Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies News provided by KER

In a demanding competition in which fewer than half the starters completed all three days of the event, riders sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and its Team Members claimed four of the top twelve spots when the final results were posted.

Karen O'Connor rode Mr. Medicott, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, to fourth place in the event. In fourth after the dressage phase, O'Connor had a few time penalties on the cross-country course to drop to fifth at the end of the second day. Her double-clear stadium round helped her advance to a final fourth-place standing. An experienced horsewoman who has won the event in the past, O'Connor is hoping to ride for the United States in this summer's Olympic Games in London. She is sponsored by KER and also by Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.

New Zealand rider Andrew Nicholson finished in seventh place on Qwanza, a nine-year-old CDE mare. Nicholson, who is sponsored by KER Team Member Bluegrass Horse Feeds, stood in 24th place after dressage. He rode double-clear rounds in both the cross-country and stadium phases, moving him up to seventh position.

Another rider who moved up considerably because of excellent cross-country and stadium rounds was Phillip Dutton, who placed tenth on Mighty Nice and twelfth on Fernhill Eagle. Both horses are Irish Sport Horse geldings. Though he had stadium rails down with each horse, Dutton finished with fewer penalties than many riders because of his fast and accurate rides in the cross-country phase of the event. Dutton is sponsored by KER.

Record numbers of horses are registered to compete in this year's Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in late April. The international field of riders includes several past Rolex Kentucky champions, Olympic Games veterans, and top national and international eventers. This year's competition will serve as a selection trial to choose the U.S. eventing team for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Phillip Dutton rides for the United States. He is a three-time Olympic veteran with two team gold medals (1996 and 2000) for his native Australia. Dutton was the 2008 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** champion. He is listed to ride Fernhill Eagle and Mighty Nice. Dutton is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Karen O'Connor also rides for the United States. She is a three-time Olympic veteran with team silver (1996) and bronze (2000) medals. She was the 1999 Rolex Kentucky CCI**** champion and two-time Rolex Kentucky CCI*** champion (1991 and 1997). O'Connor is listed to ride Mr. Medicott and Veronica. She is sponsored by KER and is also a Promise Partner of Pennfield Feeds, a KER Team Member.

Bruce "Buck" Davidson, Jr. rides for the United States. Davidson was a member of the 1999 Pan-American Team and also competed at the World Equestrian Games in 2011. He is listed to ride Titanium and Absolute Liberty. He is a Promise Partner of Pennfield Feeds, a KER Team Member.

Andrew Nicholson rides for New Zealand. He is a six-time Olympic veteran with team silver (1992) and bronze (1996) medals. Nicholson is listed to ride Calico Joe, Shady Grey, and Qwanza. He is sponsored by Blue Grass Horse Feeds, a KER Team Member.

An additional attraction at the Kentucky Horse Park on Rolex weekend is the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup. This is the only three-star reining competition currently scheduled in the U.S. in 2012, and it is expected to draw horses and riders from around the globe. Lisa Coulter, a veteran of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games who rides for Canada, will compete in the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup. Coulter is sponsored by KER.

Chester Weber drove his horses to victory at the Live Oak International Combined Driving Event in Ocala, Florida. Taking the lead on the first day of competition and holding his lead after the marathon phase, Weber finished his obstacle round in the top spot to secure a record-breaking ninth USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title. 

Weber is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and is also a Promise Partner of Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a KER Team Member.

Two riders sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) had a good weekend at the Red Hills International Horse Trials held in early March in Tallahassee, Florida. Phillip Dutton showed horses with varying amounts of experience and rode in multiple divisions. He finished in second, sixth, and ninth places in the Advanced division, second and ninth places in the CIC** division, and first and third places in the CIC***division. Mystery Whisper, his winning mount at this most difficult level, scored almost 15 points ahead of the runner-up rider in dressage.

Karen O'Connor, who is also a Pennfield Promise Partner, rode to first and fifth honors in the Open Intermediate division, and was fifth and tenth in the CIC***division.   

Event rider Nina Lamsam Ligon is hoping to represent Thailand at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She recently visited Bangkok, Thailand, where she and her mother were greeted by a representative of the Thailand Equestrian Federation and the Sports Authority of Thailand.

Ligon is listed among the top-40 event riders on the world Olympic ranking. If she and her horse compete in the Olympic Games, she will be the first Asian female to ride in the prestigious international competition. As part of her preparation, she and her mount Tipperary Liadhnan are currently training to enter the Fair Hill International Three-Day Event in April.

To fuel the demands of strenuous training and performance, Ligon has chosen feeds manufactured by Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a Team Member of Kentucky Equine Research. Ligon uses Fibregized, Cool N Lite, and All-Phase, feed products formulated to meet the needs of horses in strenuous work. These feeds provide the energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals to support performance and tissue maintenance without overloading the horse's digestive tract with large amounts of starch.

The 2012 Live Oak International, a high-level combined diving event that attracts many competitors from European and other regions, will be held March 22 to 25 at Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, Florida. The competition will include the USEF national championships for four-in-hand horses and will also feature show jumping. The Live Oak event is celebrating its twentieth anniversary.

Chester Weber, eight-time United States national four-in-hand champion, will compete at the event, which is located at his base of training and operations. Weber is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and is a Promise Partner of Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a KER Team Member.

Chester Weber and his four-horse team Splash, Boris W, Para, and Uniek won the Advanced Horse Team Four-In-Hand division at the Sunshine State FEI Combined Driving Event held in mid-February at the Florida Horse Park.

Weber is an eight-time United States National Four-In-Hand Champion sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and is also a Promise Partner for Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a KER Team Member.

Weber was also recently named Driving Horseman of the Year by The Chronicle of the Horse. The designation was listed in the magazine's annual American Horses in Sport issue.

Training and competing in Florida during the winter months, Weber trusts products from Pennfield and KER to keep his horses fit and energetic. These feeds and nutritional supplements are designed to meet the needs of horses in a strenuous exercise and performance program.

Chester Weber is a top international four-in-hand driver sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) and its Team Member, Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies. In a newsletter wrapping up his achievements for 2011, Weber reported that he was chosen as a USEF Equestrian of Honor. He also was awarded the Becky Grand Hart Trophy given by the USEF to the best competitor in international driving, endurance, reining, vaulting, or para-equestrian competition.

Driving a team that included three new horses, Weber sewed up a victory at the 2011 Katydid CDE in Aiken, South Carolina by winning each phase of the event. In addition, he served as chef d'equipe for the U.S. drivers at the FEI Pony World Driving Championships in Lipica, Slovenia. His support helped the U.S. drivers bring home individual and team medals from the prestigious competition.

Bruce "Buck" Davidson, Jr., an eventing rider who is a Promise Partner for Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, made history at the recent United States Eventing Association (USEA) annual meeting. Davidson was the first rider to collect Rider of the Year, Horse of the Year, Mare of the Year, Advanced Horse of the Year, and Adequan/USEA Gold Cup Series Championship honors in the same year. Davidson's father, Bruce Davidson Sr., was named USEA Rider of the Year fifteen times, and more recently Phillip Dutton, another top rider sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), won the honor for eleven years.

To keep his horses in condition for their training and competition schedule, Buck chooses feeds formulated by KER and manufactured by Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a KER Team Member. These feed products contain levels of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals that support the demands of strenuous exercise, allowing the horses to perform to their maximum potential.

Chester Weber, a combined driver who is an eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion, is one of eight U.S. horsemen and horsewomen who received the title of Equestrian of Honor earlier in 2011. Votes are now being cast to name one of these equestrians as 2011 USEF Equestrian of the Year. This rider or driver will be chosen on the basis of a vote of the USEF general membership, the USEF board of directors, and members of the media.

Weber has spent years supporting the equestrian community. He serves on numerous committees including the USEF High Performance Driving Committee, the National Driving Committee, the Safety Committee, the Hearing Committee, the Licensed Officials Committee, and the Driving Technical Committee. Weber is also the chairman of the Active Athlete's Committee and has served on the Dressage Search Committee.

To keep his competition horses in top condition, Weber uses feeds and products formulated by his sponsors, Kentucky Equine Research and its Team Member, Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies. All KER and Pennfield products are designed to support the demands of high-level training and performance. They provide maximal nutrition including the protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals necessary to keep Weber's driving horses performing at the championship level. 

If selected, Weber would be the first combined driver to win the prestigious title. To cast a vote for Weber, go to http://www.usefnetwork.com/news/7915/2011/12/14/usef_announces_the_2011_equestrian.aspx. The winner will be announced in January 2012, during the USEF Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

With three of his eventing mounts named to the USEF High Performance Training List, Buck Davidson will have a busy winter season in what is traditionally a brief period of rest for horses and riders. Horses and riders on the list were selected on the basis of consideration for the team that will represent the United States in Olympic Games eventing competition in 2012.

Davidson is listed with BallyNoe Castle RM, an Irish Sport Horse gelding; The Apprentice, an Oldenburg gelding; and Absolute Liberty, a Thoroughbred/Oldenburg-cross mare. He is a sponsored Promise Partner of Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.

Training sessions will be held throughout the winter in locations that may include California, Florida, and South Carolina. To fuel his horses' exercise regimens, Davidson, who has been honored as Young Rider of the Year and two-time National Four Star Champion, feeds Fibregized Omega and EnduroEvent Ener-G. Manufactured by Pennfield Corporation, a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member, these products are formulated by KER to provide energy and nutrients that support the demands of intense exercise.

Show jumper Christine McCrea rode her horse Romantovich Take One to an individual gold medal and also collected a team gold medal at the Pan American Games held in October of 2011. The show jumping team's first-place finish at the Guadalajara, Mexico, venue clinched Olympic Games qualification for the United States show jumpers.

McCrea trusts Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies, a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) Team Member, to provide the right feed products to keep Romantovich Take One at the top of his game. Formulated by the equine nutrition experts at KER and manufactured by Pennfield, feeds like Fibregized Omega are designed to meet the needs of horses that are intensely trained. Fibregized Omega is formulated to be a calm source of energy. Because it derives the majority of its digestible energy content from fermentable fiber and fat sources, it gives a horse long-term, sustainable energy sources that do not cause rapid changes in blood sugar. 

In the discipline of eventing, Buck Davidson and his mount Absolute Liberty also captured two medals for the United States, a gold in the team competition and a bronze for his individual efforts, at the Pan American Games. The U.S. eventing team accomplished a record by having all five riders finish on their dressage scores, a feat that has never been done in a team eventing championship.

Like McCrea, Davidson is sponsored byPennfield Equine Feed Technologies. He has chosen Fibregized Omega and EnduroEvent Ener-G, another product designed for high-performance horses, to keep his mounts fueled throughout their training and competition efforts.

Karen O'Connor, a top three-day event rider sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), will conduct a Winter O'Connor Event Team Camp for anyone wanting to improve eventing skills. The camp will be held in Ocala, Florida, from December 27 to January 1.

As one of the special features of the camp, KER president Joe Pagan, Ph.D., will lecture attendees on the importance of proper equine nutrition and its role in performance horse welfare.

Horsemanship and stable management skills, grooming techniques, and instruction in dressage, cross-country, and show jumping will also be included.

Karen, a longtime user of KER products for her competition horses, has been named to the USEF High Performance Training List in its latest update for the 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team. She is listed with her 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Mr. Medicott. Karen is also sponsored by KER Team Member Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.

Chester Weber, one of the most talented drivers in the world, brought home a trunkful of championship ribbons from his international competitions during the summer of 2011. Weber, who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), drove his four-in-hand of bay geldings in numerous competitions both in the United States and abroad, consistently finishing near or at the top of the field.

At competitions in Vecses, Hungary and Altenfelden, Austria in June, Weber guided his horses to grand champion finishes in both events against high-level European competitors. Also in June, Weber finished in third place at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany. July saw a trip to Riesenbeck, Germany where the horses again earned grand champion honors.

Returning to Pennsylvania, Weber drove to a reserve champion finish at The Laurels at Landhope, a prestigious event with a long history of elite competitors. He plans to spend the winter competing and training in Florida.

Regarding KER's nutritional supplements Hemabuild, Nano•E, and Restore, Weber said,   "KER products help my horses perform at their peak and stay conditioned despite the rigorous training, travel, and competition schedule."

Mary Jordan, a para-equestrian sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), placed third and fifth on two new horses at the 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships and CPEDI*** at the 2011 NEDA Fall Festival of Dressage.

Jordan scored a competitive 64.219% aboard Sebastian and 62.552% on P. Sparrow Socks. The selection trials for the 2012 Paralympics will take place next year.

Jordan last represented the United States on the Para-Equestrian Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with her homebred mare, Paxton Abbey. KER was the official sponsor of the team, hosting the riders and their horses at its Versailles, Ky., research and training facility before the event.

Jordan utilizes KER products, including:

• Bio-Bloom hoof and coat conditioner,
• B-Quiet thiamine powder,
• Preserve vitamin E and selenium,
• Restore electrolyte,
• EO•3 omega-3 fatty acids,
• KER•Flex oral joint supplement,
• Nano•E nanodispersed natural-source vitamin E,
• RiteTrac total digestive tract support,
• Synovate HA liquid sodium hyaluronate.

She also works as a sales manager for KER Team Member Pennfield Equine Feed Technologies.