P A Mind of its Own S
ometimes, you just can’t fight it. When the humidity is very high, for example, my hair takes on a mind—and a style—of its own. I’m sure you know what those…creative…hair days are like. And ever grab the last shopping cart only to find it wants to go leſt
when you want it to go straight? All you can do is either wait for a newly discarded cart or resign yourself to constantly adjust the one you have as you attempt to move down the aisles. Either way, you have to deal with it. Once and a while, even the editorial for an issue of Warmbloods Today takes on a mind of its own. But instead of being an
annoyance, it tends to lead to a positive or, at the very least, an interesting outcome. In other words, one particular theme emerges, unintentionally, which sends a message that the topic is at the forefront of people’s minds across the industry. Tis time that mind- of-its-own message is horse identification. It began last year with our writer Amber Heintzberger, who proposed an article on branding horses, a topic that’s been under
scrutiny for some time. We agreed to run it in this January/February issue and, frankly, I was delighted to encounter both facts and viewpoints that I didn’t quite expect. It starts on page 23. Next, Ann Kustar from the RPSI informed me that one of the articles in their breed section this month would cover horse
identification. Since I allow the registries to have complete autonomy with their editorial, I immediately thought it would dovetail nicely with Amber’s article. Te RPSI cites lots of examples of horses that the registry helped to identify for their new owners by utilizing brands and other means. Tere sure were lots of delighted horse owners who received good news. Ten I received an urgent message from Summer Stoffel of Silver Creek Farms in Oklahoma. She was heavily involved in
promoting a significant new rule change regarding the registration of horses with the USHJA. It would require microchips (and other identification methods) for horses competing in hunters/jumpers/equitation. Europe has been requiring this kind of identification for years, so many believe we are in the dark ages of horse ID here in the United States. Te timing with our print schedule was tight, but I managed to attend the first meeting at the USHJA convention to hear
Summer’s excellent presentation of all the benefits of microchipping, which we also describe for you in the article on page 91. Audience response was mixed, and clearly more work needed to be done to amend the original proposed rule change. It was refreshing to listen as trainers, show administrators, breeders and others in the audience stood up and expressed overall concern for the welfare of horses and the perception of the hunter/jumper discipline, no matter what their opinion on microchipping. As the convention week progressed, Summer kept me posted as committee meetings continued to address the issue – and to our
amazement, the heated topic took on a mind of its own. I won’t spoil the news here…you’ll have to turn to the article, on page 91, to learn the outcome. It is a significant one for all breeders and horse owners in the hunter/jumper world. And I wouldn’t be surprised if dressage and eventing communities embrace a similar rule in the next decade. As we celebrate the new year, we have plenty to look forward to, especially the Olympic Games in Rio this summer. Here’s to a
joyous and healthy 2016 for you, your family and your horses. And if something starts to take on a mind of its own, in or out of the barn, perhaps the best thing to do is just sit back, enjoy the ride and see where it takes you.
Enjoy the issue,
ublisher’s Welcome
Liz Cornell
editor@warmbloodstoday.com
Our Mission: Warmbloods Today is the leading magazine in North America focused on the entire spectrum of Warmblood breeds. It’s a place where people from all aspects of the sport horse community can come together: amateurs, owners, trainers and breeders. Each issue contains interesting, informative and often heart-warming stories of peoples’ experiences with their horses, along with thought- provoking opinions from various professionals and amateurs. We cover all horses from European descent bred for the sports of jumping, dressage, eventing and driving including the Iberian breeds and American Warmbloods.
10 January/February 2016
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