AUGUST 2023 THE RIDER /43 Learning From Lesson Horses


By Caleigh Copelin Do you remember


your first lesson horse? Was it a wizened old schoolmas- ter, retired from his horse- show days who patiently taught you how to post the trot and pick a hoof? Or maybe it was a scruffy little pony whose most important lesson was teaching you to keep your palm flat when giving treats! Whether you ask a trail rider out west or a grand prix showjumper at an international competition, every equestrian has fond stories to tell about the les- son horses that raised them. We know that lesson


horses have the power to make us feel safe, sup- ported, confident and em- powered. But have you ever wondered how our lesson horses feel about their lives? Dr. Katrina Merkies and graduate student Caleigh Copelin from the Depart- ment of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph are conducting a research study to investigate just that. The goal of this study


is to identify management practices (such as housing style and workload) that can help lesson horses thrive with the unique work they are asked to do. Making sure that lesson horses re- main as happy and stress- free as possible will contribute to the longevity of these horses and the sus- tainability of the riding les- son industry as a whole. The first step of this


study is a Canada-wide sur- vey to collect information about the common manage- ment practices of Canadian riding lesson facilities. Les- son facility owners, man- agers or head coaches are invited to complete the sur- vey for their chance to win 1 of 3 $75 gift cards to Greenhawk Sport.


Equestrian Visit


https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics .com/jfe/form/SV_bmDNd- mdReKNEo3s to access the survey. This project has sup-


port from the Ontario Min- istry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine


Guelph and other stakehold- ers including Equestrian Canada and Ontario Eques- trian. Helen Richardson, project lead of Ontario


Equestrian’s Stables Pro- gram says, “Ontario Eques- trian is proud to support the research being undertaken by Caleigh Copelin under


the guidance of Dr. Merkies. The research being gathered through their survey will in- form where there are knowl- edge-to-practice gaps in the


equestrian riding school community and assist us in developing educational and outreach programs to fill those gaps. For Ontario


Equestrian, and our member stables, the results from this project will help us to un- derstand and develop the tools, resources and sup- ports that our riding schools and facilities need to ensure a high quality of life for those equines vital to the grassroots education of so many participants in our in- dustry.” The researchers are


also seeking volunteer les- son facilities located within three hours of Guelph, On- tario for on-farm assess- ments of riding lesson horses. These assessments will not impact the day-to- day operations of your busi- ness and volunteer facilities will receive a $100 honorar- ium for their time. For more information


about the project or to vol- unteer your facility, please contact the research team: Dr. Katrina Merkies – kmerkies@uoguelph.ca Caleigh


Copelin ccopelin@uoguelph.ca –


Sharon White and Claus 63 Secure Advanced Win at Millbrook Horse Trials


30 July, 2023 — Millbrook, NY – Overnight leader Sharon White and her 11- year-old Holsteiner gelding Claus 63 (Catoo x Tina II) could afford one rail down in the show jumping phase, but they jumped around clear and in the time to se- cure the win at the 2023 Millbrook Horse Trials on a score of 36.2. White also finished fourth in spite of one rail down riding the 9- year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Shirsheen Ice (Candy Copper x Regal Sting xx) that show co-owns with Kathleen Neuhoff (47.9).


Will Faudree claimed


both second place riding Mama’s Magic Way (Mighty Magic x Straight- away),


a 12-year-old


Hanoverian gelding owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Stables (41.0), and third place riding Pfun, a 16- year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Tadmus x Celerina) also owned by Mosing (43.3). Arden Wildasin, who


was ranked fourth after cross country, had three rails down and dropped to 13th place with Sunday Times leaving room for Shannon Lilley and Ideal HX, who started the weekend tied for 18th place after dressage, to finish 5th overall (50.1). Out of 22 horses to start the final phase of the event, six were able to complete the course clear and within the time al- lowed.


White, based out of


Last Frontier Farm in Sum- mit Point, West Virginia, said, “Claus was just a rock star. I have to be careful that


he’s not too lackadaisical at this point because it’s just so easy for him. This event is great because of all the peo- ple – he likes the stimulation of that – and he’s a super show jumper. He’s very competitive, and that was very fun. Shirsheen Ice is a very different ride, he was much more work but I thought he tried his little heart out. I’m just thrilled and I loved the course and I’m so appreciative of everyone who made this event happen.” White’s next stop will


be the American Eventing Championships in Lexing- ton, Kentucky where Claus will competed in the Ad- vanced Championship and Shirsheen Ice will compete in the Intermediate. White was thrilled to


have the part owner of Jaguar Duende (Jaguar Mail x Latina), who won her Pre- liminary division with three rails in hand, on-site this weekend. “Sandy Niles owns part of her, and it was really fun to have her here this weekend,” she said. “She’s a super supporter of the event and her daughter Abbey was also riding.” She continued, “My good friend Beth Lendrum owns part of Shirsheen Ice; she’s instru- mental at Rebecca Farm, and Kathleen Neuhoff also owns part of Wolfie, and we’re all just so excited about his future. I also have a food friend at home, Anita Antenucci, who as far as I’m concerned owns part of all my horses because she really believes in me. I won the advanced at Millbrook years ago riding The King’s


and Allison Springer claimed the Intermediate B win riding No Way Moon (36.5).


About Millbrook Horse Trials


A popular social and


sporting event, Millbrook Horse Trials is characterized by beautiful, natural cross country courses over spec- tacular countryside. If fea- tures


world-class


Sharon White and Claus 63 on their way to victory in the Advanced division at the 2023 Millbrook Horse Trials. Photo copyright Amber Heintzberger


Spirit, and it’s great to be back. It’s really fun to have won it again and it’s so sat- isfying.” Faudree, of Southern


Pines, NC commented, “I thought the course was good, it had some challeng- ing lines and you had to smart about it, and the time was tight. That is Pfun’s strongest phase, it’s nice to ride him first but it’s also a bit of a double-edged sword because he gives you such a feeling of confidence. I was also really happy with


‘Mason’. I rode him a little this morning because he was a little wild yesterday and we had cooler temperatures today, and I think that really benefitted him. He had a very good warm-up and had one rub in the warm-up; I had one quiet halt and rein- back, and then he didn’t touch anything else. I’m not one to try to get them to have a rub in the warmup, but you love it when they do, especially a horse like him who’s so thoughtful and sensitive. He jumped a


super round, I was really proud of him. It was a great weekend.” The week’s hot and


steamy temperatures finally cooled off after a dramatic storm yesterday evening, and the day was cool and slightly breezy. Faudree smiled, “I woke up this morning and stepped out- side and thought, ‘Today is gonna be a good day, it’s 55 degrees!’. I feel like I’ve been here all summer, and today was finally fall.” Faudree plans to run


Mama’s Magic Way at the Burghley CCI5* in England next month, and Pfun will try his hand at Grand Prix show jumping in Tryon, NC in a couple of weeks. “I think it’s fun to get experi- ence with things like that, and he loves it,” he said. “Mason will have a holiday after Burghley, and then we’ll keep plugging away at his dressage.” Local rider Ariel Grald


led wire to wire to win the Intermediate A division rid- ing Forrest Gump (32.8),


competition, top-notch so- cial events, as well as enter- tainment for the whole family. The Millbrook area has a strong equestrian tra- dition, and the horse trials enjoys strong support from the local community. Food trucks and vendors are on- site, with a trade fair all week and the popular “Mill- brook Market” set up under one large tent over the weekend. There is a petting zoo for children and an arts and crafts tent. Tailgating is available during cross coun- try. Sponsors


include Yel-


lowFrame Farm, Goldman Sachs Gives, Danbury Porsche and Audi, Taylor Harris


Insurance, HW


Guernsey at Compass, Bank of Millbrook, Purina, Triple Crown, Millbrook Equine Veterinary Services and Millerton Agway as well as numerous families, farms and individual patrons. For more information


visit www.millbrookhorse- trials.com


LIVE SCORES:


https://evententries.com/#Li veScoresZnIRXtwhL58Irk- TCubVHMA==


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