September 2024 Issue

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East Coast Equestrian P.O. Box 8412, Lancaster, PA 17604-8412 (717) 509-9800 E-mail: PAEquest@aol.com www.eastcoastequestrian.net Published by Pennsylvania Equestrian, LLC Stephanie Shertzer Lawson, Editor and Publisher Contributors Marcella Peyre-Ferry, Suzanne Bush, Alicia Martin, Amy Worden, Lois Szymanski, Sylvia Sidesaddle Advertising/Production Manager Debbie Reid Advertising Sales Manager Phyllis Hurdleston Published 9 times a year. Submissions of articles, events and photos are welcome and should be received by the 10th of the month preceding publication. Please call (717) 509-9800 for advertising rates or visit www.eastcoastequestrian.net . We cannot accept copyrighted photos without permission from owner. You must have permission before reprinting anything from East Coast Equestrian. For permission please call (717) 509-9800 or email steph@eastcoastequestrian.net EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN September 2024 Page 51 Horse Droppings By Sylvia Sidesaddle By Sylvia Sidesaddle Well hello again darlings! The Olympics are over, fall is on the way, and Syl can just feel the competition pressure building. The big national (and for us lucky souls, local) events are coming soon! So, let’s get to the news. This is important, sweet things. The mosquitoes are out, and a case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) was re- ported in Atlantic County, NJ recently, the first in 2024 but unfortunately probably not the last. The horse passed away in early August. EEE causes inflammation of the brain tissue and has a significantly higher risk of death in horses than another mosquito-borne disease, West Nile Virus. It’s the season and effective equine vaccines for EEE and WNV are avail- able so you know what to do, darlings! It was a wild Hambletonian weekend at the Meadowlands the first weekend in August. A storm delayed the start on Friday, canceled four races and the night ended when the power went out. Then downpours Saturday, in- cluding during the Hambletonian itself. Tough duty for the Lehigh Valley’s Carson Kressley , who was to lead the post parade on a Saddlebred provided by Nealia McCracken’s North Winds Sta- ble in Hardwick, NJ and to judge the (very soggy) Hambletonian hat contest. Syl’s darlings who have owned or loved a Standardbred they lost touch with have a new resource for tracking them down. The Standardbred Retirement Foundation keeps a list of horses people are looking for on their website. Go to Adopta- horse.org and click on Find My Standardbred. There’s a list of horses people want to find and a link to post the horse you’re looking for. Maryland Public Televi- sion won an Emmy from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for their broadcast of the 2023 Maryland 5 Star . The category was Live Sporting Event/Game (single program). Syl’s darlings can see the cov- erage at mpt.org/maryland5star. Or, see the real thing live in person in October! The Ethos Award recog- nizes individuals who advance the engagement of Black and Brown people in the world of equestrian sports, and what better honoree than Work to Ride founder Lezlie Hiner ? In case Syl’s sweet things haven’t been paying attention for the last three decades, Work to Ride is a community-based preven- tion program in Philadelphia that engages and empowers under-resourced urban youth through interactions with horses. The bi-annual awards banquet and gala brunch was held at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 31. And check out the Philadelphia Polo Classic in September, a fun and glamorous September fundraiser for the program’s new facility, where Syl bets Lez won’t be able to resist coaching from the sidelines. The Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships were held in Michigan earlier this summer and standing atop the podium was the Zone 2 team of Hunter Champey (Bedminster, NJ), Emily Dehoff (Far Hills, NJ), Kaitlyn Kiely (Rumson, NJ), and Mia Bagnato (Fishkill, NY). Starting the night with 9.16 penalties from the individual speed round, Zone 2 added only four penalties for an overall score of 13.16 across all three phases counting towards the team final. Finishing second was Mexico, followed by Zone 5. Should be a team to watch in the Prix de States at Harrisburg this year, sweet things! Syl’s darlings who are on TikTok may have run across a video by Kiki Astor (self-pro- claimed “author and former rich person”) promoting her book “Stick and Ball” by asking viewers to rate the world’s hottest polo players. Number one on her list is, of course, Nacho Figueras (look him up darlings), second is Prince Harry . and at number five is Work to Ride graduate Daymar Rosser , now the assis- tant polo coach at Harvard. Take a look and vote early and often, darlings! Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.) and Orado, her 2019 KWPN stallion cared for by Al- lison Nemeth will represent the US in the 5-Year-Old Division of the Dressage World Breed- ing Championships for Young Horses. (Isn’t the recognition grooms are getting these days wonderful? Thanks to Andrea Mewhinney and friends, well done.) The event, an annual championship showcasing up-and-coming dressage talent from around the world, will be held September 4-8 in Erme- lo, The Netherlands. Make us proud, Alice! (Chances are good Syl’s darlings can catch Alice in action at Dressage at Devon later this month.) Next time your horse does something that makes you think, hmmm…was that on purpose? Maybe it was. An English study says we have been denigrat- ing their intelligence all these centuries. They gave horses a treat for touching a piece of card with their noses. When a light was switched off, no treat. For awhile they continued on indiscriminately, whether or not the light was on. But! If that no-touch behavior earned them a time out (i.e.: no treats) they quickly learned to touch the card only when the light was on and treats were going to follow. So, researchers conclude, they knew the rules of the game all along, but saw no reason to play along until it got serious treat- wise. Local Susan Hart , who logged over 2,000 hours as an eventing volunteer, became the first-ever Gold Medal recipient from the US Eventing Associa- tion Volunteer Incentive Program. She logged her hours of service at EventingVolunteers.com and was honored by the team at Fair Hill International with a certif- icate and gifts of appreciation in August. Probably many of Syl’s dar- lings have shown at the Glouces- ter County DREAM Park in Logan Township, NJ. The facility recently added a covered arena, which was used for the first time at the Garden State Appaloosa Show. The addition allowed the show to run two rings and six judges. The DREAM Park also has an indoor arena with bleacher seating for 600 spectators, a sep- arate area for auctions, exhibits, or off season instructional clinics, two show barns, shedrow stalls and portable stalls for 290 horses, five outdoor rings, one lighted, parking for trailers and RV’s and a bath house. Good to know, darlings! Horse Canada reports that an Illinois State University master’s student did her thesis on what was needed for retiring racehorses to have successful second careers, and the factors that affect their prices. The an- swer: the most valuable horse is a 5- or 6-year-old grey or chest- nut gelding, retrained in dres- sage or jumping, with a clean bill of health. Horses listed as trained in “trail” commanded lower prices than horses trained in other disciplines. A rated show record also helps. Who else would tell you these things darlings??? And that’s it for Syl for another month! Until next time, remember to (S.S.S.) Send Sylvia Scoop at PAEquest@aol. com. And…be careful where you step!