Saracen Horse Feeds News provided by KER

Over the eight months that Denise McKay was riding Foxy, a Friesian mare based in England, she noticed a significant improvement in condition, strength, and temperament after KER Equi-Jewel was introduced to her diet.

Denise says, "I rode Foxy for the owner who bought her from Holland unseen. She'd had her about a month when I started riding her. She would tire after about 20 minutes of flatwork, was very unbalanced, and didn't have much muscle. I figured she needed some fattening up but because of her 'mare-ish' temperament and potential strength, I really didn't want to heat her up more."

Denise recommended that Foxy should start receiving Equi-Jewel to provide her with a low-starch, safe form of energy. Foxy was already receiving a balancer from KER Team Member Saracen to successfully meet all her nutrient requirements, and Equi-Jewel was an ideal addition to this diet.

"Her energy levels increased, and she was able to handle much longer flatwork sessions," says Denise. "Her condition improved dramatically within three months and we won a red rosette at a little local show for "best conditioned" in a class of 10. Foxy was no quiet horse. Although I classify her as flighty, she was definitely very strong, so we didn't want her getting out of hand. Equi-Jewel helped to keep that lid on and turn that energy into performance. I totally love this product and Foxy's owner was very impressed with the results."

For more information on KER Equi-Jewel or any of your horse's nutritional needs, contact KER

The official winner was Dunaden, the bay horse, with Red Cadeaux second.

English stayer Red Cadeaux, who was beaten by merely a millimeter in the Melbourne Cup, has been fed KER and Team Member feeds throughout his racing career.

While at home in England, Red Cadeaux receives Saracen Horse Feeds and was provided with a custom-made KER feed to mimic the formulation of his UK diet when he arrived in Australia in October. He also received the essential electrolyte, Restore Paste, as part of his diet.

Red Cadeaux is trained by Ed Dunlop, who has experienced previous success with horses such as Snow Fairy and Ouija Board.

Horse owners in the UK can enter to win a three-month supply of horse feed from Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member Saracen.

To enter to win, answer a question on Saracen's website, then state your case for why you should be selected. Finally, follow Saracen on Facebook. The closing date for entries is August 31. The prize is for one horse and rider and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Saracen is the exclusive KER Team Member in the UK, and is part of an international network of horse feed manufacturers devoted to the advancement of equine nutrition. Learn more about Saracen and KER.

The Saracen Horse Feeds Gala Conference Day at Warwickshire College on July 6, 2011, promises to "Educate the Nation" with a host of great talks and demos from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In a collection of talks and demos, attendees can marvel at western riding, brush up on dressage, or watch those "drive" with ambition whilst learning about equine nutrition.

Speakers will include Joe Pagan, Ph.D., president of Kentucky Equine Research (KER), and Bryan Waldridge, D.V.M., a veterinarian at KER. Saracen Horse Feeds is the only UK feed company that has an association with this world leader in equine nutrition research, making this a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about the latest research as well as behind-the-scenes feed and bedding management at the 2010 Allech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Saracen Horse Feeds' equine nutritionist, Lizzie Drury, M.Sc., R.Nutr., will also be giving insights into what the company's panel of top celebrity riders feed, and the impact that the right or wrong feed can have on a horse's performance and well-being.

The day will include demos from three of Saracen's sponsored riders: top Olympic dressage rider Carl Hester, carriage driving star Georgina Frith, and a western demo from newly signed champion Shane Borland.

And if all that still leaves you wanting more, there will also be a celebrity Q&A featuring the brand's riders including Hester, Francis Whittington, and Philip Spivey, as well as an opportunity to quiz the "Saracen Feed Team" on what to feed your horse!

Tickets cost £42.50 including refreshments, lunch, and afternoon tea, plus a goodie bag worth over £25.00. Hurry, as tickets are strictly limited!

Full details of the day can be found on www.saracenhorsefeeds.com and tickets can be purchased online, via telephone (01622 718 487), or direct from your local Saracen representative.

Equine nutrition research, feed manufacturing guidelines, and digital marketing were among the topics covered at the recent Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member Short Course at the KER Research Farm and Training Center in Versailles, Ky.

Team Members are feed manufacturers who look to KER for the scientific knowledge, innovation, and experience necessary for them to produce competitive, top-of-the line feeds.

Nearly 70 attendees heard lectures on new equine nutrition research, global feed manufacturing and safety guidelines, ration evaluation and formulation, equine growth tracking, and marketing. Multiple lecture tracks allowed attendees to select a program tailored to their needs.

Team Members represented at this conference included:

• Associated Feed (California)
• Assurance Feed (Minnesota)
• Bagdad Roller Mills (Kentucky)
• Bartlett Milling Company (North Carolina)
• Bluegrass Horse Feeds (Ireland)
• Brooks Performance Feeds (Canada)
• Cache Commodities (Utah)
• CFC Farm & Home (Virginia)
• Equimix Ltda. (Brazil)
• Hallway Feeds (Kentucky)
• Hi-Pro (Jamaica)
• Himalayan Horse Feed (India)
• Je Il Feed Company (South Korea)
• Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies (Pennsylvania)
• Ridley AgriProducts (Australia)
• Saracen Horse Feeds (U.K.)
• Woodford Feed (Kentucky)

Representatives of numerous dealers and partners also attended.

International guests also toured many area attractions, including Coolmore's Ashford Stud, the Kentucky Horse Park, and Woodford Reserve, as well as attending the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

When horsemen purchase a feed that has been scientifically formulated by the nutritionists at KER and produced at a KER Team Member's manufacturing facility, they can expect the best: the highest quality vitamin and mineral packages, the choicest ingredients, and the most stringent quality-control measures.

KER-formulated feeds are available through Team Member dealers and merchants. To locate one near you, visit our Team Member page.

Alan King, steeplechase trainer and long-term client of Kentucky Equine Research Team Member Saracen Feeds in England, had much to celebrate at the Cheltenham Festival. Seven horses from his training stable placed very well in races throughout the festival in mid-March.

One of the most amazing stories was that of eight-year-old Bensalem, winner by half a length in the Spinal Research Handicap Chase. Bensalem ran well in the same race last year but fell over one of the last barriers, finishing second to last. In this year's race, the horse battled neck and neck with Carole's Legacy in the last uphill section of the course before pulling out a gritty win.

Triumphing in any tough race is admirable, but in Bensalem's case, the horse had to battle greater odds last winter when he got pneumonia and pleurisy. Despite excellent care, he was in a veterinary clinic for many weeks and came close to dying. A long, slow rehabilitation was guided by veterinarian Jeremy Swann before Bensalem resumed race training under King.

Owners Alan Marsh and John Duggan had questioned whether the horse would ever return to racing, let alone winning, so the win was quite emotional. "We are all very, very excited, and Alan King has done a tremendous job looking after him," said Marsh.

Congratulations to this bold horse, his skillful trainer, and nutritional advisors and feed manufacturers Saracen Feeds.

Snow Fairy has chalked up another outstanding Group 1 victory in the Far East, just four weeks after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Japan, increasing her lifetime earnings to more than £2.6 million.

In her previous race, the three-year-old filly oozed class when she passed 11 horses in the last two furlongs of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup. She found the lead in the last 100 yards, beating a top-class field and recording the fastest two-furlong sectional time of the meeting.

"She's very special--a machine. I thought she had no chance when we turned in, but she quickened up so well. She has a marvelous turn of foot, and she surpassed what we thought she could do," said her jockey, Ryan Moore.

Trainer Ed Dunlop concurred, "To do it against colts for the first time in her life puts her down as an exceptional horse; there can be no doubt about that. She's not the biggest filly in the world, but she has the biggest heart."

Snow Fairy has now won over 10, 11, and 12 furlongs at the highest level, which leaves plenty of options open for next year's schedule. The world's richest horse race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup, is one of several major international races over a mile and a quarter that is being considered for the filly. Other possibilities include the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong in May, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in July, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, and the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Churchill Downs.

"She has had a busy season, having been on the go since the spring, but she has now won four Group 1 races, including the English and Irish Oaks, and she has shown that she loves traveling by winning both here and in Japan. She has been a credit to the stable and I cannot thank my staff enough for the work that they have done with her," said Dunlop.

Snow Fairy trains and competes on Race 13, a high-energy textured feed formulated to maintain the equine athlete during the rigors of strenuous racing campaign. Race 13 is available through Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Members Saracen Feeds in England and Hallway Feeds in the United States.

Joe Pagan, Ph.D., founder and president of Kentucky Equine Research (KER), will give a presentation during the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) Annual Stud Farming Course, to be held Dec. 7-9, 2010 at the British Racing School, Newmarket, UK.

According to the TBA website, the course provides a unique opportunity for delegates to learn from veterinary and industry experts on many topics that range from pedigree analysis and mating plans to management of growing foals and yearlings.

In addition to Pagan, speakers include representatives from Rossdales & Partners, Newmarket Equine Hospital, and Animal Health Trust. All delegates will receive a comprehensive handbook with up-to-date notes. Away from the lecture theater, delegates will enjoy dinner on the first evening, plus visits to Newmarket Equine Hospital and Lanwades Stud, as well as a tour of the British Racing School.

The fee for the course is £385 for TBA members, £525 for nonmembers and includes dinner on the first night, lunches, and visits but excludes accommodation. Go to the TBA website for more information.

The course is sponsored in part by Saracen Horse Feeds, a KER Team Member in England.

At the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games held at the Kentucky Horse Park, Carl Hester of Great Britain finished the Grand Prix Special in eleventh place out of 66 competitors. Riding Liebling II, a thirteen-year-old bay Holsteiner, Hester rode an excellent test for a score of 72.128. The British team stood in second place at the close of two days' competition, with The Netherlands in first place and Germany in third.

To keep Liebling II in good condition during training and competitions, Hester uses feed products supplied by Saracen Horse Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research Team Member. The horse's energy-dense diet is based around Saracen's Racing Prep 14, a sweet feed formulated exclusively to meet the needs of equine athletes. Incorporating digestible fiber and soy oil as sustained sources of slow-release energy, this feed supports top performance without increasing excitability.

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.

The most recent issue of Equinews, the official health and nutrition publication of Kentucky Equine Research (KER), is now available online.

One highlight of the summer issue is a synopsis of muscular problems that affect horses and nutritional recommendations designed to manage horses with these myopathies. Much of the information in the article, titled "Current Diagnosis and Nutritional Management of Tying-Up," was gleaned from a paper Stephanie Valberg, D.V.M., Ph.D., presented at the 2010 KER Nutrition Conference in April. The complete paper is also available on ker.com.

In addition, the current issue contains several articles that underscore the scope of KER's success in formulating feeds appropriate for two very different groups of equine athletes--racehorses and three-day eventers. KER Team Members Hallway Feeds, Pennfield Feed Technologies, and Saracen Horse Feeds manufacture the KER-formulated feeds referred to in these articles:

• "KER Team Member Feeds the Triple Crown"
• "Saracen Horse Feeds at the Sales"
• "Rolex Three-Day Event Showcases Elite Riders"

Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., one of KER's staff nutritionists, also responds to a case report involving a Thoroughbred mare with lactation tetany or hypocalcemia.

The next issue of Equinews will be available online this fall. Look for it in October!

Continue to follow KER at ker.com. Sign up for KER's free electronic newsletters and get the chance to win free tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Snow Fairy completed a Classic Epsom/Curragh double through her winning performance in Sunday's Irish Oaks, becoming only the 13th filly in history to win both events. Victorious by a margin of eight lengths, the 3-year-old filly might be destined for the Breeders' Cup later this season.

Notes from The Curragh indicate Snow Fairy, "opened up a gap on her pursuers in a matter of strides, continuing to pull away all the way to the line."

Of the Irish Oaks performance, Trainer Ed Dunlop noted, "She won really well and is a filly with a huge heart."

Dunlop followed the same path with Ouija Board in 2004, culminating in a career that included seven Group 1 wins, among them the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Snow Fairy's performance was fueled by Saracen Horse Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member based in England.

Besting a field of fifteen contenders, Snow Fairy won the Investec Oaks at England's Epsom Downs in a close race. The filly came from last place, weaving her way through the pack and then squeezing along the rail to upset second-place finisher Meeznah by a neck. Winning time for the 12-furlong turf race was 2:35.77. Saracen Feeds, a Kentucky Equine Research Team Member, is the feed producer of choice for Ed Dunlop, trainer of Snow Fairy, as well as Meeznah's trainer David Lanigan. The fourth horse across the finish line, Rumoush, also trains and races on Saracen products chosen by her trainer Marcus Tregoning.

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.

Saracen Feeds' Enduro 100 is the feed of choice for Pat Crann, whose jumpers need both quick energy and stamina to give their best performance. Jasper, Pat's mount at the Veteran European Championships, helped the team win their first medal at this level. Pat also had excellent finishes at competitions in Belgium and France, including several Nations Cup wins.