Results of the most recent World Equestrian Games (WEG) and Asian Games have been relegated to the history books, electronic databases, and rider biographies. Have you ever wondered about the logistics involved in getting feed and hay out of some countries and into others for these international competitions? The current issue of Equinews details just how Kentucky Equine Research (KER) did it.

For a behind-the-scenes look at KER's role as the designated supplier of feed, hay, and bedding at these events, read Game On!. Feed usage among horses during the two competitions is documented in Feed Preferences for the World's Top Sport Horses. The differences might surprise you.

Just as the favorite feeds varied by country, so did the languages spoken by riders, grooms, and coaches. KER equine nutritionist Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., worked in the WEG feed office, putting her linguistic talents to good use as she assisted international guests in making the correct product choices for their horses. Her observations are reported in Kentucky Equine Research Supports the Equine Athletes at WEG.

In addition to feed and bedding, KER supplied scales (KER Weighs In at the World Equestrian Games) to the competitors and officials at WEG, and carrots (Tons of Carrots) to competitors at both venues. Find out just how many carrots the horses competing at WEG devoured!

The featured nutrition article, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation for Athletic Horses, outlines the need for a proper ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in equine diets. Included in the article is a study of arthritic horses and their outcome after a 90-day supplementation period with omega-3 fatty acids.

Two other nutrition articles are included in this issue: Diluting Feeds with Oats and Wheat Midds in Equine Diets.

Equinews is the award-winning publication of Kentucky Equine Research. View the current issue on ker.com. The entire collection of past issues is available on the website.

January 26, 2011: Please note, the mats have now sold out. Thanks for your interest.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) provided stall mats for the equine competitors at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Mats were used on average about 10 days. These mats are now for sale and can be picked up in Versailles, Ky., or shipped directly to you at a great price.

The mats are 4-foot x 6-foot rectangles and 2-foot x 2-foot "plugs" of heavy-duty (three-quarter-inch thick) rubber with drainage grooves on the underside. The interlocking edges can be used in patterns for 10-foot x 10-foot, 10-foot x 12-foot, and 12-foot x 12-foot stalls (see diagrams below). Discounts are available for purchases of whole pallets of mats. One pallet contains enough mats for six stalls.

Individual mats are $40 apiece for 4-foot x 6-foot rectangles and $10 apiece for 2-foot x 2-foot plugs. Contact KER for pallet pricing.

12-foot x 12-foot stalls require six (6) large mats.
10-foot x 12-foot stalls require five (5) large mats.
10-foot x 10-foot stalls require four (4) large mats and one (1) plug.

Please note larger mats are notched on two or three sides and plugs are notched on all four sides. Stall sizes are required to ensure you receive mats that interlock properly. Mats can be cut if you have irregular-sized stalls.

For more information or to purchase mats, contact KER at marketing@ker.com or call 859-873-1988.

12 x 12-foot stall

10 x 12-foot stall

10 x 10-foot stall

Veterinarians and teams were able to monitor the weight of horses and carriages during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) through the donation of three portable equine scales by Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Some studies have indicated that certain performance horses have ideal body weights for competition. Minor fluctuations in weight--as little as 30 pounds--can make huge differences in their performances. Being able to monitor weights over the course of the competition allows managers to provide optimal nutrition to keep the animals at their ideal weights.

Weighing can also help managers monitor the amount of sweat lost during exercise, and allow them to more accurately compensate for these electrolyte losses. As an example, endurance and eventing horses can lose significant weight through sweating in a single day of training or competition.

Weight can be estimated using a variety of methods, but the digital scales make this measurement as easy as walking the horse onto a low platform and reading the result.

The scales were also used to weigh the carriages pulled by the horses in the combined driving competition. Carriages must be within certain weight limits to avoid giving an advantage to drivers with lighter vehicles. 

KER also offers these scales for sale to farms. Read more.

Rodrigo Pessoa, a show jumper riding for Brazil, was one of only four riders tapped to participate in the final jumping competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In the Rolex Show Jumping World Championships, each competitor rides his own horse, plus the horses of the other three riders, over a course of jumps to determine the final standing. With limited time for a warm-up that can include only two jumps, riders must learn the individual temperament and style of horses they have never ridden, with the goal of guiding their mounts to rounds that are as nearly flawless as possible. Pessoa finished fourth, only three points behind the third-place rider, in the elite competition. Pessoa is a Promise Partner for Pennfield Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research Team Member. 

Chester Weber, a veteran four-in-hand driver, used his skill and experience to help the U.S. team claim the silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Driving four warmblood horses, Weber was tied for second place following the dressage phase of the competition. He followed this performance with a very fast trip on the marathon day. Unfortunately, he picked up penalties for several errors although his time was among the best of all drivers. Weber finished the marathon day in 19th position but rallied to claim the top spot in the cones course, the final phase of the driving event. His flawless performance, combined with those of his U.S. teammates, brought the U.S. team into silver-medal stance when the final scores were tallied.

Weber is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research and is also a Promise Partner for Pennfield Feeds, a KER Team Member.

U. S. rider Mary Jordan and her chestnut Hanoverian mare Paxton Abbey finished the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in thirteenth place place in the FEI World Para-Dressage Individual Test Championships and fifteenth place in the FEI World Para-Dressage Championship Freestyle Test. Jordan competed at the grade IV level indicating individuals with the highest level of para-equestrian ability. She is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, which also supports the entire United States Para-Equestrian Dressage Team.

Competing for Australia, grade II para-dressage rider Grace Bowman claimed fourth place in the FEI World Para-Dressage Championship Individual Test; seventh place in the FEI World Para-Dressage Championship Individual Team Test; and thirteenth place in the FEI World Para-Dressage Championship Freestyle Test. Bowman rode her ten-year-old bay mare Kirby Park Joy in the competitions. She is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research.

The riders and horses on the U.S. Para-Equestrian Team were feeling the beat at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games as the athletes in Grade I, II, and III competed in the freestyle. The team is proudly sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Wendy Fryke and Erin Alberda ended up just .1% percent off each other's scores in the Grade III division, placing them in eighth and ninth, respectively. Germany's Hannelore Brenner won the division with a 79.2%.

Fryke discussed her performance with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

"This is the first time we've ever done anything of this caliber," Fryke said of her German Riding Pony stallion. "In the ten months I've had him, we've gone from learning to ride him at home, to learning to ride him at smaller shows, and then coming to the World Games."

In Grade II, Jonathan Wentz and Becca Hart brought home a 68.55% and a 67.2%.

Kim Decker and Laura Goldman also performed their freestyles in the Grade Ia division. Decker scored a 64.3%, while Goldman earned a 63.55%, despite losing her stirrup irons.

"I just kept going," Goldman told the USEF. "I didn't fall off and that was my goal! I'm just glad I stayed on. I did what I could."

Para-equestrian competition concludes October 10 with the Grade IV freestyle.

See KER's Facebook page for photos of para-equestrian competition.

At the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games competition in speed jumping, Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa battled 120 other competitors to finish in 11th place. Pessoa, who is a Pennfield Promise Partner, rode the 10-year-old stallion HH Rebozo in the competition. Pennfield Feeds is a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member. The Brazilian team finished the speed jumping in seventh place out of 27 team entrants.

KER sponsors Chris Chugg, a jumper rider who represents the Australian team. In the speed jumping competition, Chugg rode the 12-year-old stallion Vivant to 57th place. Australia's speed jumping team claimed 14th place out of 27 team entrants.

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games jumping competition continues this week at the Kentucky Horse Park.

At the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the first divisions of para-equestrian dressage competition got underway on October 5 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Para-equestrian is the designation for riders who have physical or mental challenges, some of which require modifications of traditional tack and aids. Grade I indicates riders with the most restricting disabilities, while riders designated grade IV have disabilities that are less severe.

In early competition, Grace Bowman rode Kirby Park Joy, a ten-year-old bay mare, to seventh place among 18 competitors in the grade II FEI World Para-Dressage Championship Individual Team test. Grace's ride also helped her Australian team to a tenth-place standing out of 16 entries in the FEI World Team Para-Equestrian Championships. Grace is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research.

Para-equestrian competition will continue through October 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park, with updated and final results to be posted later in the week.

Each rider has a story, and you can hear from each member of the Kentucky Equine Research (KER)/U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in this new video.

These inspiring riders of all ages have overcome adversity to reach an international stage with their horses, and they are vying not only for a place on the medal podium but also the realization of personal goals.

"My mom is a physical therapist, and she's really up on different types of therapy, and she threw me up on a horse at age two," stated Jonathan Wentz, who is competing at WEG on NTEC Richter Scale. "Doctors consider the horse to be the only reason I can walk today."

Learn more about the competitors, their horses, their goals, and how they got to the world stage at WEG as a para-equestrian.

The Kentucky Equine Research/U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games converged at the 144-acre KER farm near Versailles, Ky., starting Sept. 17. The team was joined by USEF para-dressage coach and chef d'equipe Missy Ransehousen, team veterinarian Stacey Kent, DVM, assistant coach Sharon Schneidman, and U.S. para-equestrian association executive director Hope Hand. The USEF para team leader is Pam Lane.

"There isn't a better way we could have prepared for the Games than being at KER," stated Rebecca Hart, who is riding Norteassa.

For more information on USEF para-equestrian programs, please contact Lane at plane@usef.org.  

Learn more about the para-equestrian in sport, and contact the U.S. para-equestrian group via Hand at wheeler966@aol.com.