March 2021 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN March 2021 Page 25 The 2021 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships will be featured as an integral part of the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill in Cecil County, MD on Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15. The YEH Championships offer classes for 4-year-old and 5-year-old horses which include a dressage test, conformation evaluation, and a jumping/gallop test. The Maryland 5 Star, an affiliate of the Sport & Entertain- ment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp.), has committed to accepting up to 40 horses in the 4-year-old division and 55 horses in the 5-year-old division. The event management will ac- cept the first 40 entries received that are qualified in the 4-year-old division and the first 55 qualified entries received in the 5-year-old division. If the caps are reached, event management reserves the right to put horses on a waitlist, and in the event of any openings, horses will be accepted in order Young Event Horse Championships to be Held at Maryland 5 Star of the horses’ highest qualifying score. The 4-year-old division will complete all phases on Thursday, October 14, while the 5-year-old division will perform dressage and conformation on Thursday and the jumping/gallop- ing test on Friday, October 15. The 5 year old Champion- ships will be judged by Chris Ryan (IRL) and Debbie Adams (USA). Up to four additional judges may be brought on to judge the 4-year-old division to ensure the division is completed in one day. Horses must earn at least one score of 75% or higher at any YEH qualifier to be eligi- ble for the East Coast Champion- ships. The Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers grant will be awarded in the 5-year-old division, which grants signifi- cant cash to allow them to travel and compete at the Mondial du Lion in France at the FEI World Young Horse Championships as a 7-year-old. North American-bred winners will be awarded $17,500 and imported winners $8,000 to aid in travel and competition costs associated with Mondial du Lion. As Title Sponsor, The Dutta Corporation will offer a prize of a round trip flight to the Mondial du Lion, which should fully cover expenses to compete. The Foundation for the Horse and the American Asso- ciation of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) have partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to manage a program offering relief to horse owners unable to afford veterinary care. Equine practitioners who apply to participate in the Vet Direct Safety Net will be able to provide up to $600 worth of free veterinary services per animal to assist horse owners in need with emergency stabilization proce- dures, euthanasia, or disposal. The ASPCA awarded The Foundation for the Horse a $50,000 grant to support the Vet Direct Safety Net initiative. This program, originated and piloted by the ASPCA, enables AAEP-member veterinarians in the U.S. to administer com- passionate service to horses and the equine community without incurring financial stress to their practice. The data collected from horse owners in exchange for veterinary services will also provide opportunities to better understand existing equine wel- fare issues and, ultimately, better serve America’s horses at risk or in transition. AAEP-member veterinarians in the U.S. are invited to learn more about the program at aaep.org/vet- direct-safety-net or by contacting Sue Stivers at (859) 233-0147 or sstivers@aaep.org AAEP Launches Vet Direct Safety Net Remember...tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian!