Care for equestrian athletes at Rio Olympic Games

The Rio Olympic Games has turned on the best possible care for the horses taking part in the equestrian events, with a hi-tech veterinary facility like no other.

Located at the Deodoro stables, the 1000 sq metre horse clinic features everything needed to keep more than 200 horses from 43 countries fit and well throughout the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with specialists ready to care for every need around the clock.

Manned by a 130-strong team of veterinary surgeons, anaesthetists, imaging specialists and medical professionals from Brazil and around the world, the clinic includes the latest pathology, endoscopy, radiography and ultrasonography technology, as well as a dispensary, emergency surgery facility with padded recovery boxes, and specialist treatment stables.

One horse 9 ambulances on site at the Rio 2016 equestrian center 

The clinic offers routine supportive veterinary care and, should any emergency first-aid be required, the specialists are on-site to treat the horses. Nine specially equipped horse ambulances will also be on the venue if any horses need to be transported to the clinic.

In addition to the clinic, a network of physiotherapists is on hand to keep the horses in top form, while the horses’ temperatures, food and water intake, and weight are permanently monitored by their grooms and veterinary specialists.

While the Games are taking place in Brazil’s winter season, there can be weather fluctuations, so keeping horses cool in Rio is a major focus. Horses cope with heat very differently to human athletes because of their size but, just like humans, getting their core temperature down after exercise is key.Every day, over 46,000 litres of water and 400kg of ice to chill the water is being used across the Olympic Equestrian Centre just for washing down horses after training and competition.

Tents housing banks of cooling fans, used for both the equine and human athletes, are available at the finish of the eventing cross country phase, and next to the training and warm-up arenas for jumping and dressage, keeping Rio 2016’s most-muscled athletes chilled.

“The health and well being of our horses is the top priority during these Games,” said Brazil’s Dr Thomas Wolff, President of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Veterinary Commission. Many of our horses on site have their own team veterinarians, and it’s great to see how impressed they are with our facilities.”

Wolff, who will be working directly with Olympic Veterinary Services Manager, Brazil’s Juliana de Freitas has been the Brazilian Equestrian Federation’s head veterinarian for the last 15 years. He was Brazilian team vet at the Seoul and Beijing Olympic Games, and runs his own practice in Sao Paolo specializing in horses competing in the three Olympic disciplines – Jumping, Eventing and Dressage – and racing.

“Our horses always deserve the very best, and at these first Games in South America, they’re getting just that,” Wolff said.

“We know everything about every horse on site every second of the day thanks to our monitoring system, and with the world’s best veterinary care on offer for our horses we’re now very much looking forward to seeing medals won and new Olympic records set in Rio.”

Who will take care of your horses after you’re gone?

It would be nice to think that you can get all your affairs in order before you die.

In an ideal world, you could rehome your homes at your leisure and die knowing that they have gone to a good home.

Sadly, not all of us have those opportunities. Sudden or accidental death can leave those you left behind sorting out some very complex matters unless you have given your last will and testament careful thought.

Throughout our lives we occasionally have to make tough calls about horses too frail, ill or injured to carry on. At the time the decision can be very hard indeed, but few owners ever regret ending a horse’s suffering, even though they may sorely miss the animal’s companionship.

Ironically, surprisingly few of us make calls about what should happen to our horses – or cats, dogs, or other pets – in the event of our deaths.

What do you want to happen to your horses?

If you want to provide for the ongoing care of your animals, make provision for it in your will.

It’s important that you do not leave money or assets in your will directly to your horses or other pets.

Almost universally, animals are considered property and not legal entities such as a person, company or trust. You cannot therefore leave money to a piece of “property”.

However, as they are property, there is certainly nothing stopping you making provision in your will for the proper ongoing care, sale, or gifting of the animals.

What you must do is leave the money to meet your wishes to a designated person – or other acceptable legal entity which your lawyer can advise you on – with the instruction that the money be used for this purpose. Be specific and put in writing what you want done with the animals.

You should discuss the situation in some detail with the person you intend passing this responsibility to. What are their circumstances? Where could the horses graze if your property is sold?

The person given the responsibility need not be the executor of the will. It will normally be best to give the responsibility to someone with an understanding and empathy for horses.

Above all else, be realistic. It’s understandably pointless leaving $500 for the ongoing care of a five-year-old horse with potentially 25 years of life left.

Likewise, there would seem little point in setting up a trust with $1 million to care for your small herd, when they may graze away the rest of their lives without fulfilling their true potential as hacks, show jumpers, or whatever purpose you originally bred them for.

If you have limited means, leave a sum for reasonable ongoing care while new homes are found for the horses. Allow a sum for the advertising or marketing of the horses. You can also stipulate what happens to the leftover money, so there be some “change” from this exercise.

Seek legal advice in preparing your will, as how you word your wishes can be crucial in getting them fulfilled.

Finally, don’t forget to revisit and update your will regularly. Circumstances change, people die, horses die (or more arrive).

You need to ensure that your will meets your current circumstances and hasn’t become outdated.

• 
  

Lily, the horse that earlier this year was pelted 130 times at close range with a paintball gun, has died.

Lily at the animal sanctuary 

Last month, Lily was sent to a New Jersey farm animal sanctuary owned by TV personality Jon Stewart and his wife, Tracy. Lily died there Monday.

The animal sanctuary posted a statement on Lily’s death.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we share with you that dearest, sweetest Lily passed away yesterday. She went peacefully surrounded by so many that loved her. We stroked her hair and told her over and over again how loved and special she was. She was under her favorite tree on soft grass. She will live on in our hearts and in our fight to protect, love and cherish all animals.”

Lily was a 20-year-old Appaloosa/Arabian mix. That breed of horse typically lives to be 25 to 30 years old, according to Rose Nolen-Walston, senior clinician at New Bolton Center.

Earlier this year, Lily was found at the New Holland Auction stables, in pain after being hit by paintballs. “She was tied up in the sales barn and had welts underneath her skin,” said Kelly Smith, director of the Omega Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Airville at the time. “Never in 20 years of going to New Holland Auction have I ever saw anything like this.”

The horse was not registered for sale at New Holland Auction and had no identification when found.

But the horse, which was blind in one eye, was nursed back to help thanks to veterinarians at the New Bolton Center outside of Kennett Square. A team of specialists at New Bolton Center worked through the night to stabilize the horse, later named Lily after the Easter flower.

Coincidentally, the same day Lily was adopted by Stewart and his wife, Phillip Price Jr., 65, of Rhode Island was charged with transporting the equine to the horse sale. He was later convicted on counts of animal cruelty and handling animals without a license.

Tracey Stewart said she and Jon currently have 33 animals that are part of their sanctuary, and as far as farm animals go, they have many goats, many sheep, two pigs and three other horses. She said Lily would be an animal ambassador for the sanctuary, and people would be able to visit her.

At the time Lily was adopted, Stewart said Lily will be living the good life, she’ll get the best of care, and there will be no demands made of her. “From here on out, it’s going to be exactly what she wants,” she said.

Authorities have never found the person or persons who shot the horse with a paintball gun, despite a reward of more than $10,000.

The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club welcomes Olwen Busch of the Jacksonville Equestrian Center.

For equestrian Olwen Busch and her horse Filibuster, a dressage show last weekend held very special significance.

Busch competed in First Level to be officially inducted into The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club, which honors competing horses and riders whose combined age is at least 100 years old.

“Since I am 82 and Filibuster is 20, I figured we should do it now while we are both still sound! Busch said.

Florida Equestrian Society, which manages the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. Busch pursued the opening of hiking and riding trails at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center — trails that now stretch on for miles — and has been a generous donor and fundraiser for the Northeast Florida Equestrian Society.

In order to be inducted into the Century Club this past weekend, Busch performed a dressage test before a rated judge. She was rewarded with a ribbon from The Dressage Foundation, and a trophy is to come.

Despite masterfully completing her test (even with Filibuster spooking at a dog that took interest in the pair), the show ring has never been Busch’s favorite place to be. She began riding bareback across deserts in Idaho and Arizona at the age of five, and, throughout the next 77 years, she has ridden throughout the world in disciplines such as hunt seat, cross-country, saddle seat, reining, and dressage. Busch’s experiences on horseback have included international horse safaris with her husband, training sport horses, and riding a stag hunt with the Kermaingant Hunt Club in Normandy, France just five years ago.

Today, Busch enjoys dressage and trail riding with Filibuster.

“The real thrill I have always gotten from riding has nothing to do with competitions won or lost, but with the joy of still being able to handle a horse, keep a tight seat on a lively horse, work the horse in new ways, and explore new country (and new cultures) from horseback,” Busch said.

Busch and Filibuster have proven to be a strong team together.

“As a result of our many different shared experiences, I feel a camaraderie with Filibuster that I never felt with the veteran show horses I rode growing up,” she explained.

For Busch and Filibuster, it was love at first sight. “In 2002, I heard about a lively gray Arab/Hackney gelding that was for sale,” she recalled. Although Busch was advised to watch the gelding’s performance videos before actually seeing him, she insisted on meeting him in person first.

“One moment with him in his stall did it,” said Busch. “I dutifully watched the videos afterward, but they had nothing to do with my decision to buy him.”

Since then, the pair has enjoyed many memories together, and now will be forever listed in The Century Club’s rankings as well.

Now, Busch plans to spend her summer working with her five-year-old Akhal-Teke mare Gulkana. “Filibuster will be Gulkana’s trail companion this summer, and I hope to start showing her myself in dressage. After all, if I can survive the Century Ride class, maybe I am ready to start showing again. One is never too old to have new goals. May the bucket (list) never run dry!” smiled Busch.

And of course, she plans to continue enjoying rides on Filibuster throughout the summer and the years ahead. Busch said, “May we gracefully grow old together, helping each other stay fit, alert, and always curious about what lies beyond the next bend in the trail.”

75-year-old dressage rider ruled out of Rio Olympics

Japanese dressage rider Hiroshi Hoketsu, who at the age of 75 would have been the oldest athlete ever to take part in an Olympic Games, has missed out on qualifying for Rio 2016 after his horse was taken ill.

The nature of the horse’s problems have not been revealed, but Hoketsu, who competed with the late Whisper 115 at both the Beijing and London Olympics, said getting the horse well was his priority.

He had been training in The Netherlands and Germany, but is now unable to take part in Japan’s qualifying trials. “To my regret, I gave up on my dream of competing in the Rio Olympics,” he said.

Had he competed at Rio, Hoketsu would have overtaken the previous oldest Olympian, Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who participated in the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72, winning a silver medal. Austrian dressage rider Arthur von Pongracz de Szent-Miklós und Óvár was also 72 when he competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, placing fourth in the Men’s Team Dressage.“I don’t want to push the horse, so unfortunately I have given up upon the dream of competing in the Rio Olympics,” Hoketsu said. “There’s nothing decided about the future. First I’d like to prioritize getting the horse well again.”

Hoketsu was the oldest sportsman at the London 2012 Games, aged 71. His appearance four years earlier was one of the longest breaks between Olympic appearances for an equestrian, after he went to his first Games in Tokyo 1964, competing as a showjumper.  

His previous mount, hanoverian mare Whisper 115, formerly named Wanessa, was euthanised at the age of 15 in late 2013. She had suffered a cracked pastern not long after the London Games which was operated on, but unfortunately it became infected. A further operation in late November 2013 failed to save the mare.

Born in Tokyo, Hoketsu learned to ride at the elite Tokyo Riding Club and earned a spot on the 1964 Olympic show jumping team, where he finished 40th. He then moved into the commercial world,  following a graduate degree in Economics at Duke University in the USA he worked with the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann La Roche before becoming Manager of the Tokyo subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

It was his wife, Motoko, who introduced Hoketsu to the charms of the dressage arena having enjoyed watching the sport herself in Europe. Fascinated by the detail and precision of the sport, he began to ride again in the mornings before going to work and, arriving home from trips abroad, would rush straight to the stables to polish up his technique. His efforts earned him a spot at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 when he was 47, but his dream fell apart when his horse unexpectedly failed quarantine tests due to a respiratory problem. So he decided he would concentrate on competing at home in Japan where he won five national championships in a row between 1988 and 1992.

But the dream of returning to the Olympic spotlight had never gone away, and following his retirement from Johnson & Johnson in 2003, Hoketsu flew to Aachen in Germany to meet dressage trainer Ton de Ridder. Under de Ridder’s tutelage he qualified for the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2006 only to be disappointed again when his horse, Calando, was unsound but Hoketsu would still not admit defeat. And then Whisper, the chestnut horse with an unusual taste for bananas, came into his life. They gelled into a great partnership and the rest is history.

The next oldest Olympic equestrian competitor is believed to have been British dressage rider Lorna Johnstone. Born on September 4, 1902, she enjoyed a long career, competing at the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956, in Mexico in 1968 and, at the ripe age of 70, in Munich in 1972 where she was uncharitably called “The Galloping Granny”.

Tom Thumb Snaffles a Harsh Bit?

People will tell you that a Tom Thumb Snaffle is a very harsh bit because it is a leverage bit. They will tell you because of the broken mouth and the shanks it can be painful for the horse. They will tell you a horse will open their mouth to evade the pressure and pain. All of this is certainly
true, but if you have very soft quiet hands this is not a issue.

For many years people have told me that the Tom Thumb that I use is a harsh and serve bit, but I don't  find that to be true. My gelding Omar never had any issues with his Tom Thumb Snaffle. I switch him to that bit from a curb and rode him Western with that bit for 20 years.  That was the Western bit I chose for both of my Arabian mares that I trained neither one had any issues. I started both mares training with a plain snaffles of course, but transitioned them to the Tom Thumb. When my sister bought her Paso Fino gelding she found he didn't care for the bit he had been ridden with, so we tried the Tom Thumb and he has been happy with that bit for the last 16 years.

Al the Paso Fino being ridden with a Tom Thumb 

You might notice in the photos neither one of the horses are attempting to evade the bit by opening his or her mouth. They have a lovely head set and are collecting  their gaits. Both horses have a pleasant expression on their faces not painful or worried expression.

The truth of the matter is any bit can be harsh in the wrong hands , even the most mild snaffle . The moral of this story is you need to have soft quite hands when you ride and you need to learn how to ride with your seat, legs and hips along with your hands. Remember what counts is what is on the other end of those reins-you.

Feds on path to get tough on soring, says HSUS

Thermographic image showing excessive warmth (seen as red and orange colors), which may be caused by inflammation from soring. The pattern seen is consistent with soring using a chemical agent. © USDA

Federal authorities are making moves to ban the stacks and chains that are an integral part of soring walking horses, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) believes.

Its president and chief executive Wayne Pacelle, writing in his blog, A Humane Nation, says the Obama Administration has signaled its readiness to crack down on the illegal practice of soring.

Soring is the use of chemical and mechanical irritants to encourage the high-stepping favored by the so-called “Big Lick” segment of the Tennessee walking horse industry.

Pacelle asserted that the “Big Lick” segment had so far shown no willingness to root out abuse in the industry.

Pacelle said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a proposed rule late last week to update its existing Horse Protection Act regulations to the Office of Management and Budget for White House clearance – a key step before a proposed rule is released for public comment.

For some time, the HSUS has urged the USDA to take greater action against soring.

In February last year, the nonprofit animal advocacy group filed a rule-making petition with the USDA for a rule to ban the “stacks” and chains used in soring. put an end to industry self-policing; and crack down on violations by extending disqualification periods.

“At this stage of the review process, the text of the USDA’s proposed rule is not yet public. But to be effective, the proposed rule should include all of these commonsense, long-awaited reforms,” Pacelle said.

“It’s been a federal crime since 1970 to show horses who have been sored. But cruel, unscrupulous trainers exploit regulatory loopholes, and the corrupt industry self-regulation system allows the perpetuation of what amounts to organized crime, all for the sake of show ribbons.”

Pacelle noted that the USDA had stated publicly in separate Federal Register notices, in 1979 and in 2011, that if soring persisted it would consider banning the chains hung around horses’ legs and the tall, heavy stacks nailed to horses’ hooves.

“These devices exacerbate the pain of caustic chemicals on the skin, conceal hard or sharp objects jammed into the tender soles, and make the hoof strike the ground at an abnormal angle and with excessive force,” he said.

“It’s way past time to eliminate the use of these instruments of torture, as a majority in Congress recognizes.”

Pacelle reiterated his support for the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which enjoys wide backing across the entire US political spectrum but has yet to be brought to the floor of the House or Senate for a vote.

It enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress from more than 300 Senate and House cosponsors and a wide range of endorsements from respected bodies.

“There is no question the current regulations are failing to protect horses from a core group of scofflaw trainers and owners in this industry,” Pacelle said.

“Their denials are hollow and their cruelty is incontrovertible. At this stage of the debate, this Administration has an opportunity to fix this broken system before President Obama leaves office, and here’s an issue where nearly the whole of Congress agrees with needed reforms.

“The agency action we’re pressing is urgently needed. We’re going to put our shoulder behind this rule-making to put an end now to both the lawbreaking and the scourge of soring.”