is unable to compete.

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.

Show jumping rider Chris Chugg achieved the best finish ever by an Australian when he claimed seventh place at the Rolex FEI World Cup Final in Geneva, Switzerland. Riding his 12-year-old stallion Vivant, Chugg had a clear first round, a few rails down in intermediate rounds, and a perfect final round over the challenging courses of obstacles. Vivant produced a strong effort in spite of jumping out of his stall and suffering minor injuries soon after arriving at the competition venue.

Chugg, who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, will train and compete in Europe for the summer and is hoping to represent Australia at the World Equestrian Games to be held this fall in Kentucky. He uses Endurance feed from St Hippolyt, KER's Team Member affiliate in Germany, and has selected KER products Restore™, Glucos-A-Flex™, EquiShure™, EO•3™ and Preserve™ to support his horse's training and performance. "This horse just keeps getting better," Chugg commented after finishing the World Cup competition.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) was well represented at the races when the KER-fed filly Macatina, trained by Monica Croston, was ridden by KER employee Sarah Sutherland to win by a half-length in late Janaury.

In addition to her balanced diet, Macatina has been prepped and raced on Equi-Jewel and EquiShure™. Because Macatina is a high-strung filly, the combination of a hindgut buffer and a high-fat diet has assisted her in reaching the winner's circle.

When not in active race training, Macatina is fed All Phase™ Feed Balancer Pellet and rich West Gippsland pasture to ensure that she receives all of the essential nutrients required to recuperate and prepare for her next victory.

KERx has added three new nutritional supplements to its line of scientifically formulated products.

"KERx is pleased to introduce three new products to the marketplace. RiteTrac™, Nano•E™ and Synovate HA™ have a real place in the management of horses used in all activities, whether it's high-level competition, production, or pleasure riding. As with all of the KERx products, these were created using sound science," said Anne Burton, sales manager for KERx.

RiteTrac™ is a proprietary blend of ingredients designed to support total digestive tract health. Targeted at both the foregut and hindgut of the horse, RiteTrac™ works in two distinct ways. First, with its combination of fast-acting antacids and coating agents, RiteTrac™ quickly neutralizes excessive gastric acid, protecting the sensitive nonglandular portion of the stomach and restoring the normal gastric environment. Second, RiteTrac™ contains EquiShure™, a time-released hindgut buffer designed to act on the cecum and colon by minimizing the effects of subclinical hindgut acidosis.

Nano•E™ is a liquid natural-source vitamin E product. The availability and necessity of vitamin E in equine diets is well established. Using a unique delivery system called nanodispersion, Nano•E™ increases the bioavailability of vitamin E, making it more immediately available for use as a body-wide antioxidant essential for tissue repair and for its imperative roles in various body systems. Nano•E™ is available in easy-to-measure packaging to ensure quick, accurate feeding.

To protect joints and other connective tissues from injuries caused by athletic training and performance, choose Synovate HA™, a safe, highly digestible form of sodium hyaluronate. Synovate HA/™ supports athletic performance by reducing friction in the joint, increasing flexibility and range of motion, and supplying much-needed nutrients to the joint capsule.

Through its research and consultation efforts over the last two decades, Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has taken a leadership role that has positioned it as an authority on equine nutrition and exercise physiology. To extend the scope of its services to the equine and veterinary communities, KER established KERx Special Needs Nutrition, an array of services designed especially for horsemen and veterinarians that includes the formulation and manufacture of innovative nutritional supplements. KER nutritionists design KERx products to meet the needs of today's horses.

To learn more about KERx and its products, visit www.kerx.com.

What a Year!

Australian Megan Jones couldn't have had a better start to the 2009 eventing season with both her and her mount Kirby Park Irish Jester receiving many accolades for their outstanding 2008 season. Megan and Jester were awarded the following honors:

There is no slowing down for Megan and Jester. The pair flew to New Zealand to take part in the first of the HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing qualifiers held at Kihikihi in March. Megan and Jester produced an outstanding dressage test and clearly led the field with a score of 38.1. Jones produced faultless cross-country and show jumping rounds to finish on their dressage score, earning $23,000 in prize money.

Megan and Jester will now head to Sydney for the second World Cup qualifying event. The World Cup Finals will be held in Poland later this year.

Megan feeds KER-formulated products from Barastoc (Ridley AgriProducts) to all of her mounts including Jester, and she uses several KER supplements such as Preserve™, Bio-Bloom™, EquiShure™, Glucos-A-Flex™, and others.

In an article in the July 30, 2007 Feedstuffs, Dr. Joe Pagan explains that modern horse management is often a contributing factor to hindgut acidosis. When horses are fed large grain meals, undigested starch can flow into the hindgut, where it is rapidly fermented. Production of volatile fatty acids and lactic acid increases, pushing pH out of line and causing a shift in microbial populations. These changes may lead to irritation that damages the lining of the intestine. Horses with hindgut acidosis sometimes show signs of colic, refuse to eat, or may begin to exhibit behaviors such as wood chewing or stall weaving. Acidosis in cattle is sometimes treated with sodium bicarbonate, but because the horse's gastrointestinal anatomy is different from a ruminant's, this simple solution is not effective. Encapsulated sodium bicarbonate (EquiShure™, KERx Special Needs Nutrition), an oral hindgut buffer, is designed to reach the horse's hindgut and attenuate problems associated with hindgut acidosis.

Unlimited access to fresh spring grass can lead to health problems, according to an article by KER nutritionist Peter Huntington. In an article in "Diet and the Hoof--Piecing Together the Nutrition Puzzle," a hoof care report published by the American Farriers Journal (www.americanfarriers.com), Huntington explains that sugars contained in grass can trigger episodes of laminitis. EquiShure™, a time-released hindgut buffer distributed by KERx, can prevent some of the drastic changes in intestinal pH level that can lead to laminitis. For specific suggestions on avoiding laminitis problems in pasture-kept horses, see Equine Review SU 34, "Countermeasures for pasture-associated laminitis in ponies and horses." Kentucky Equine Research advises owners to seek immediate veterinary care for any horse showing signs of laminitis.