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.

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.