equine international 11

Alltech GAmes • YounG RideR • enduRAnce • moRGAns • pARA-equestRiAns

equine i n t e R n At i o n A l

summer 2009 • Vol. 1 • issue 2 www.alltech.com/equineinternational

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3: European EncoreDr. Pearse Lyons, founder of Alltech, reflects on Royal Windsor and looks ahead to the Alltech European Championships.

4: Horse Park StablingClimate-controlled barns are being built to accommodate every need of equine athletes stabled at the Kentucky Horse Park.

11: It Takes DisciplineEmmett Ross, Endurance Discipline Manager for the Alltech FEI Games, is busy planning his 100-mile course for 2010.

15: Young Rider on the RiseNine-year-old Lucas Lang of Ohio is racking up Quarter Horse youth halter championships. His secret: LIFEFORCE FORMuLA.

16: The Heat Is On!Triple Crown Nutrition explains how to keep your horses healthy this season by tailoring a diet to curb heat stress.

18: Paradise MorgansKentucky converts Chris and Janet Morris breed champion Morgan sporthorses for reining and other FEI disciplines.

21: Feeding Every DreamAustralian feed company Hygain is sponsoring two young Paralympians who hope to compete in Kentucky in 2010.

24: Reversal of FortuneRiding advice from World Champion Eric Lamaze, a Cavalor feed customer: Make sacrifices and don’t ever give up.

26: International Feed BinNew products and developments from the Global Animal Health and Nutrition Partners for the Alltech Games.

28: Feeding Equine AthletesTribute Equine Nutrition explains how to rev up your horse’s performancewith a fat-enhanced, lower starch diet.

31: Kentucky CornerMike Cooper, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel, welcomes readers to “the Kentucky you don’t know.”

On the cover: Trainer Doug Sande aboard uVM Privilege, a champion green reining stallion owned by Paradise Morgans. Story, page 18. (Chris Morris photo)

To see our stories come alive,view our free digital edition at

www.alltech.com/EquineInternational

Publisher ............................Dr. Pearse LyonsG.A.M.E.S. Director ..............Kelly WelkerExecutive Editor ..................Darlene RickerGraphics Director .................. Ashley Davis

Graphic Designer ..................... David JonesRich Media Director ..........Kirk RobinsonWebsite Author ................Alan HenthorneWebsite Analyst ..........................David Carr

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equine inteRnAtionAl is published bimonthly, with occasional special editions. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without express permission of Alltech.

equine inteRnAtionAlAlltech Global Headquarters3031 Catnip Hill PikeNicholasville, KY 40356 uSATelephone: 859.885.9613Facsimile: 859. 885.6736Email: [email protected]

You will see this icon throughout the magazine.This indicates stories that contain video content

exclusively in our digital edition.

S ome time ago, I stood in the Normandy American Cemetery, a brisk breeze whipping my coattails. It was a solemn moment, gilded with a sense of reaching back to an era both noble and humble. My eyes were drawn to the inscription on a

young soldier’s gravestone near my feet. I read it once, and then again. Could it really be? The soldier had been killed the very day I was born. He, too, was from Kentucky. That moment epitomizes the spirit of the D-Day invasion that ended World War II: a common chord that united humanity on two continents, a coming together of diverse cultures for the greater good. How fitting, then, for Normandy to have been chosen to host the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014, which will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the landing of the Allied Forces on Omaha Beach. Symbolically, the 2014 Games will be a coming home for many of us, a rejoining of American and European hands. Four years before the Games in Normandy, we who have strived for the success of the Alltech Games will pass the torch to our French brethren. But we won’t ride off into the sunset. Then, as now, our two continents will engage in their longstanding pas de deux of international excellence, as we did decades ago in war and as we continue to do in peace through equestrian sport. History and politics aside, the thrill of a competition hard fought and honorably won—on horseback or off—is an eternal common denominator. That was evident this May on the splendorous grounds of Windsor Castle, where determined riders from around the world competed in the Royal Windsor Horse Show. It will be déjà vu later this summer, as the cream of international dressage and show jumpers return for the Alltech European Championships. My wife Deirdre and I were delighted to attend Royal Windsor. We had the honor of being seated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose unassuming manner made me feel as though I was having a visit with a favorite aunt. I look forward to returning to Windsor Castle for the Alltech European Championships in August and hope to see you there.

hands Across the Water

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Dr. Pearse LyonsPresident, Alltech

Royal Windsor photo by Kit Houghton

Spectators planning to attend the Alltech Games are busy seeking lodging, but competitors are more concerned with where their horses will bed down. Not to worry: The Horse Park’s new stabling complex will provide five-star luxury accommodations for the four-footed heroes of the Alltech Games.

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New Stabling at Kentucky Horse Park

GH2 Gralla Equestrian Architects

T he new stabling complex at the Kentucky Horse Park makes you wish you were a horse. A stroll through the construction area and

a glance at the plans tells you that every step of the way, the planners thought as though they indeed were horses. Say you’re a champion gaited horse, accustomed to the finest of everything in a very controlled environment. Your coat, your hooves have been buffed to a shimmer-sheen for the afternoon finals. The familiar clip-clop of your hooves sounds a soothing metronome as you’re led from the barn and prepare to make your entrance into the show ring. Then suddenly, a cataclysm: A cloudburst unleashes torrents of rain and dervishes of wind. If you’re at just about any other show facility in North America, this is a nightmare of the highest order. Grooms start scrambling around you, a blanket is frantically thrown over your back and your nerves—as well as those of your rider—are shot. Not so if you’re at the Kentucky Horse Park. You amble serenely from the climate-controlled stable through a covered walkway into the (also covered) warmup ring. When the on-deck announcement beckons, you move on—still under a roof—to the attached climate-controlled indoor arena. Not a single raindrop has touched you. Those are the type of details the designers of the new stabling at the Horse Park focused on when they envisioned the complex. It’s not just horse-friendly; it’s horse heaven. And that was the goal. For riders and show managers, the cushy environs offer added bonuses. The warmth of the protected and climate-controlled facilities will allow shows and events to be held year-round. That will greatly expand the Kentucky show season, which traditionally has taken a hiatus during the inclement winter months.

Still a work in progress, the new stabling is part of a master plan created by GH2 Gralla Equestrian Architects to add stalls and replace existing ones, the first of which were built in 1980. Three new indoor barns with 314 stalls are expected to be completed by the Alltech Games. Afterward, older barns will be replaced, starting with barns 8 through 12. “We’re going to tear down and replace as we go along,” says John Nicholson, the Horse Park’s Executive Director. “Throughout the process, we’ll never go below 1,100 stalls. When we’re done, we’ll have nearly 2,000.” The new stalls will be the same dimensions (10’ by 10’) as those in the existing shed rows, but these have been custom-designed for the reborn Kentucky Horse Park. The new stabling complex is configured in three pods, each with its own heated wash racks, tack rooms and feed rooms. The stalls in the new barns have special features, including the ability to be completely dismantled. That will enable riders with oversized horses, for example, to reserve two stalls and have the center divider removed to create a single large stall. Of course, stabling like this does not come cheap. Total pricetag for the new barn complex: $4.5 million. Fortunately, fundraising for the project began with a substantial donation from Misty Wrigley. Contributions continue to come in, with more being sought. Those dollars will go toward added niceties.. “We have always considered the Kentucky Horse Park to be big league. Now we have a big-league facility with stabling to match,” says Nicholson. “The horses of Kentucky, and the guest horses that come to our Park to compete, are elite equine athletes. They work hard for their riders. It’s only right that they return from competition to comfortable quarters where they can rest and be cared for. These horses deserve the best, and our new facility ensures they will have it—at the Alltech Games and for years to come.”


Thanks to funding by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and generous donors, the equine athletes in the Alltech Games will be housed in the finest equestrian quarters on the globe. The new stabling was designed by GH2 Gralla Equestrian Architects, a specialty practice of GH2 Architects, LLC. The award-winning firm has completed more than 500 equestrian facilities across the world, including race tracks and training facilities, private and commercial farms, equestrian estates, educational and research centers, horse parks, and multi-use equestrian and event centers.

For more information: (918) 587-6158 or email: [email protected].

By Jodi Dickey


E asy-to-use shower bays, comfy stalls, and state-of-the-art workout facilities are the future of the “horse hotels” at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Although the average family visiting the Kentucky Horse Park won’t ever spend the night in these new barns, they can still experience the extraordinary comfort that awaits horses competing at the facility. With state-of-the-art accommodations, the equine athletes will surely jump higher, slide farther, gait smoother, turn more quickly and gallop faster. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is generously providing the funds for the newly completed $24.6 outdoor stadium and $45-million state-of-the-art indoor arena. These new facilities will bring thousands of guest horses from all over the world to compete at the finest showplace in North America. But where will the horses sleep? The KHP Foundation has taken on the ambitious task of raising millions to build state-of-the-art, user-friendly stabling, or “horse hotels,” for thousands of equine guests. These barns are being built in two phases and will provide an additional 800 stalls for the Kentucky Horse Park. But the Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing and expanding the Kentucky Horse Park, can’t do it alone. Thanks to generous donors, since its inception in 1985 the KHP Foundation has provided nearly

$18 million to the Kentucky Horse Park in show facilities, landscaping projects, new horses, safety equipment, land surveys, sound systems and many other improvements. “The successes of the past 30 years at the Kentucky Horse Park have recently been recognized with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian GamesTM and the Special Eclipse Award,” said Frances Dulaney, Kentucky Horse Park Foundation executive director. “I think a makeover including new show facilities and barns is an exciting way to celebrate those successes.” In addition to the barn project, the KHP Foundation has launched an ambitious goal of $35 million for the Nina Bonnie Endowment. This endowment will ensure that all of the new facilities will be maintained to a standard of excellence for many years. “Although we have ambitious goals, I am confident the guests of the Kentucky Horse Park will step up to the challenge,” said Dulaney. “Over the past 23 years, donors to the foundation have brought enthusiasm and heartfelt generosity. I am continually impressed with our supporters.” Even without a nightly mint on the pillow, the new barns will prove to be great accommodations for the equine guests who will visit the Kentucky Horse Park during the Alltech Games and at future events.

(For more information: www.khpfoundation.org.)


GH2 Gralla Equestrian Architects

Overview of new barn complex designed by GH2 Gralla Equestrian Arhcitects for Kentucky Horse Park. Note covered walkway (# 41) leading from new barns (#25) past new covered warmup (#26) arena to new indoor arena (#29).


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Alltech, proud sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010TM, salutes its Official Animal Health and Nutrition partners in over fifty countries around the globe. These partners share the values of Alltech and of the Games — passion, excellence and perfomance— and we salute them for their commitment to this, the world’s largest equestrian sporting event.

Performance through nutrition ...naturallywww.alltechfeigames.com

Saluting our partners around the world

PASSION EXCELLENCE PERFORMANCE

IT TAKES DISCIPLINE

The sport of endurance racing sprang from a 100-mile race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California, which started in 1955 on a dare and became known as the revered “Tevis Cup.” Endurance developed its true focus in 1972 with the formation

of the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), which began organizing events and supervising the sport. Since then and because of the AERC’s involvement, the sport has evolved into a fast-growing international equestrian endeavor. Endurance was recognized as an FEI discipline in 1978 and adopted by the uSET (now the uSEF) in 1993. Today endurance racing takes place in more than 45 nations. From its formal beginning in the united States in 1972 to the present day, the simplicity of the sport and ease of entry has been its driving force. Endurance is simply a race—everyone starts together and the competitor who crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. At the Alltech FEI Games level, the highest and most prestigious plane of competition, endurance is done over a 100-mile course (160 km). This is the pinnacle of the sport and all countries participating must control and monitor qualifications of their riders and horses to become eligible to participate. No country may send more than six horse/rider combinations. The FEI has developed a comprehensive qualification process under a star (*) rated system best known as a CEI. Endurance at the Alltech FEI Games is a CEI**** race—championship level. To reach this level, each country has an internal national system, such as the AERC system in the united States, which promotes and holds hundreds of races each year.

These include 25-to-100-mile one-day races, often with two- to six-day races covering up to 300 miles. All these races involve incredible hours of development for both horse and rider. The training, feeding and conditioning of an endurance horse takes years to bring it to the top FEI international 4 * level. About 95 percent of the horses participating are purebred or part-bred Arabians, which are known for their speed and stamina over distance. In the Alltech FEI Games, a country may enter one to six horses and any of them may race to win an individual medal. Team medals are also contested; a country must have at least three horses finish in order to be scored as a team. (The fastest three aggregate times of a team are declared the winners.) A full team can be up to four horses, but the three fastest finishers score as a team. A country with a full complement of six horses must designate before the race commences which four will be scored as a team, but all six may win individual medals. Technically, a rider from a country with three or more horse/rider combinations can win two medals as long as he or she has been selected by the team chef (coach) to be a team member before the start of the race. At the highest World Games 4 * level, only about 40 percent of the starting rider/horse combinations finish, due principally to the incredibly strict veterinarian inspections that occur six times over the 100-mile, six-loop course and once before the start of the race. Pacing, team tactics and strategy are essential parts of a successful team. The six loops of the World Games 100-mile race each present challenges as the race evolves. The race for the lead horses typically takes 12 hours, including the rest holds after each loop.

WHAT IS ENDURANCE? By Emmett Ross


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EMMETT ROSS


Endurance Discipline Manager:Racing for Smooth Finish in 2010 Imagine getting on your horse at dawn and going full-tilt boogey for the next 12 hours. Your only respite comes from a few brief rest stops for the horse. Your day isn’t done until you’ve covered 100 miles (160 km) – the equivalent of 90 Kentucky Derby runs. By then it’s dusk. Whether you cross the finish line first or last, you’re exhilarated and exhausted. Welcome to the world of endurance racing, which will be contested on the first day of competition during the Alltech FEI Games: September 26, 2010. The official test event for endurance takes place this October at the Kentucky Horse Park as part of the new Kentucky Cup test events, a two-year show series designed as a trial run for each of the eight disciplines. That’s when Emmett Ross, Endurance Discipline Manager for the Alltech FEI Games, will assess the results of his painstaking 16 months of planning and make any adjustments to ensure a smooth-as-silk event in 2010. With his more than 20 years of experience as an international endurance competitor and an array of awards, Ross was a logical choice as discipline manager. He was a member of the gold medal-winning team in the first North American Endurance Championships and is one of only two trainers in the world to have achieved FEI endurance wins in nine nations.

Ross has been involved in the sport in a myriad of capacities, among them trainer, chef d’equipe (team coach), manager, organizer, consultant and competitor in 100-plus FEI endurance events in more than 14 nations. Three-time chef for the Qatar Endurance Team, he also served in the Summer Olympics as Sports Manager for all equestrian activities (1984 Los Angeles Games) and as a senior consultant and staff member for equestrian events (1996 Atlanta Games). One of eight discipline managers whose mission is to plan, manage and supervise their respective competitions in the Alltech FEI Games, Ross has his work cut out for him. Except for the cross-country phase of three-day eventing and combined driving, all other FEI disciplines compete in a riding arena. Not so for endurance, which takes place over 100 miles of hill and dale across the Horse Park’s 1,200 acres and surrounding farms in Scott and Fayette counties. That will require Ross to manage up to 300 volunteers. Much of his time has been spent acquiring permission from adjoining land owners to use their property for the Alltech FEI Games, arranging to install gates where needed on their farms and determining how to best utilize hills and other variations in terrain. Thus, endurance presents a unique and multi-layered challenge for a discipline manager. Ross is charged with designing a 12- to 16-hour course over thousands of acres with varying terrain that will sufficiently test but not overstress the world’s top horses. He has given himself an even more daunting task: to see a higher percentage of horses cross the finish line than ever before. “In all world championships, there has never been more than a 40 percent completion rate in endurance. I’d love to see a 45- to 50-percent completion rate at the Alltech FEI Games. That’s my goal,” he says. What makes him feel that can be achieved? The central Kentucky location, with near-perfect topography and climate, is on his side, says Ross. To complete an FEI endurance course without being disqualified at any of the six periodic veterinary examinations during the day, a horse must remain sound and healthy. The key issues are lameness and metabolics (effects of

A competitor and her horse characterize the exuberant spirit of endurance. (Photograph by David Kaden)


exertion on the horse’s body, assessed mainly by temperature, pulse and respiration readings). “The land in central Kentucky is wonderful—flat to gently rolling—and the footing is ideal,” says Ross. “Sixty to 70 percent, or maybe more, of the course will be on grass. Another 25 percent will be on farming roads, which are dirt with very minimal rock. The course goes through Elkhorn Creek 12 to 14 times, which is a slowing mechanism.” The water crossings allow the horses’ systems to cool and recover, if they stop.

If conditions are normal in Lexington when endurance is run at the Alltech FEI Games, says Ross, “We [will] start the race at 50 to 52 degrees in the morning and finish at 72 to 75 degrees. These are super conditions for an endurance race.” That will likely be a draw for countries considering sending teams in 2010. Ross is expecting 80 to 90 endurance horses in the Alltech FEI Games. Many countries will enter one to three horses, which will compete as individuals, and at least 15 nations are currently expected to send a full team complement of four to six horses. Approximately 35 nations are expected to be represented in the endurance world championship. “This is so exciting,” says Ross. “It’s going to be an endurance competition the likes of which the world has never seen.” And because endurance does not occur in an arena or stadium, a discipline ticket is not required. “The price of a general admission ticket to the Alltech Games will get you a front-row seat at the best endurance competition in the world,” says Ross.

Learn More About Endurance• www.aerc.org• http://www.alltechfeigames.com/competition/discipline.

aspx?id=226\• http://www.alltechfeigames.com/competition/discipline.

aspx?id=1730• http://www.tierrasdeal-andalus.com/slideshow/index.html

Making Endurance Spectator-Friendly Although the Alltech FEI Games endurance course will start and finish at the Kentucky Horse Park, for long stretches the horses will race on private property where they are out of view. To maintain spectator interest throughout the day, Emmett Ross hopes to implement several high-tech features, such as: • A slash card system (never before used in the United States)

through which veterinary readings on each horse would be input into a computer and broadcast on giant electronic screens throughout the day, allowing observers to view current rankings as they change.

• An online GPS-supported tracking system (also a first in the u.S.) synchronized with a device worn on each rider’s waist or helmet. Spectators and those following the race off-site would be able to see exactly where each competitor is on the course in live time.

• An electronic heart rate monitor, which the vet would apply to the horse’s girth area after the saddle is removed during each of the rest stops. The device would project the horse’s digital heart rate onto a large clock. (Hint: Look for an optimal heart rate of 64 after one minute of rest.)

• A public address system, with an announcer broadcasting the order of the horses as they finish each portion of the six-loop course and proceed to the next. “Once spectators know the system, when they hear it announced that the leaders are coming in for the third loop, they’ll know it’s a good time to come back from lunch break and watch the race,” says Ross.

IT TAKES DISCIPLINE

Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai, in brisk trot during an endurance race.

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Photo by Gilly Wheeler

Emmett Ross with trophy saddle for Qatar International Marathon win.


At the Royal Windsor Horse Show this May, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Alltech’s booth, where she and Royal Windsor organizer Simon Brooks-Ward spoke with Alltech representatives about LIFEFORCE FORMuLA. Consequently, a supply of the product has been donated to the horses in the Royal stables. (Photograph by Kit Houghton)

LIFEFORCE LAUNCHED ON TWO CONTINENTS

From this year’s cross-country course at the Kentucky Three-Day Event in April to the dressage arena at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May, competitors and spectators were abuzz about the introduction of Alltech’s exciting new once-daily natural equine supplement, LIFEFORCE FORMuLA. Alltech founder and president Dr. Pearse Lyons addressed journalists at the official product launch at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, answering questions about LIFEFORCE FORMuLA. His key message: “For more than a quarter of a century, Alltech has provided scientifically proven, reliable and fully traceable natural solutions to the equine industry. All of these technologies are harnessed in the power of LIFEFORCE.”

Kentucky Three-Day Event

Royal Windsor Horse Show

To learn more about LIFEFORCE FORMuLA, visit the Alltech booth at the Alltech European Championships at Windsor Castle from August 25 to 30, 2009. For product and ordering information: www.alltechadvantage.com

A t the ripe old age of nine, Ohio equestrian Lucas Lang has already made his mark on the Quarter Horse world. Last season he was named Ohio Rookie of the Year for

the American Quarter Horse Association and Reserve Rookie of the Year in the AQHA 11 and under age division. He started competing in AQHA shows in the Small Fry division in 2007 and quickly rose to the Youth Halter ranks in 2008. Equally impressive is the record of the horse he showed, Coolest Mr, a three-year-old Quarter Horse ranked second nationally in the AQHA’s High-Point Youth Halter Gelding standings for 2008. The horse was also the 2008 Halter Horse of the Year for the state of Ohio. His other AQHA wins for that year include: • 3rd in Amateur Halter Geldings • 2nd in Amateur Limited Halter • 5th in Open Halter Geldings • 5th in Open Limited Halter Geldings

Coolest Mr also placed third in the world at the AQHA Amateur World Championship and ninth in the AQHA Open World Championship. He was third in the Open Limited Halter 3-Year-Old geldings at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, the largest single breed horse show in the world. He was also eighth in the Youth 3-Year-Old Geldings at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. The secret to Lucas’ success? “When I brush my horse, the shine comes right out from the inside because of what we’ve been feeding him,” he says. His family’s horses have consumed Alltech products for five years. The centerpiece of their feeding regimen is now LIFEFORCE, Alltech’s new once-daily nutritional supplement. “Our horses look even better than last year,” says Lucas. “It has to be from LIFEFORCE. We haven’t changed anything else.”

Lucas, who has been riding since he was three years old, hopes to win the Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA Youth World. He comes from a family of winners. His mother has coached numerous youth and amateur horse and rider teams to championships and year-end titles, as well as having trained and shown many open level horses to AQHA championships and year-end titles. His dad, who won the Amateur Rookie of the Year award for 2008 in the 31-49 age division, reflects on that win:

“I was able to beat out some of my competition because my horse never took a lame step and never colicked. A trainer I know tried to do without Alltech products for the three months we were not in heavy competition. His top horse colicked and nearly died. The vet bills on that horse were more than it would have cost to feed Alltech to every horse in that barn for the year. There are many other reasons for using Alltech products, but this is something that serious competitors—indeed, anyone who loves his horses—should not try to do without.”

HAlTER CHAmpIoN lUCAS lANg

Photo by Mark Pedersen


“Our horses look even better than last year. It has to be from LIFEFORCE. We haven’t changed anything else.”


F or the Morrises, the decision to move from suburban Boston to the Bluegrass was an easy one. As Chris recalls: “Our senior stallion, uVM Springfield, was

already standing in Kentucky, and his average sperm count, already prodigious, had doubled after he arrived in the Bluegrass. Whether it’s the grass, the water, or something else about the area, it was clear to us that Kentucky agreed with our Morgans. Pastorale lived until 2005, producing an embryo foal before she died, and is buried on our farm.” In an interview with EQuINE INTERNATIONAL breeds columnist Felice Vincelette, Chris and Janet Morris shared their experiences breeding Morgans:

Q: What are the main features of your Morgan breeding and training operation in Kentucky?

A: For Paradise Morgans, we initially bought an existing 173-acre farm with 22 stalls and 13 paddocks with 100 of the acres under four-board fence, the rest in meadow and hay, on a dead-end road in Versailles [a suburb of Lexington], one of the most peaceful and beautiful areas of the

Bluegrass. As our goals sharpened, we added the Paradise Equine treatment center, focusing on extensive care and services. We then added a group of Thoroughbred mares to our breeding program, while keeping the Morgan breeding program separate.

Paradise Equine, a logical extension of our interests in optimizing horse breeding, reproductive and recuperative care, required reconfiguring the farm, adding a 20-stall barn and treatment center. Both entities co-exist and interoperate seamlessly, depending on horse needs. We recently leased an annex with an additional 28 stalls on 55 acres, including a number of small colt and stallion paddocks, and a training barn with 30 stalls.

Q: Please describe your current Morgan roster.A: Although the Paradise Morgan population fluctuates due

to sales and foaling, we usually stand five to nine stallions, of which six are currently farm-owned, and manage a broodmare band of 15 to 25 mares, of which a dozen are our own and the others client mares. Our stallion roster

Longtime Morgan horse breeders Chris and Janet Morris moved their operation, Paradise Morgans, from Massachusetts to Kentucky in 2003. When their Morgan mare, Pastorale, was stricken with a terminal disease, they relocated to take advantage of the superior resources in the Lexington area for intensive horse care, which they exalt as among the best in the world.

Paradise MorgansBy Felice Vincelette


features our 22-year-old senior stallion and performance horse sire, uVM Springfield, and a number of his champion sport and show horse get.

Our roster for 2009 includes sport horse stallions such as multi-regional champion reiner Nantucket, green reining champions Privilege and Springfield Rifle, and show horse sires such as Summitry, multi-titled World Champion Park Saddle and Harness stallion Spiceolife Present Tense, and multi-titled World Champion Arboria Noble Victor.

This means, of course, that sucklings, weanlings, yearlings and horses of training age are always part of our picture. We offer the “Paradise Select” program, where a client who wants to breed a Morgan can contract for a mating of one of the on-farm mares to an on-farm stallion, and take home the resulting foal when it is weaned. This allows someone to obtain rare and costly bloodlines, to create a “designer” or “bespoke” foal, commanding mating combinations of some of our finest world champions without having to own those horses or be responsible for the mare’s prenatal care.

Normally the horse population of all three farms will total between 60 and 85 horses, not counting layups. Our reining horse prospects are trained by Sande Performance Horses in Warren, Oregon, so there may be six or seven reiners out with Doug Sande at any given time.

Q: In which disciplines that will be part of the Alltech Games do your Morgans and their offspring compete?

A: Our Morgan sires have foals all over the country and across the competition spectrum. Most relevant to the Alltech Games, and our personal passion, are our reining horses. Although Paradise-bred sporthorses compete in disciplines such as CDE, hunter and dressage (for instance Monarchos, owned by Linda Hampson of New Hampshire, who won the Maine Morgan 2008 Sport Horse Cup), breeding Morgan reining horses is one of our main breeding and training focuses. Our champion reiners, trained by National Reining Horse Association judge and competitor Doug Sande, include Nantucket and Spring Diva (both of

whom have numerous junior and open reining titles) and Privilege (a green reining champion). Spring Diva is also a Morgan Grand National Champion four-year-old snaffle bit/hackamore reiner.

Q: What are your sporthorse breeding goals?A: Because the Morgan was the only horse ever bred by the

u.S. government and therefore was bred to a government specification, we choose breeding stock for our Morgan reining program that is very close to the old u.S. specification for the fearless and sturdy cavalry and police mount that had to do everything from war fighting to dressage. Since Morgan blood is foundation blood for the American Quarter Horse, as well as for the American Standardbred and all derivatives, we don’t crossbreed our Morgans. The crossbreeding of Morgans has already resulted in transferring Morgan agility, intelligence, stamina, and soundness to nearly every American breed. For example, when the King Ranch began breeding the American Quarter Horse, they bought 200 Morgan mares from the u.S. Government Horse Farm to do it.

Although we allow our stallions to breed mares of different breeds, when mare owners want more agility, fearlessness and strength, we emphasize breeding pure Morgan reining and dressage prospects. Since reining and dressage training goals are so similar, trainers who come to us for prospects want many similar characteristics. Size is often the differentiating factor (smaller for reining, larger for dressage). Distance from the hock to the ground is important, as is a short cannon bone which is the same length in front as it is in back. But in general our goal is to breed a Morgan at whom anyone can look and recognize universally accepted criteria for athleticism and beauty.

For more information: 859-879-6108

A crop of 2009 foals relaxing at Paradise Morgans in Kentucky. Facing page, trainer Doug Sande puts Morgan reiner Nantucket through his paces. (Chris Morris photos)














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E quine Canada and Masterfeeds, Inc. have announced a joint partnership to raise funds for the Canadian Equestrian Team en route to the Alltech Games.

This fall, Equine Canada and Masterfeeds will launch a year-long fundraising initiative leading up to September 2010. Official Alltech Games apparel and merchandise, with net proceeds going to the Canadian Equestrian Team, will be available at the Equine Canada/Masterfeeds exhibit at major Canadian events such as the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Spruce Meadows. In addition, the Official Treat of the Canadian Equestrian Team will be sold at participating Masterfeeds dealerships across Canada, with a percentage of proceeds donated to the Team. “This partnership illustrates the commitment of both parties to support our Canadian Equestrian Team as they compete for world honors amongst 60 countries at the North American debut of the Games,” said Akaash Maharaj, chief executive officer of Equine Canada.

Earlier this year, Masterfeeds, Inc. was named Canada’s first Official Gold Animal Health and Nutrition Partner of the Alltech Games. “Not only are we extremely proud to be a partner of the Games, but now given our new relationship with Equine Canada, we can leverage our brand and distribution across the country to raise funds for the Canadian Equestrian Team,” said Rob Flack, president of Masterfeeds.

Masterfeeds, Equine Canada Partner Up to Support Canadian Equestrian Team

Masterfeeds Inc. has announced the launch of Fusion — the next generation of high fat and fiber equine nutrition — which is available in Canada. The advanced diet-ingredient profile of Fusion utilizes the newest research available in equine performance nutrition. Masterfeeds Fusion is formulated with an elevated level of fiber calories, the most natural form of energy for the horse. As well, Fusion contains 7 percent fat content derived from all-vegetable sources. Created specifically for equine athletes, its reduced level of starches and sugars delivers “cool” calories — and a calming effect — for horses in all performance disciplines. The cube-shaped feed, designed for maximum chewing, is packed with: flax for Omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E along with its

antioxidant properties; Alltech’s Bioplex trace minerals for increased bioavailability essential for immune response, hoof health, bone and cartilage development; and Alltech’s Yea-Sacc1026, which works as a digestive aid and gut stabilizer. There is nothing else like it,” says Jackie VandenBrink, M.Sc., account manager and equine nutritionist with Masterfeeds. “We focused on creating a feed that delivers energy from Mother Nature while ensuring weight gain and optimal health and performance. Masterfeeds Fusion meets the daily requirements of a horse in training with no need for additional supplementation.” Masterfeeds is the Official Gold Animal Health and Nutrition Partner of the Alltech Games.

Masterfeeds Fusion: The Future of High Fat and Fiber Equine Nutrition Has Arrived

The Canadian Eventing Team wins silver at the 2007 Pan Am Games.

Photo by Cealy Tetley



Hygain has been feeding international champions in all equine disciplines since 1983, including many Olympic medal winners. Team Hygain is now sponsoring young para-equestrians Grace Bowman and Nicole Kullen, who competed on the Australian team in the 2008 Paralympics. Their next goal? The Alltech Games. Their stories, next page.

FEEDINGEVERY DREAM

T he measure of success varies for all of us, but regardless of how one defines success—whether it’s a blue ribbon at a pony club gymkhana, a great ride out on the trail together with your beloved horse, or a win at the Alltech Games

— we all share one common goal: to care for our horses, provide the best for them, and keep them healthy and happy. That philosophy has long guided Hygain Feeds, a Global Animal Health and Nutrition Partner for the Alltech Games. The prominent Australian company started from fairly humble beginnings in 1983. As a horse owner and competitor dissatisfied with the quality and nutritional standards of feeds available, Greg Manley decided to take things into his own hands. using only the finest Australian ingredients available, he started developing and mixing nutritionally balanced feed formulas to feed his own horses and others in his local area in Australia. Through word of mouth, demand for the product rapidly grew and soon outstripped the capacity of the one-man operation. This resulted in the establishment of a dedicated equine-only feed mill in the heart of the Victorian equine industry, southeast of Melbourne. This was a major step forward in equine feed security, providing a safe feed source and eliminating the dangers from feed ingredient cross-contamination experienced in multi-species feed mills. In the early 1990s, Hygain’s success was further strengthened through the forging of a strategic partnership with Alltech Australia. This partnership, combined with a shared passion for doing it right, has enabled Hygain to enhance the nutritional qualities of its products to meet specific equine nutritional and health needs and position the company as a leader in the Australian and international equine feed markets.

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Nicole Kullen (photo courtesy of Hartpury College)Nicole Kullen (photo courtesy of Hartpury College)


At 18, Grace is the youngest member of Australia’s para-equestrian team. Before last year’s Paralympics, she competed on the 2006 Australian para-dressage team at the Pacific Rim International Qualifier (CAN), winning the Individual Championship and Freestyle. Her team finished third. The next year, she competed on the Australian team in the 2007 World Paradressage Championships in Great Britain. What had befallen her five years earlier seemed light years away. In September 2002, when Grace was just 12 years old, she went out for a ride on her horse “Jim,” as she did nearly every day after school. Her life changed forever. “Jim shied at something—to this day I don’t know what—and took me under a tree. I

collided with a low-hanging branch, which dislocated my spine and severed my spinal cord,” Grace recalls. Suddenly a paraplegic, she spent the next three months in

the hospital, learning how to conduct her life from a wheelchair. “People often ask how I felt in the early days,” says Grace. “The simple answer is, I don’t know

how I felt; I just had to get on with life. I had to learn how to sit up, balance, put my shoes on, get off my bed onto my chair, get into a car . . . I was just too busy to worry about what had happened.”

Five months after her accident, she got back in the saddle. “Riding was something I never lost sight

of,” she says. Thanks to a gentle older pony in her family’s

GRACE BOWMAN

Today, Hygain’s modern dedicated equine mill offers the horse owner a wide range of feeds, packaged in color-coded, environmentally friendly packaging, produced under strict quality and manufacture controls. This solidifies Hygain’s reputation for delivering consistent, fresh and safe feed backed by unmatched services. As always, Hygain strives for excellence. The company’s solid reputation for quality and performance has helped the company evolve into an international exporter shipping its products throughout Australasia, North and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, resulting in a number of regional and national export awards.

Looking confidently to the future with well established foundations and a great team sharing a common goal, Hygain is progressively extending its global market share, continually evolving its products based on solid nutritional research applied to equine diets and the demands of an ever-changing world. At Hygain, success is not just measured by sales. More importantly, it brings the company’s customers closer to their dream and creates “customer satisfaction” that gives Hygain the greatest reward. Says Manley, who believes in letting his feed speak for itself: “If the product is good enough, it will stand on its own two feet!”

Grace Bowman aboard Yarra

Valley Mount Batton

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Living one’s dreams is central to Nicole’s existence, as evidenced by her advice to aspiring riders: “Don’t give up on your dreams. You can achieve anything if you put your heart and mind to it, regardless of your abilities or disabilities.” Nicole is a perfect example of that. She represented Australia at the 2007 FEI World Para Equestrian Dressage Championships, winning a silver medal in the individual championship and a bronze in the individual freestyle to music. She was the only rider on a borrowed horse to win a medal there, as well as being the only Australian to go home with a medal. She had been competing in FEI events for only one year. She accomplished all this with no legs, limited arm movement and strength, no function in her hands and wrists—and a megadose of determination. Nicole, who is in her twenties, says she has “been on horseback since I was 18 months old and I’ve never given it up since.” Illness sidelined her temporarily in 1996, when she was 16 and a versatile equestrian who participated in endurance, trail riding, showing and cross-country jumping. Nicole contracted meningococcal meningitis septicemia, which required amputation of her legs. She returned to high school, graduated in 1998 and made three national records in disabled swimming.

In 2000 Nicole lost all function in both kidneys, which still requires her to undergo daily dialysis. In the following years, Nicole suffered devastating losses of loved ones. In 2003, her five-day-old son Kyle died. After winning the 2005 RDAA National Dressage Championships, her competition horse was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer. With the unwavering support of her mother, to whom she says she owes her life, she kept her focus and eventfully found a new equine partner, Nikshar Nomination. Nicole had ridden him as a loaned horse in 2006 at her first international event (The First International Combined Festival of Dressage CPDI4*), where they qualified for Hong Kong. She later purchased the Dutch warmblood gelding and went on to earn a fourth, two sixths and an 11th place in Hong Kong. Now they’re now working toward selection for the 2010 World Championships in Kentucky. Today Nicole breeds Arabian sporthorses and Welsh Ponies at her farm, Nikshar Stud, in New South Wales. “Training and competing can be mentally, physically and financially draining,” she says. “But I’m extremely excited to see what the future will bring to my horses and me. They’re one of the main things that help keep me going and living through this life of mine despite all the obstacles and pain.”

NICOLE KuLLEN

stable, Grace climbed on. She recalls being “really nervous, but not nearly as nervous as mum and dad. After falling off a couple of times, I learned how to balance myself properly in the saddle and even managed a trot.” She never looked back. In 2003, the year after her accident, Grace began competing at state and national Riding for Disabled (RDA) dressage competitions. In 2006, she was elevated to the National Dressage Squad and was selected to represent Australia in England at a Young Rider International Competition. After competing successfully, Grace was promoted to the Paralympic Preparation Program Squad and went on to compete at the 2006 Pacific Rim Paralympic Qualifier in Canada and the 2007 World Para Dressage Championships in England. Last September, Grace achieved her dream of competing at the Paralympic Games in Hong Kong. Grace is now refocusing on gaining selection for the Alltech Games. Like her teammate Nicole Kullen, Grace believes the only limitations are those we give ourselves. Her advice to aspiring riders: “Follow your dreams and never give up.”

Nicole Kullen with

Nikshar Nomination

(Photo courtesy of

N. Kullen)

W hen Eric Lamaze turned 40 last year, he treated himself to an original and exclusive present: a gold and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer

Olympics. At the start of 2009, he was the new number one on the official world ranking for show jumping. Having gone from zero to hero, his life reads like an enchanted fairy tale, considering that 25 years ago he made a meager $150 a week. The Olympics branded Eric Lamaze as a household name in his home country. At the 2008 Games, he was the only Canadian athlete to bring home two medals. With that, he unwittingly made history. “until recently, people still talked about Michel Vaillancourt’s silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Games, myself included. And now they’re talking about me. I think people will remember my name for decades to come,” he says, almost unable to believe it. “An Olympic medal makes a real impact in your home country and the official congratulations bear witness to that fact. I don’t think I’ve become a different person; it’s just that the world around me has changed.” Even more importantly, he says, “Now at least Canadians know what jumping is. The sport is much more popular in Europe, whereas in Canada it is still an elitist discipline. Since we don’t have a horse-breeding tradition, most of our horses are bought in Europe. Needless to say, buying horses for sports

purposes still costs much more than [playing] ice hockey. The competitions are also much more expensive than in Europe. This means the sport still comes with a hefty price tag not everyone can afford. Ian Millar and Spruce Meadows taught their fellow countrymen that jumping existed, and now they actually know what the sport is about.” Lamaze came to the sport in his youth. He wasn’t born in the saddle, but he did have friends who had horses. That’s how his career started at the age of 13. At first he found himself riding for money rather than for pleasure. It’s fair to say he started out with nothing. Lamaze left school to focus entirely on equestrianism. He was 16 and managed to scrape together just 150 dollars a week, but he thought it was a lot of money. Horses were a way of making ends meet. In those days he didn’t dream of winning major championships. “Isn’t that typical for genuine athletes?” asks the Olympic champion. “If you want to make it in life, you have to make many sacrifices and roll with even more punches. It’s the school of hard knocks, but if you keep at it … [anything is possible]. So don’t ever give up.” Today he is the reigning Olympic champion, as well as the world’s number one jumper rider. Talk about a reversal of fortune!


by Kris Van Loo

Eric Lamaze aboard Hickstead in 2008 Olympic gold medal win (photos by Cealy Tetley)


L amaze’s golden horse, Hickstead, became his winning lottery ticket. Lamaze reflected on his partnership with the 16-hand Dutch warmblood stallion, aboard whom he sailed to two Olympic medals:

“Hindsight is always easy, but in all fairness, initially we felt Hickstead was a good horse but nothing more than that. We certainly didn’t consider him exceptional. Hickstead had been tried and found wanting by other top riders, such as Nick Skelton and Ludo Philippaerts. “Presumably Hickstead’s small build put him at a further disadvantage. Also, he wasn’t the easiest horse to ride. As a result of several factors, he wasn’t the most commercially interesting horse, either. We had no idea in advance how high he would be able to jump, but he was good enough and that’s why we bought him. At first, I actually thought he’d make a good speed horse. “It wasn’t until three years ago in Calgary, Spruce Meadows, that it suddenly dawned on me he was more than that. There was a trial with a rather difficult triple jump, steep-oxer-oxer, height 1.45m. I was slow coming in and I spurred him on with my leg. He just coasted right through, without the slightest hesitation. It was child’s play. That’s the first time he really caught me by surprise. He’s been with me for four years now, and we needed that period to get to know each other. Let’s just say that Hickstead isn’t the easiest ride in the stable.” – Kris Van Loo

A LOTTERY TICKET WITH A MANE AND TAIL

FEEDINg FOuR-FOOTEDCELEbRITIEs

C avalor feeds Eric Lamaze’s horses and numerous other equine celebrities. The company is proud of the great number of champions of international stature who rely on its products for their horses’ nutrition, conditioning and care.

Horses are athletes, and, as any athletes at the highest level of their sport, nutrition is an important component of their continued performance. That the likes of Lamaze and world champions Jos Lansink (show jumping) and Anky Van Grunsven (dressage), among others, have chosen Cavalor for their horses’ nutritional and care programs is a testimony to the quality and effectiveness of Cavalor’s products. At the same time, it is also a great challenge for Cavalor—one that the company accepts with enthusiasm—to have been entrusted by these champions with providing feeds, supplements and care products for their exceptional horses. Because Cavalor directly contributes to the performance of its equine companions, the company believes that it, too, needs to remain “at the top of its game.” That is why Cavalor invests substantial amounts of time, energy and funding every year into its research and development program. And that is also the reason it takes particular care in selecting the ingredients and manufacturing processes that go into its products. In essence, Cavalor contributes to its champions’ results, which, says the company, “pushes us to always provide them with the best products we can develop. A true partnership!”


P rominent Brazilian feed company Guabi, which operates in the business of animal nutrition and export for 35 countries, is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Guabi was

a pioneer in manufacturing extruded feed for fish and shrimp and was the first to use probiotics to improve feed performance. Some company highlights: History – The company was founded on July 10, 1974, and was named Guabi, which means “food” in Tupi Guarani (the former language of indigenous people of Brazil) as an acknowledgement to this country. Guabi’s first site was built in Orlândia City to produce meal feed for broilers and poultry. The city of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, became the company’s headquarters 10 years later. Currently Guabi is one of the largest feed manufacturers in the country with shares in all segments of animal nutrition. Its portfolio includes products for dogs and cats, cattle, horses, broilers, poultry, swine, fish, shrimp, ostrich, birds, rabbits, premixes and the like. Groundbreaking in Brazil – Guabi was the first company with products certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil to be exported to the European union. The company was a pioneer in applying probiotics directly in the feed to improve performance. Market – In its 35 years of existence and more than 10 million tons of feed traded, the company increased its share in foreign markets by trading products for 35 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Products – Guabi is a leading company in equine nutrition in Brazil. Today, Guabi supplies high quality products for a wide range of horse categories: foal, mature and athlete horses, as well as for recreational/light activity, endurance and race horses. The company’s portfolio has more than 23 products supplied in pellets, extruded or multi-particle feed manufactured with high biological content, trace and mineral supplements, probiotics, amino acids and all vitamin requirements to ensure perfect nutritional balance.

New product – Race horses have unique dietary requirements, and Guabi produces specific horse feed for athlete animals. Equitage Polo is a new product launched to meet all requirements of athlete or polo horses. The formulation contains high levels of organic trace minerals, essential amino acids and probiotics to improve beneficial intestinal flora. Guabi and Alltech – Alltech’s collaborative program with equine nutrition companies worldwide gives its Global Animal Health and Nutrition Partners a chance to benefit from all opportunities resulting from the Alltech Games. In Brazil, Alltech has established an exclusive partnership with Guabi for the Alltech Games. At the end of last year, Ari Fischer, General Director of Alltech do Brasil, and doctor and Executive Director of Guabi Group, Francisco Olbrich, arranged a partnership between the companies. Says Olbrich: “We supply high-tech and enhanced performance products. Our company is present in several countries, and horse breeders and athletes recommend our feed due to its quality and results achieved. Guabi is very excited to be working shoulder-to-shoulder with Alltech in the Alltech Games. Technology, quality and performance are the secret of success in our products.”

Guabi: Celebrating 35 Years of Quality

Equitage Polo, a new feed product for equine athletes, is produced at

Guabi’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Brazil (top of page).

THE FEED BIN: INTERNATIONAL NEWS


Equidiet: A Firm Focus on the Future Despite recent downturns in the global economy, Equidiet Company believes that the sun shows up after each storm. An Argentinean company, Equidiet is devoted to manufacturing and marketing horse feeds and supplements. After 15 years of hard work, Equidiet is preparing to inaugurate a new feed mill that will expand five times its present capacity in order to supply the national and Latin American markets. The new feed mill is located in the Buenos Aires Province, 60 kilometers from the capital on the Pan-American Highway. Equidiet is already exporting to uruguay, Paraguay and Chile and is planning a sustained growth through the year 2015. The new mill is a testimony to the firm’s belief that enterprise can solve global crisis problems through creativeness, decision and vision.

Equidiet prepares to inaugurate its new feed mill in Argentina.

Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear, an avid equestrian, attended this year’s Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to welcome Southern States as an Official Animal Health and Nutrition Partner for the Alltech Games. At the announcement (from left): Jeff Warring, Southern States field sales technical representative, holding Kona Gold, a Thoroughbred champion now residing at the Kentucky Horse Park; Jane Beshear; Tom Scribner, president and CEO of Southern States; and Dr. Pearse Lyons, president of Alltech.

Rev Up Your Horse’s PerformanceWith a Fat-Enhanced, Lower Starch DietBy Daniel J. Burke, Ph.D. | Tribute Equine Nutrition

s most riders know, a horse becomes more fit due to physical and biochemical changes in his muscle and cardiovascular system elicited

by exercise over time (training). Few, however, understand the interrelationship between these changes and how the horse’s diet can maximize the benefits of the biochemical responses to exercise.

Types of Exercise There are two main types of exercise, with a great range in between. The first is maximal exercise – work of high intensity for a short period of time (seconds), such as sprint racing. The main source used to supply energy in maximal exercise is carbohydrate (CHO), although fat and protein can be involved depending upon the fitness of the horse and the diet he is being fed. The second type of exercise is submaximal exercise – work of low intensity for a long period of time, such as endurance racing. In a fit horse, the major energy source is fat.

A

Reiner Pete Kyle (left) and dressage rider J.J. Tate (facing page) are among Tribute Equine Nutrition’s champion customers.

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Wal

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Obviously, there many types of exercise in the range between maximal and submaximal, such as dressage and jumping, as well as longer races (minutes). The preferred energy source would depend on how close to maximal or submaximal the work is and the fitness level of the horse. It is important to note that carbohydrates and protein are metabolized anaerobically (without oxygen), with the main end-product being lactic acid, a primary cause of fatigue. Fats, on the other hand, are metabolized aerobically (with oxygen), with the end-products being carbon dioxide and water. The end-products of fat metabolism are much less disturbing to the acid/base balance of the horse and will delay fatigue. Horses will only use protein as an energy source when the diet contains more protein than will meet the horse’s requirement. using protein as an energy source is not only wasteful, but has been shown to decrease the horse’s performance. The energy substrate preference changes as the horse becomes more fit. In a fit horse, a greater portion of the exercise bout utilizes fat, sparing carbohydrates for the times in a race when maximal effort is required: starts and finishes.

Long-term physiological response to exerciseOver many weeks of training, important changes in physical and biochemical characteristics of the horse develop.1. Improved oxygen-carrying capacity: promotes better delivery

of oxygen to working muscles, supporting use of fat for fuel2. Muscles use oxygen more efficiently3. Reduced lactic acid production (delays fatigue)4. Horse can tolerate higher levels of lactic acid before fatigue

sets in5. Increased fat utilization, sparing glucose.6. Increased resting glycogen concentration (more fuel for starts

and finishes)

What does this mean in practice?1. The natural response to training shifts the preferred energy

source from carbohydrate to fat.2. A higher portion of the workout/race is run on fat.3. Increased glycogen stores in muscle (more energy

for starts/finishes).4. Increased time to production of lactic acid

(delays fatigue).5. Increased tolerance of lactic acid (delays fatigue).

Research has demonstrated the following benefits of feeding high-fat diets:1. Increased endurance (the ability to sustain speed over

longer periods).2. Horse operates at lower body temperature during exercise

(delays fatigue).3. Decreased respiratory effort during exercise (delays fatigue).4. Can meet energy needs with less feed – carry less gut fill to

the arena or race track! Higher fat diets can meet a horse’s nutritional needs with 75 to 80 percent of the amounts required by traditional feeds. That can translate to 8 to 12 pounds less gut fill over a three-day period (concentrations other nutrients must be adjusted for lower intake of feed to meet requirements).

5. Increased lactic acid threshold (time to rapid increase in lactic acid concentration in the blood during exercise) – delays fatigue.

High levels of grain and molasses: Negative effects of high sugar/starch diets The main effects we are trying to reduce by minimizing the soluble carbohydrate (sugar and starch) content of the equine athlete’s diet are lactic acid production, as well as the insulin increase caused by increased blood glucose levels due to high soluble carbohydrate diets.

Photo by Bob Tarr


Continued on next page

The effects of high blood insulin levels due to sugar/starch digestion in the foregut are:1. Increased movement of glucose and amino acids into cells.

This action may correlate to a horse tying up.2. Increased glycolysis. This may also correlate to tying up by.3. May impact serotonin levels in brain. May explain

hyperactivity and behavioral problems in some horses on high carbohydrate diets.

4. An association with ulcers due to fermentation in foregut. Research has suggested diets greater than 30 percent soluble carbohydrate will bypass the small intestine and pass to the hindgut, where they will be fermented by the microbes.

The digestion of sugar/starch in the hindgut favors lactic acid production, which is poorly absorbed and results in a reduction of pH in the hindgut. Acidic pH is correlated to:1. Osmotic diarrhea (water shifts into large intestine).2. Overgrowth of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria.3. Destruction of beneficial bacteria – related to colic,

endotoxemia and laminitis.

Take-Home Message: How to Manage Nutrition for the Equine Athlete1. Supply up to 15-20 percent of needed calories with fat during

training and events. 2. Decrease starch in diet (less corn, molasses, etc.). 3. Increase digestible fiber in diet (excellent quality grass hay,

dried beet pulp).4. Control feed intake: feed more often during the day; make

good grass hay available at all times.5. use a professionally designed diet to ensure balance of all

nutrients with lower intake of higher fat feeds.6. Supply electrolytes when the horse is sweating.


®

Exercise Category Types of Events Suggested NSC Level Fat Level Tribute Products

Light Beginning of training, Low (14 – 20%) 6-10% Essential K, Show horses (occasional) Kalm N EZ, Kalm Performer, Kalm N Fit

Moderate School horses, Low to medium 6-12% Kalm N EZ, Early training/breaking, (14-25%) depending Kalm Performer, Show horses (frequent), on horse’s response Kalm N Fit, Polo Kalm ultra Heavy Polo, Show horses Medium to high 8-12% Kalm Performer, (frequent, strenuous events), (20-40%) depending Kalm N Fit, Low-medium level on horse’s response Kalm ultra, eventing, Performance Race training (middle stages) Advantage, Tough to Beet Very Heavy Racing, Endurance, High (>30%) 8-12% Kalm ultra, Elite 3-day eventing depending Performance on horse’s response, Advantage, especially tying-up Tough to Beet

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Here in Kentucky, excitement is growing as the date for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 draws near. We can’t wait to share with the world the love affair that has existed between the people of this state and our horses since the nation was new. In the Bluegrass State, we are both sentimental and serious about the horses that have made us famous. Horses are intertwined with our heritage and economy and have been since the early 1800s. It’s a relationship that thrives today. But that’s only a part of why we’re so thrilled to host these Olympic-level Games for riders and horses being held for the first time ever outside of Europe. We’re accustomed to being on the world stage with the annual Kentucky Derby. The Alltech FEI Games, however, are a unique opportunity to show off just how deep Kentucky’s affection runs for these majestic animals. Horses are one of our signature industries and add substantially to the state’s economy. Thoroughbreds, walking horses, trotters, pacers and horses for showing inspire and awe all who watch these animals go through their paces. Our way of life, traditional and contemporary, revolves around equine culture—both in obvious and subtle ways. The Kentucky Horse Park, where the Alltech FEI Games will be held just north of Lexington, is the first park in the world dedicated completely to man’s special relationship with the horse. On 1,200 acres of scenic countryside, as many as 53 breeds work and play, welcoming nearly a million visitors each year. For more than three decades, the Park has attracted novice and aficionado alike to exhibits, demonstrations and more so guests can see first hand how outstanding these animals are. Kentucky’s devotion to horses plays out in many other ways. Our rolling hills are home to horse farms that have made us the

pinnacle in Thoroughbred breeding. Lexington, the site of the Alltech FEI Games, is designated as the “horse capital of the world.” Every April, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event attracts about 100,000 spectators. Naturally, we love the Kentucky Derby and the two-week celebration that precedes it, but in addition to Churchill Downs, Kentucky is home to a number of other racetracks scattered throughout the state. Each summer, countless horse shows are held to test the characteristics of different breeds. Riders bring their own mounts here to experience a growing number of trails that wind through the

different landscapes of our topography. We show our appreciation of horses with parades, sculptures, fairs, paintings, photography and national associations headquartered here. Plans and arrangements are unfolding

to roll out the red carpet for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games’ guests and participants. Our cities, towns and scenic byways brim with experiences and sights that will entice you to visit Kentucky again and again. In fact, we plan to tempt everyone who attends the Alltech FEI Games to venture out to our other regions by providing a significant sampling of Kentucky right at the Kentucky Horse Park during the competition. We know if you visit us in anticipation of the Alltech FEI Games or if you extend your time here after their conclusion, you’ll understand what makes us one of a kind in the world. In the meantime, I invite you to investigate our Kentucky Department of Travel website (www.KentuckyTourism.com), where our e-guide provides invaluable information for making your travel plans. We know if you come once, you’ll come often.

Welcome to the Kentucky You Don’t Know

www.KentuckyTourism.com

Mike Cooper is Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Travel, the agency responsible for marketing Kentucky’s tourism and hospitality industry to the world. Cooper says tourism is not just his occupation; it’s his preoccupation. A veteran of 25 years in the hospitality industry, Cooper has spent much of that time promoting visitation to Kentucky attractions and parks. He has been instrumental in expanding Kentucky’s international marketing efforts and is a board member of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, as well as the board that produces the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.


By Mike Cooper

Designed for all horses at every stage of life

Creates an ideal digestive environment

Strengthens your horse’s immune system

Helps naturally maintain hydration

Maintains peak body and muscular condition

Give Your Horse Every Advantage with

www.alltechadvantage.com

To learn more, visit us at the Alltech European Championships, Windsor Castle, United Kingdom, August 25-30, 2009.

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