Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Sporthorse Florida

Fall 2009

Magazine

Hamacher Holsteiners

Three decades of excellence in sport horse breeding

Daniel Bluman

Grand prix jumping’s rising star

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Sporthorse

Contents

Florida

fall 2009

6 The ‘Other’ Eventing Couple

Magazine

Karen and David O’Connor are not the only super couple in the world of eventing. Meet Ocala residents Jonathan and Jennifer Holling.

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A Passion for Craftsmanship

Near Gainesville, master saddler Bernardo Vergara crafts saddlery for some of the world’s top riders.

10 A Legacy of Love Through selective breeding and with a sincere love for the Holsteiner breed, Micanopy resident Masu Hamacher has left her mark on sport horse breeding.

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Rising Star

Colombia native Daniel Bluman now makes his home in South Florida. This summer, he caught the equestrian world’s attention by winning three consecutive grand prix events.

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17

Sporthorse Shoeing

Scott Gregory explains the differences in shoeing for various disciplines.

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Riding the Circle

USDF Certified Instructor Jean White addresses problems and solutions for riding perfect circles.

21

East meets West

Increasingly, veterinarians are embracing Eastern medical practices in order to improve whole-horse health.

24 Jane and John An amateur rider from St. Petersburg details her months working with John Zopatti.

28 Luck of the Draw Determination and $2 brought rider Suzanne Benne together with her FEI dressage horse.

30 Classifieds

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4 Inside Florida Sporthorse

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Another November Christie Gold

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he gravel crunched beneath the tires of my mother’s car as we traveled a narrow lane through a canopy of twisted trees that led to the stables at Valhalla Farm.

Although it was still mid-afternoon, the November shadows grew long. Inside the car, it was deceptively warm.

My mother wondered if I was wearing enough layers of clothes, but I did not pay attention. My eyes were glued to the pastures that lined the driveway, and my heart beat rapidly in anticipation of my first riding lesson.

Two weeks before, I turned 11. For my birthday, my parents granted my wish to learn to ride; something I’d been begging to do since my lips could form the word “horse.” It was 1977, and Roy and Jean Brinkman’s farm rested on 20 oak-studded acres along the St. John’s River in Jacksonville. Years later, they would relocate to their sprawling farm in Wellborn.

Up to this point, my parents had appeased me with occasional pony rides, where some poor sad Shetland dutifully plodded around a dirt track. Books about Billy and Blaze, Misty of Chincoteague and the Black Stallion lined my bookshelves and a herd of plastic Breyer horses occupied a miniature plywood barn in the corner of my bedroom.

For the first year, I recorded every detail of my lessons in my diary. Other girls my age used journals to reveal secret crushes, but mine was filled with summaries of what I learned, the names of horses I rode or longed to ride, and a glossary of strange and wonderful vocabulary that comprised the lexicon of horsemanship.

In addition to running a riding school, Jean had begun breeding a type of horse whose name nobody could pronounce and competing in a sport that nobody seemed to recognize.

While most of the girls at the barn wanted to jump the big fences on the cross country course, I was captivated by the dressage movements that Jean practiced on a large brown trakehner named Pruessenwind. All of this was chronicled between the blue fabric covers of my diary.

Writing and riding have been my twin passions for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it was the news events of the tumultuous late 1960s and 1970s and Walter Cronkite’s omnipresence in our living room that drew me to study journalism. For my entire adult life, my love or horses and my work as an English and journalism teacher have existed separately, spinning on separate axises.

It took over three decades for the worlds to merge, and now on the verge of another birthday on the heels of another November, I am launching this magazine which combines the two things I love the most. My heart beats with the same sort of excitement and enthusiasm that I had that first day at Valhalla Farm years ago.

About the cover Pictured on the cover is the Holsteiner Zora.

Zora is a premium filly by Lotus T. Zora is owned by Barbara Carry of Morriston, Fla. Photo by Barbara Carry.

Editor and Publisher Christie R. Gold

Senior Contributor Jane Whitehurst

Editorial Office 8205 Quail Run Dr. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

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website: floridasporthorsemagazine.com

Florida Sporthorse Magazine is committed to providing a quarterly publication that presents content encompassing a broad range of topics of interest to Florida’s dressage, eventing, hunter/ jumper and sport horse breeding communities.

Topics include training, health, nutrition and human interest.

It includes profiles of riders, trainers and breeders who are influential around the state and beyond, as well as product reviews of items of particular interest to Florida equestrians.

Florida Sporthorse Magazine accepts freelance material on subjects that support our mission.

Submission information is available at www.floridasporthorsemagazine. com or by calling or writing the editorial office.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Florida Sporthorse Magazine 5

1. Jane Whitehurst Florida native Jane Whitehurst is a 1982 University of Florida

graduate in the College of Agriculture where she majored in Animal Science. In 1985 she received her Masters from Nova University in Educational Leadership. Jane has recently retired from 20 years of teaching high school and is working on becoming a writer. She is currently working on her second novel. For 25 years she has been an active participator in dressage holding a USDF Bronze and Silver medal and two scores toward the Gold.

Jane is married and owns two horses, two cats one dog and a tank full of tropical fish. Her contributions this month include a first-person account of her months spent training with John Zapaa and a profile on Grand Prix jumper rider Daniel Bluman.

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2. Jennifer Bate is a freelance writer and an Arabian horse owner who has been riding

and showing at the national level since the age of 12. She and her horses have earned a combined 23 national titles and 36 regional titles with the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). A three-time winner of a USEF National Champion Horse of the Year Award, she has also earned numerous AHA Legion Achievement Awards including Legion of Excellence Champion in 2008.

Jennifer is currently a journalism student at the University of Florida with plans for graduate studies. Her story this month is on the benefits of Eastern medicine in whole horse health.

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3. Christina Heddesheimer graduated Fall 2008 with a Bachelors of Science in Equine

Industry from The University of Florida. Her most recent riding activities include foxhunting with North Florida’s Misty Morning Hounds and training with eventer Patricia Deasy. She enjoys working with all types of horses, but is especially a fan of paint horses.

Christina recently found a job in College Station, Texas, as the Office Manager of a boutique equine law firm called Alison Rowe Equine Legal Services. This month, she profiled Bernardo Vergara.

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Christina is excited about her new job and the opportunity to write for Florida Sporthorse Magazine.

4. Jean White is the owner of Hammock Farms in Brooksville, FL, where for the past 25

years she has trained students and horses from the lower levels to FEI. She earned her USDF Bronze and Silver medals, is a scholarship recipient from The Dressage Foundation, and won the Kimball Award at Prix St. Georges/Intermediare 1. Certified by the United States Dressage Federation as an Instructor through 4th level, Jean also participated in and attended many FEI Trainers Conferences, Musical Freestyle Symposiums, Regional and National Dressage Instructor Seminars, and National Dressage Symposiums. Jean continues to add to her knowledge of this sport through continuing education.

Jean now teaches just the staff instructors at Hammock Farms. This allows her to use her extensive knowledge of riding to breed and produce the best Welsh Ponies and Andalusians with the easy trainability and soundness required for amateur and junior riders to excel in dressage and competitive driving.

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5. Scott Gregory began working as an apprentice farrier in 1991 while still in high

school. Over the course of his career, he has worked on every possible type of horse from working draft breeds to standardbred racing horses to dressage, eventing and hunter jumpers. He has competed in national farrier competitions and has studied with some of the top horsemen and farriers in the country. He has served as an event farrier at numerous dressage, hunter/jumper and eventing competitions as well as several 100-day stallion tests. He is passionate about his work and is dedicated to helping horse owners achieve success through the soundness of their horses. This month, he shares his expertise about different types of shoeing for the equine athlete.

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6 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Jonathan and Jennifer Holling

Eventing’s ‘other’ couple Christie Gold

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Jonathan Holling, right, on Lion King II at the Fork Horse Trials in 2007. Jennifer Holling, right, with Direct Merger at the Red Hills Horse Trials in 2007. The Ocalabased couple balance a busy competitive schedule with marriage and family.

Any successful marriage is based on hard work and compromise, and in the highly-competitive world of international three-day eventing, it might seem difficult for a husband and wife to balance family life with the demands that accompany world-class competition.

For years, the horse community has watched the super-couple of the sport, David and Karen O’Connor, strike that balance, but Ocalabased husband and wife Jonathan and Jennifer Holling, also understand the give and take of a successful partnership.

Jonathan has shown through the advanced CCI**** level and competed at The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, Burghley Horse Trials and the World Cup Eventing Finals in Malmo, Sweden.

Formerly long-listed for the Canadian squad, Jennifer is a successful

competitor in her own right. The past few years, though, she has taken on more administrative duties at the couple’s Willow Run Farm, home to Holling Eventing, while Jon maintains a busy competitive schedule.

In the beginning, the compromise was a challenge.

“The first time I met Karen

active training and sales business as well as Jon’s active competition schedule.

“Jenn is exceptionally organized,” Jon said. “There is no way I could do what I do without her.”

Jenn laughs at Jon’s description and describes herself as anal-retentive.

“But really, to do all this [run the operation], you have to have either a business manager or a wife. In fact, to steal a Karen O’Connor line, ‘Our marriage could use a wife,’” she said.

Jenn trains—usually riding three to five horses a day—packs for competitions, shares in the driving and handles all of the paperwork while Jon rides seven-eleven horses a day while maintaining a hectic clinic and coaching schedule that includes working with the Puerto Rican Eventing Team and the North American Area IV Young

“To steal a Karen O’ Connor line, our marriage could use a wife.”

[O’Connor], she said, ‘So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Jonathan Holling?’”

Jennifer said. “David had just won a gold medal, so she clearly understood.’”

Although she says that she “desperately” misses competing, and is “searching for the right horse,” for now, she is content being mom to the couple’s son Caiden, and serving as the managerial machine for the couple’s

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 7 “When Jon is gone, it’s difficult,” Jenn said. “I have all of my regular work and then his horses to ride. It makes for some very long days, and riding nine or ten horses a day is not my thing, but you do what you have to do. Fortunately, we have really good help here on the farm, or it would be impossible.”

The couple trains with the O’Connors—Jon with David and Jenn with Karen—and they credit them with not only helping them in the saddle but at home as well.

“They have helped us deal with the struggles of competing with each other, of being jealous of each other,” Jenn said.

Jon credits Jenn with keeping everything in perspective.

“I just happen to be the one competing right now. There is a fine line between being happy and gloating.

Every now and then, Jenn has to check it with me,” he said.

Aside from the challenges that come with balancing family life with their competition schedule, the couple faces geographical challenges as well.

While Florida may be a mecca for professional riders in the winter, it is not exactly the hotbed of eventing activity year-round.

Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina are home to many of the sport’s top athletes, yet the Hollings are happy with their Central Florida location.

They began spending winters in Florida in 1996, but they decided to relocate permanently in 2000.

Jon started his business in Milwaukee after training with Peter Grey for several years, but he says that running a business in Wisconsin was difficult, and traveling to Florida for the winter also took its toll.

“I hate having to set up in two places. It was so hard to run a business in Wisconsin. There is so much snow.

People here [in Florida] talk about the heat, but I’ve never had to shovel sunshine off my sidewalk.”

Having a base of operations in Florida require covering greater distances in order to compete.

“It takes a bit more driving to get to

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Jonathan Holling and Lion King II at Fair Hill. Although the advanced horse is retired, Jonathan has several up-and-coming horses that show great promise. He hopes that a few of those prospects will be ready in time for him to make a bid for the 2012 Olympics in London.

all the events in the fall, but the pros far outweigh the cons,” Jon said.

Both Jon and Jenn believe the footing is better in Florida along with the advantage of being able to train year-round.

“There are very few days when you absolutely cannot ride,” Jenn said.

The couple also faces the ongoing issue of keeping several highly competitive horses in their barn.

“[For awhile] I was kind of in a panic because I had two advanced horses but nothing else coming along. In this sport, it is all about developing a string of horses.”

Those two horses were Lion King II, who is now retired, and Direct Merger, who suffered an aneurism on the cross country course at Red Hills in 2008.

“A few years ago, I would have told you that I was planning on riding in

8 Florida Sporthorse Magazine Beijing, that I was looking to Kentucky [World Equestrian Games] next year, but things happen. It’s the nature of the sport.”

The future seems bright for Jon, however, as he has a nice string of young horses which include two competing at intermediate, Jos Baco, a sevenyear-old Argentinian Thoroughbred, and King’s Ransom, an eight-yearold Hanoverian/Thoroughbred.

Another new mare, Safdi, also shows international potential, and Jon is particularly excited about Kompass, a four-year-old Trakehner and Downtown Harrison, another Trakehner, who is currently competing at Training Level.

“To have five good horses in my barn is awesome, and they are as close to world-beaters as I’ve ever had.”

The fact that the intermediate horses qualified for Fair Hill in October gives Jon hope for the future.

“We will see where it goes from there. Hopefully, they will move up to the advanced level next year. I’ve never been a person to set dates, but realistically, I should have three to four horses ready for London [2012 Olympics].”

This past year, Jonathan took on another responsibility. Along with former Olympian Peter Gray, he will organize the four horse trails each year at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala.

The venue has struggled financially, but Jon believes that he and Peter can make the horse trials viable.

“If I didn’t think Peter and I were the missing ingredient to make the Horse Park successful, I wouldn’t take this on,” he said.

He believes that the combined training events there can rival those in Aiken.

To revitalize the events and attract more competitors, the pair has hired course designer Jay Hambly. Hambly has designed courses at venues throughout North America.

“The course already has a great water jump and sunken road,” Jon said. “It just needs a fresh person to redesign what is already there. Jay builds beautiful courses. In addition to running the events, I will also be a competitor, so it is in my best interest to

see it done right. When it’s complete, I will be excited to compete there.”

Jon feels that his involvement with the Horse Park is one small way to make a significant contribution to the sport, and he wants the Horse Park to succeed. “I am not the kind of person to sit on the sidelines and complain. I believe in getting involved, in tackling the problems. This sport has done a lot for me, and this is one way I can give

back.”

As a competitor, trainer, husband, father and businessman, Jon tackles life with energy and enthusiasm.

“My whole goal has never been to be a person to say, ‘What if.’ Sure, I want to be riding in a red jacket. I want to continue producing advanced horses, but if suddenly I couldn’t ride anymore…if it were all done now, it would have been amazing.”

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Modern philosophy; old world tradition Bernardo Vergara crafts saddles used by some of the nation’s top riders Christina Heddesheimer Bernardo Vergara’s Verhan Saddlery, a custom saddle shop near Gainesville, produces some 300 dressage and show jumping saddles a year.

Vergara’s philosophy as a saddle maker originates from his experiences as a former jumping and dressage rider and centers around producing saddles that evenly support a horse’s back and allow room for the spine.

Vergara begins the process of creating a custom saddle by visiting the horse to take measurements and evaluate the needs of both horse and rider. When taking measurements, he prefers traditional methods used by craftsmen for generations over modern methods involving mathematical formulas and computers. He believes such formulas and computer models have limitations.

After manually taking measurements and drawing each section of the horse’s back, Vergara sends the data to England, where the saddle is crafted by certified “Saddle Masters.” The entire process from fitting to receiving the saddle spans approximately six weeks.

While a custom saddle may not be affordable or necessary for many riders, Vergara’s philosophy serves as a valuable guide in both fitting for a new saddle and evaluating the fit of a current saddle.

Verhan Saddlery crafts their saddles using leather from a variety of countries, principally Italy, France and England. “Leather,” Vergara said, “is like wine. One leather could be very good in one area in one year and the next year, that same leather is not that good because it’s affected by the weather, the grass, what the animal eats.”

Like matching the perfect wine for a meal, different sources of leather function better for different parts of the saddle. For example, the leather for Verhan saddles’ billets typically comes from Switzerland. Vergara considers obtaining premium quality leather essential to ensure the highest quality saddles; consequently, he searches throughout Europe for his leather.

Once a saddle has been crafted and shipped to the United States, Vergara conducts several follow-up fittings to determine what changes need to be made.

He considers observing a horse working in a saddle a critical component for determining necessary adjustments.

A properly-fitted saddle will have correct balance and contact with the horse’s back, which allows for centered, even riding. Vergara makes the necessary adjustments to each saddle by hand using his mobile workshop.

Common adjustments include changing the shape of

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A few of the models of dressage and jumping saddles crafted by Verhan saddlery in Gainesville. Owner Bernardo Vergara custom fits saddles to each horse and stresses the importance of adjusting saddles on a regular basis.

the tree, re-stuffing the saddle’s panels, and adjusting the position of the panels. He also performs a follow-up fitting after six months to ensure that the saddle continues to fit the horse.

Vergara advises re-fitting saddles at designated time intervals, depending on the type and use of the horse.

Once a year generally suffices; however, he recommends twice a year for performance horses and three to four times a year for some breeding stallions and high-level school horses.

Over 150 FEI riders, including many Olympians, ride in Verhan Saddles. Vergara does not sponsor riders to ride in his saddles; they choose to ride in them because they believe he produces superior saddles that fit their horses well. An Olympian pays the same amount for a Verhan saddle as a trail rider.

continued on page 13

A legacy of love

10 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Masu Hamacher’s passion for breeding Holsteiners leaves a lasting impression Christie Gold The German breeders preferred horses without much color, but when the bay yearling filly with the four white socks and the wide white blaze was turned loose in the arena at the Verband, Masu Hamacher immediately took notice.

Her name was Ladyhawke.

“They brought these babies into the arena, and I fell in love; I knew nothing about Holsteiners or about stamms (mare bloodlines). I had no idea at the time that I was looking at premium babies, but I recognized quality.”

She had not traveled overseas to buy horses, only to learn more about sport horse breeding. In fact, she almost canceled her trip. It was 1986. Masu’s husband had just died, but the

Top: Masu at age 80. Above: Masu with Ladyhawke as a two-year-old. Photos courtesy of Masu Hamacher.

57-year-old widow knew he would have wanted her to go on the long-planned trip with veteran breeder and dressage trainer Kaye Smarslik to the horse-rich regions of Holstein, Oldenburg and Westfalia.

A month before, a chapter of her life had ended with her husband’s death, but another began that day as Masu watched the filly trot around the ring.

It took nearly a year for “Ladyhawke Sparkle Plenty,” as Smarslik nicknamed the flashy filly, and another named Lucinda to work their way through the mid-80s politics and red tape that once came with importing quality bloodstock from Germany.

Eventually, the horses made their way through the quarantine station in Canada and finally south to Florida where they became the foundation mares at Hamacher Farm in Micanopy.

While the goal of many breeding operations centers on the promotion of stallions, Masu built her reputation on quality mares.

According to breeder, trainer and longtime friend Jos Sevriens, Masu was a forerunner in modern sport horse breeding largely because her use of quality mare lines.

She was one of the first American breeders to use almost exclusively German mares in her program.

“She bought those first foals, and she studied bloodlines,” he said. “At that time—back in the mid-80s, too many people were crossing warmbloods with thoroughbreds that weren’t quality.”

Masu did not reject the notion of thoroughbred blood in her program. Another foundation mare in her operation was Aries Gold, who was later accepted into the American Holsteiner Horse Association’s (AHHA) Main Mare Book (MMB).

“Thoroughbreds, good, well-bred thoroughbreds, can be an asset to a breeding program,” Masu said. “But there was this notion—and there still is to a certain extent—that a stallion can fix a mare. The stallion can’t do everything.

You have to have a quality mare. [The mares] are just as important, in some ways more important, since they are the

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Above: Robinson excels in both driving and combined driving. Upper right: Ladyhawke in the dressage ring with rider Wolfgang Scherzer. Right: Skywalker, who has also found success as a dressage horse, as a faol. All photos courtest of Masu Hamacher.

ones who raise the foals. In the end, it’s the mares who come through.”

The emphasis on quality mares is a hallmark of the Holsteiner breed which can trace mother lines back over 200 years.

These lines are assigned numbers, and when Masu talks about breeding, she rattles off figures the way a New York Yankee’s fan recites Derek Jeter’s home run statistics and RBI averages. Today researching bloodlines requires little more than typing a sire or dam’s name into an internet search engine, but 30 years ago, the process was much more daunting.

The bible of bloodlines, “The Holsteiner Horse History,” published in the 1970s, still rests on Masu’s bookshelf.

Between its thick red cover lies the history of the breed dating back to the 18th century.

Slick pages reveal black and white photographs detailing the foundation sires as the breed developed from calvary mounts and carriage horses into today’s modern sport horse. It is an extensive history written entirely in German, a language Masu never learned, but using a dog-eared translation that her friend Smarslik published in 1977 as her textbook, Masu painstakingly studied sire and dam lines as

she developed her small breeding herd.

The sires she chose comprise a who’s who of modern Holsteiner stallions including Manchester, Rantares, Le Santo and Solomon. When crossed with Masu’s fillies, who had their own impressive pedigrees—Ramiro, Ladykiller and Cor de la Breyere--Masu gained a reputation for her careful breeding of quality sport horses.

Today, inside her home, thick scarlet and black wool coolers—awards from the Holsteiner association--drape nearly every chair. Brightly colored ribbons disguise doors, and shelves sag beneath the weight of trophies, plaques and medals, the spoils that come from decades of selective breeding.

Masu brushes the dust off of the stacks of heavy medallions awarded for premium and merit foals and yearlings: 18 premium medals, and dozens more for merit status. There are other tokens recognizing the highest ratings from the KWPN, the Dutch association. Beneath those are what Masu says “really matter”: year end awards for performance.

“A horse is only as good as its performance record,” she said. Before breeding her mares, Masu made sure they could withstand the stress of the show ring. “All my mares had to perform at least once before I bred them to show they had

12 Florida Sporthorse Magazine good minds. This is important, and as a result, people say all my horses are so kind and willing.”

Masu’s show ring success began with Ladyhawke, who dominated Florida dressage classes from the time she first entered the ring as a fouryear-old.

“Ladyhawke could have gone Grand Prix. She had the talent—lots of people wanted her--but she needed to have babies.”

A number of trainers showed her, including Sevriens.

“Jos showed her through third level, including when she was eight months pregnant. She was huge, just huge, and Jos came out of the ring at Clarcona (in Orlando) saying, ‘the damn foal was kicking my leg the whole time.’”

Other foals that grew up to have photo courtesy of Masu Hamacher successful careers were Replica, who The late Ellen Holloman aboard Robin Hood.

“Robin” won numerous USCTA awards at novice and training dominated open and preliminary levels.

At the preliminary level, he was AHHA chamption and USEF reserve champion. jumper classes on the Florida circuit in event horse in his own right but has found greater success in the late 90s; Rococo, the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) yearling of the year in 2002; combined driving where he has won numerous single and and Lautrec, who is currently winning at Prix St. George tandem titles.

The versatility and rideability of Masu’s horses has with rider Katherine Poulin.

Although Masu has never been interested in owning become a trademark of her program.Jerdeman has ridden stallions, one of her most successful horses was the stallion, many of Masu’s horses over past decade and currently has four horses in her barn that are directly from Masu’s breeding Robin Hood. “[Stallions] are nice to breed and then pass on to someone program.

“I think the most common thread linking her horses else,” she said.

Robin Hood was the exception. Even though Masu is are their intelligence and personality,” she said. “There hesitant to pick favorites from her decades of breeding, her are many athletes out there who are superior movers or fondness for the stallion is evident. A large portrait of him jumpers, but most of Masu’s horses also seem to have that

by Ocala-area dressage trainer and artist Sharon Jerdeman extra ‘something’ that makes them into more like family dominates one wall of her home, and framed photographs members than just mounts to win ribbons on.”

Jerdeman credits Masu with allowing many riders access of him line her tabletops.

Robin Hood found his niche as an event horse winning to quality horses.

“She made it possible for many of us to realize our dream national United States Combined Training Association of owning or riding warmbloods without the expense of (USCTA) championships at the novice and training levels.

At the preliminary level, he was the USCTA Area III travelling around the country or to Europe,” she said.

Sevriens says her involvement in sport horse breeding champion, the American Holsteiner Horse Association (AHHA) champion and United States Equestrian Federation changed more than just the Holsteiner breed.

“Her influence is seen in the Dutch, Oldenberg and (USEF) reserve champion.

Hanoverian breeds as well,” he said. Masu made sure all of He also won and placed at several events at the intermediate level and went on to compete in open and her mares were registered both Dutch and Holsteiner, and she was careful to choose stallions that suited each mare.“If modified show jumping classes.

Ironically, the successful Robin Hood was not initially a Dutch stallion worked better for the mare, I went Dutch,” accepted into the AHHA stallion registry. The Dutch and she said.

But Holsteiners have always been her first love, and her Oldenburg registries registered him, but Masu had to petition the Holsteiner association several times. Based on dedication went beyond her own horses.

“Beyond breeding, she served in nearly every position his performance record, the organization finally accepted in the Holsteiner Association,” Sevriens said. “She served him into their stud book in 2004.

Of the horses Robin Hood sired, one of the most successful through some tough times on that board and made the and well rounded is Robinson. The bay gelding is a talented organization better.”

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Masu may not have known much when she first imported those first Holsteiner fillies, but it didn’t take her long to dig in and learn all that she could about a breed that had a rich history in Germany but tenuous beginnings in the United States.

Originally, there were two Holsteiner associations. One was private, and one was a small, loosely-organized group, and there was great animosity between the two. Eventually, the two would merge to form the American Holsteiner Horse Association (AHHA), but not without years of painstaking effort.

Cheryl Kellerman of Michigan Sport Horses owns Rantares, a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) leading sire and father of many of Masu’s most successful offspring, including Robin Hood. Kellerman has served on the AHHA board since its inception, and she credits Masu with much of the organization’s stability today.

“Masu was instrumental in creating the original bylaws and building the organization into what it is today,” she said. According to Kellerman,

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Breeding top-quality sporthorses Young prospects available from weanlings through undersaddle.

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 13

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The lpremium foal Leocavallo, one of the many AHHA premium foals born at Hammacher Farm.

the product of her years of breeding and remain involved with the annual Dutch and Holsteiner inspections that take place there each fall.

According to Jerdeman, Masu’s legacy is marked by far more than the improvement of bloodlines or the promotion of the Holsteiner breed.

“She bred horses primarily as an artistic expression from her heart, not as a science or business.”

Her enduring legacy is the love she brought to every aspect of the sport horse industry. The mares and foals may be gone, but Masu is determined to remain involved with sport horse breeding. Although another chapter of her life has closed, Masu Hamacher’s vision will forever fill the pages of American Holsteiner history.

Morelli’s grand prix horse, BeSe, who was in desperate need of a properly One rider who strongly believes fitting saddle.

He spent hours fitting BeSe in Verhan saddles is Cathy Morelli, a Unites States Dressage Federation and, according to Morelli, created a (USDF) Gold Medalist with an superb saddle. Morelli now lauds his extensive background in riding and products. teaching dressage.

“I have ridden in his saddles for Morelli first met Vergara on a cold years now and I have never had an and rainy day at a dressage show. issue with my horses’ backs. Every Despite being sick, Vergara came to fit saddle in my barn is a Verhan.”

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the organization had tumultuous beginnings, but Masu remained steadfast in her determination to build a solid organization.

“She always demonstrated integrity and an absolute love for the horses.

Nothing ever motivated her except what was best for the breed, and that made such a difference. Today we [the AHHA] are a member of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH), and that is largely because of the work that Masu did in the very beginning. ” Sevriens says her involvement is simply an extension of her character.

“It shows her generosity. Not just with breeding, with everything. When she hosted clinics or the inspections, anything, her house was like a bed and breakfast. Everyone is welcome. With Masu, it’s always give, give, give, even when she doesn’t have the money.”

Today, Masu’s farm sits nearly empty. Seed heads grow tall on the pastures that, just a few months ago, were cropped close by the nearly 30 horses that grazed there.

Like many farm owners in today’s economy, rising feed costs pushed Masu dangerously close to her financial limits, but the real blow came one day last February when the 80-year-old awoke to blurs and shadows. Until then, Masu had close to 20/20 vision, but macular degeneration brought her years of breeding, of everything she had known for over three decades, to an abrupt and unexpected end.

The horses were sold, a For Sale by Owner sign now marks the driveway to Hamacher Farm, and Masu’s future is uncertain. She talks of moving close to where Jerdeman trains at Pennock Point in Ocala so that she can still see

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14 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Daniel Bluman

Fear turns to promising career Jane Whitehurst Daniel was still frightened. Alhough he continued to harbor his secret, he did not give up. Slowly and methodically he forged ahead with his lessons until he began to understand the nature of the horse.

At eight, Daniel finally realized that the horses would not harm him and were great friends and companions.

When he was ten, Daniel’s family moved to the United States. By then horses were registered in his heart. The jumps beckoned him but the higher jumps were the most alluring. His career was off to a promising start when in 2004, at 16, he won the Gold Medal FEI Children World Championship.

For a short while Daniel’s family returned to Colombia. There he competed as a junior rider before coming back to the States by himself where he graduated from high school with honors and earned a full scholarship to Florida Atlantic University.

Last year, Daniel placed 8th in his first Grand Prix. This year he has won and placed in some of the most important Grands Prix in Wellington, Tampa, New York and Kentucky.

Bluman’s current goal is to compete in the 2010 Alltech World Cup Games. Florida Sporthorse Magazine caught up with Daniel in Kentucky as the summer circuit was coming to a close. photos courtesy of Daniel Bluman

Above and opposite page: Wellington resident and Colombia native Daniel Bluman with Fatalis Fatum. Bluman is experiencing great success aboard the 14-year-old Hanoverain gelding.

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s a little boy, Colombian native Daniel Bluman kept a well-hidden secret from his family and everyone else he knew: He was terrified of horses.

In his mind they were cruel and wanted only to kick him, bite him or buck him off. This was a problem since horses in the Bluman household were a common thread. Everyone rode, so he kept riding too, not willing to suffer the taunting from his brothers that he was a scared little boy.

His first experience on a horse was at two. He began with vaulting lessons where he could hold the surcingle handle as he got comfortable with the horse’s movement. Soon he was handed the reins and was talking lessons on the flat.

At six his parents bought him his first horse, but

FSM You are off to a promising career. Has it always gone so effortlessly for you, and do you have any advice for those wanting to follow in similar footsteps?

DB Three years ago when I was a junior, I was struggling at the 3’6” and 4’ rails. I was not one of the best junior riders, so when I told people I would be doing the Grand Prix, they thought I was crazy.

Only people who knew me, believed that I would make it. They could see I had the talent and the will to keep striving. I would tell anyone that was trying to get into the business to never give up. Never give up on anything you have your heart set on to do.

Every morning I would wake up with the same dream and now I am living it.

Everyone rode, so he kept riding too, not willing to suffer taunting from his brothers...

FSM Talk about your new horse and how you have done this season.

DB In March Fatalis Fatum came to me. He is a 14-year-old Hanoverian by For Pleasure I am very

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lucky to have such a good horse. We were able to compete in Florida some, but it was nearing the end of the season.

During this time Fatalis and I were just getting to know each other. Up in Kentucky and New York we have done very well. Our best to date has been a fourth place win at the $125,000 Purina Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York.

would like to recognize them. First, Cafe de Columbia are very generous to me and supportive in all aspects. I wear their colors in the ring, on the saddle pad and on my coat.

Fatalis too, wears the colors on his cooler and his bonnet.

Another sponsor I am very grateful for is CWD. They are an excellent company, I use their saddle, bridle and protective boots.

FSM The cost of competing at these venues is costly. How, as a relatively new rider, do you manage these expenses?

FSM Presently, with whom are you training?

DB Yes, it is very expensive. Usually, there are horses that people want me to jump for them or to help sell.

This brings in some income. Also, I am blessed to have a very supportive family that helps out with the bills. But it is very important to me to be self sufficient. Ultimately my winnings should support my horse show and living expenses. I am very appreciative of my sponsors and

DB Pablo Barrios is my coach and life time friend. He has been extremely special to me and has always believed in my dream and in my talent. I have great admiration for him. When I am in Wellington, I stay at his barn. Six months ago I decided to venture out on my own to begin my own training business. So this time at Pablo’s I will be renting dry stalls and filling them with my horses in training. While

16 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Summer Sweep Bluman’s Grand Prix placings May

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• HITS on the Hudson I Grand Prix--2nd • HITS on the Hudson II Grand Prix--5th

June

• Purina Mills Grand Prix--4th

Aug.

• HITS Saugerties Grand Prix--1st

Sept.

• HITS on the Hudson VII--1st • United States Grand Prix League (USGPL) Invitational--1st photo courtesy of Daniel Bluman

I was in New York, I worked with another great trainer, Todd Minikus. He is probably the best horseman I have ever met; the way he interacts with horses and especially his flat work.

My flat work has improved tremendously because of him.

FSM Is it accurate to state that it is not the jumping so much as the riding in-between the jumps?

DB This is very true. Show Jumping has gone through a big change over the past few years. It used to be no one worried about dressage training their jumper. The jumps were just as big as now, but they were far apart and the jump cups were deep. Now the course design is different.

It’s as if the jumps are in a dressage arena with very little distance between. Constantly you are turning, shortening and lengthening over and over. Every year the quality of horses and riders gets better and those jump cups get shallower.

FSM What do you look for in a quality jumping horse?

Of course, the potential, their talent. But there is something else they have to have and that is the attitude. They must be careful. So along with being strong they have to be careful and know where the jump is and hate hitting the pole. Basically, they have to love the job. A talented horse who doesn’t love the job won’t make it.

FSM What is your maintenance program for your jumper?

DB It’s everything. You cannot over look one thing. Of course all the essentials must be top quality, like the feed and hay.

Also, the horse has to be taken care of like an athlete because he is. The legs must be iced after each ride. Also, regular

massages, acupuncture and joint supplements. When the vet feels the horse needs injections in the joint, we do that to. Always pay close attention to the feet and make sure you have the best farrier. The horse is the most important thing.

All the money goes into the horse’s well being.

FSM With your schedule, spare time is probably scarce. When you find some what do you like to do?

DB During the time I’m in Wellington, I am also taking courses at FAU, so between riding, showing and school my plate is full.

During the summer season I spent a lot of time with my colleagues playing poker, going to the movies or just hanging out talking about horses. They are my family away from my family, which is really great because sometimes I can get a little home sick.

FS What are your plans after the summer circuit? Will you have a chance to go home to Columbia to visit family?

DB On September 13, I will be showing at the American Gold Cup held in Cleveland. It is one of the few International World Cup qualifying events. Our next show is the $100,000 United States Grand Prix League, (USGPL), Invitational. Only the top 30 riders of the HITS rating qualify and I have made it in the top 10.

The first week of October, I plan to have Fatalis back in Wellington where he will rest. I will go to Europe to look for horses and then to Colombia to see my family. The winter circuit starts in January, and my plans are to hopefully attend the CSIO Nation’s Cup, and if all turns out well, the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

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Shoeing for Success Florida Sporthorse Magazine 17

C. Gold/FSM

Different disciplines require different shoeing Scott Gregory When it comes to shoeing, dressage, hunter jumpers, and event horses all have different needs and ways of going.

The Basics: Trimming and initial shoeing All horses should be trimmed the same. A well-balanced foot with smooth edges is an absolute necessity for any horse, but especially an active one. Many lameness issues arise from or are enhanced by the trim.

A horse that is not working much doesn’t need shoes. In fact, shoes aren’t necessary unless the horse is not able to do its job comfortably without them or there is some advantage that will make him work or move better.

The level of training corresponds to what level of shoeing is needed.

A horse should have basic training using basic shoes. This allows the horse to learn naturally.

More advanced training often requires more advanced shoeing to aid them in their job. That doesn’t speak to quality, but the two should always be the same.

Dressage Dressage horses do a lot of upward and downward transitions and lateral movements. Power from hind quarters requires balance of traction,

flotation, and support of limb to aid movement in the ring.

Front hoof balance for an upper level dressage horse is critical because the concussion from an extension landing can cause any imbalance to show as lameness.

Dressage riders can tell when their horses are not moving perfectly, and a farrier should watch the horse work to find out how to balance the horse optimally.

When shoeing dressage horses, I like to use a wide-webbed relatively heavy steel shoe up front; often I use a perimeter fit (meaning shoe is fit to the edges of the hoof and not set back off the toe).

The rear hooves are shod with a slightly more narrow webbed steel shoe for traction that will aid impulsion.

Many dressage riders say they like a trailer on the outside branch or at least a wider webbed branch for the hind shoes.

Hunter Jumpers Hunter jumpers are more on the forehand than dressage horses.

Horses move in a smoother style with less knee and hock movement or “action.” The weight of the shoes is important because a heavy shoe will cause more action.

Most equitation horses use aluminum shoes on the front and light steel behind. Properly applied break-over (shoe set back off the toe)

of the front and hind can enhance the movement.

Lower-level jumpers often have some sort of permanent low level traction applied to the shoes and higher jumpers often have “drilled and taped” holes which the rider can use to add, remove, or change traction as needed.

Event Horses Event horses need solid shoes which are well designed for balance of weight, durability, traction, support and staying on in extreme conditions.

As a horse that does basically all of the above with some real galloping thrown in, they have to stay in the middle of how the dressage and hunter jumpers are “optimized.”

Many event riders prefer a “concave” shoe that cuts into the ground more than the flat shoe of the other disciplines. Shoeing for eventers is often highly customized.

The Last Word One thing that stays the same is that a competition horse needs about a four-week schedule to retain optimal balance and integrity.

A good farrier can take the horse to the next level.

Shoeing success is related to your farrier’s commitment to skill like a rider’s commitment to skill is related to riding success.

18 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

This simple shape speaks volumes

Circular reasoning Jean White

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Circles come in any size and can be practiced anywhere.

They reveal great truths about a horse’s rhythm, relaxation and suppleness, connection, impulsion, straightness and collection-- yes, it’s the pyramid of training. In this article, I will tell you how to use circles to evaluate and solve some common training problems.

The Perfect Circle

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According to Mr. Webster a circle is “A plane figure contained by a curved line, every point of which is equally distant from a point within the figure called the center.”

Eggs, amoebas, sausages, diamonds and things with corners that many of us ride are not circles. So, you must have an area in which to practice perfect circles. Just place some cones at the four compass points of the size of circle you want to ride. For example, if you are riding a 20m circle between “E” and “B,” you would put cones at “E,” on the center line two meters from “L,” at “B,” and two meters from “I,” Be exact! Often when I ask students where their 20m circle will cross the center line, they will ride to the center line and say, “Oh, about here.” No! It is exactly two meters from “L.” Learn your arena, your letters and do the math!

Common Circle Problems Problem:

Trouble keeping a consistent tempo and regular stride length in the walk, trot or canter rhythm. (Remember that rhythm is the sequence of the foot falls and tempo is how fast that rhythm is repeated.)

Why does it happen? In young or green horses, it is usually the horse trying to find its balance with the rider.

The young or green horse has no idea how to keep balanced and make a circle. The rider must teach the horse how to keep a regular tempo. For example, sometimes the horse is too fresh with pent-up energy. Keeping a consistent tempo and stride length will help this horse concentrate on the rider while releasing excess energy. Nervous horses can also be irregular. A consistent tempo and stride length can help these horses relax their bodies and minds. This problem

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photo courtesy of Jean White

Correct Circle Aids: This would be better with the rider looking up, but her aids are clearly understood by the horse. Inside leg is at the girth with the outside leg slightly back. Straight line elbow to bit. upper body turned in the direction of the circle. The rider is 70-year-old Judi Carter on Whisky Smith.

can also be rider error if the rider is out of balance or lacks the feel necessary to give the horse the directions for equal strides and a regular tempo.

Exercise 1.

With your cones set up on the four points of the circle ride an equal number of strides each quarter of the circle in walk, trot and canter. This will tell you if you are keeping each stride the same length. When you can keep an equal number of strides on a 20m circle, challenge yourself to try it on a 10m circle.

Exercise 2.

Count to yourself (or use a metronome if you are rhythmically challenged) to see if you are keeping a regular tempo around each circle.

Problem:

Horse falling inside or outside the circle line.

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 19 Why does it happen? Most horses naturally bend better in one direction than the other. This makes the horse easy to over bend in one direction and on the other side not bend enough. On the easy to bend side the horse will often travel with his head and hip on the circle line but his shoulder either to the outside of the circle line (shoulder falling out) or to the inside of the circle line (shoulder falling in). Remember that a horse goes where his shoulders go…not where his head goes. Other causes of falling out on the circle are the rider using the inside rein without the complementary contact on the outside rein and other position related problems. Stiff horses that have trouble letting go of the outside of their body to stretch around the circle can be another reason why horses fall to the inside of the circle line.

Solution: When you have trouble making a perfect circle

(it is much harder then it looks) you need to check your aids, seat, and position to make sure you are giving the right directions to the horse. Look one quarter circle ahead, inside leg at the girth, outside leg slightly behind the girth, the contact on the outside rein which is the straightening rein, the inside rein adjusting the amount of inside flexion, weight in the inside seat bone. Now, if you are doing all that correctly you can move on to fixing the horse.

Exercise 1.

For the horse that falls inside the circle start on the 20m circle between “B” and “E.” After establishing the rhythm and relaxation on the circle you will spiral down to a 10m circle making sure that you keep the horse in a consistent tempo, not speeding up or slowing down. Now spiral back out to the 20m circle keeping the inside flexion and bend while moving the horse forward and sideways back out to the 20m circle. Remember to keep your position correct and make sure you use your inside leg in timing with when the horse’s inside hind leg leaves the ground. It should only take you one circuit to spiral in and one circuit to spiral out.

The horse must promptly move away from your forward/ sideways driving aid. Once your horse understands and responds correctly to this exercise you can then keep him from falling in on any circle just by making a half-halt and pushing him (spiraling) out to his circle line.

Exercise 2.

For the horse that falls outside the circle start on the 20m circle. Establish the rhythm and relaxation and then slowly change the bend to a counter bend. Make sure you change your aids. For example if you are circling to the right you will bend your horse left. Your left leg (now the inside leg even though it is on the outside of the circle) will be at the girth and will be guiding the horse around the circle. Your right leg (now the outside leg) is slightly behind the girth making sure the haunches don’t fall out (don’t fall inside the circle). The horse will be only slightly flexed to the left. Repeat this exercise anytime you or your horse forget your outside straightening aids.

Problem: Horse loses impulsion on the circle.

Why does this happen? Doing circles correctly requires

photos courtesy of Jean White

The picture on the left shows incorrect position; the horse’s haunches are falling in.ff You can clearly see the pony’s inside hind stepping inside the circle line.

The picture on the right shows the correct position on the circle. The pony’s hind feet are stepping in line with the front feet on the circle line. The rider is Robin Swanger aboard the three-year-old Welsh Pony Tegan Camdyn.

more energy from the horse and the horse must take more weight onto his inside hind leg. Many horses would like to avoid this extra weight bearing and energy expense by losing thrust and slowing the tempo.

Exercise 1.

Do transitions within the gait. Ride half the circle in working gaits and then half the circle in the lengthening. Repeating on each half of the circle until the horse anticipates in a good way the coming lengthening.

Each time you bring the horse back to the working gait, be sure to keep the impulsion created by the lengthening into the working gaits. Make sure that the tempo stays the same.

For example, not speeding up the tempo in the lengthening and not slowing down the tempo in the transition to the working gaits.

Exercise 2. Do transitions from gait to gait. If the problem

is a loss of impulsion in the trot then you will canter half the circle and trot half the circle. Concentrate on keeping the energy and impulsion created in the canter, through the transition, and into the trot. Think uphill-forward in downward transitions!

Problem: haunches.

Horse not staying straight on the circle with his

Why does this happen? One reason this happens because the horse is not supple enough to keep his hind end wrapped around your inside seat and leg. Or the rider is not balanced enough and flexible enough to keep the horse straight. The other most common reason is the horse’s evasion to engaging the inside hind leg.

Exercise 1:

Gain control over the horse’s hind end (and your own aids) by riding travers (haunches-in) and

20 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

No ring? No problem!

Jean White Don’t have a dressage arena? You can still practice perfect circles. Here’s how.

Gather up your tape measure or lunge line. Grab a friend. Grab a spouse or significant other only if you have no friends since you took up horses. Make sure friend or spouse is well fed and lubricated to ensure their co-operation. Bring some kind of markers to the arena, field, or where ever you work your horse.

photo courtesy of Jean White

Impulsion: Hips are rounded under with the back and the shoulders are lifted.

The pony is thrusting toward the contact and carrying himself uphil with forward energy. shoulder-in on straight lines. Then as you make a circle have a knowledgeable friend watch your horse’s hind end to see if the hind feet are tracking in the same line as the front feet. If the inside hind foot starts tracking inside the inside foreleg’s print then you will correct it by riding shoulderin (or shoulder-fore in the greener horse) to get the inside hind back under the horse’s body. If the outside hind foot starts tracking outside the outside foreleg’s print then you will correct it by riding a slight travers (haunches-in) on the circle.

Exercise 2:

When the horse is evading the engagement to the inside hind leg some strengthening exercises are called for to make the horse’s job easier. Quick transitions on the circle trot-halt-trot or canter-trot-canter are great strengthening exercises when done correctly. (Remember your training scale!) Another good strengthening exercise is trot-halt-reinback-trot or the same in the canter.

Problem:

Horse lacks collection on the circle.

Why does this happen: Losing collection on the circle is a result of losing one of the other qualities of the training scale. Circles, especially the smaller circles, will help create and maintain collection.

Solution: If you are careful to keep your horse relaxed,

regular, and on the aids with a correct connection, and without losing impulsion or straightness then collection will be maintained.

Take home message: While I have touched on the most common problems and some simple solutions there are many other variations and solutions to suit. Contact your local USDF Certified Instructor or qualified trainer for more details!

You can buy small cones very inexpensively at your local “Big Box” store. These small field marker cones don’t last long in our Florida sun before becoming brittle and faded, but are a good choice if you routinely run over them, mow them over, or your dog loves cones. Or, large traffic cones can be obtained from your father who lives in another state and happens to have traffic cones fall into his pickup truck.

More expensive but also more durable cones can be bought from many of the horse equipment catalogs. For the creative types, you can paint lovely pictures on your supplement buckets and use these for markers. Use only the ones that are soft, not rigid, plastic. Remember though…REMOVE THE HANDLE. (Don’t ask.)

One more thing, you need some way of marking your circle between the cones. Orange spray paint that is used to mark underground cables is great especially if you ride on grass. Or, in a freshly dragged arena you can simply use the butt end of your broken lunge whip to drag at the end of the lunge line or measuring tape.

Now you have everything assembled. Marker, cones, friend/spouse, measuring tape or lunge line.

Decide on the size of your circles. In case you don’t have a metered lunge line, a measuring tape in meters, or you are mathematically challenged, here are the conversions. 20m = 65’ 7 ½”. 15m = 49’ 2 1/2” 10m = 32’ 9 ½”.

Have your friend/spouse hold the measuring tape or lunge line in the middle of where you plan to make your circle. You are the other end of the tape/line, pulling it taunt, make a circle around your friend/spouse. Mark the circle with cones, paint, line in the dirt, flour, or any other safe way to mark your line. (Don’t use the barn dogs or cats. If you actually want them in the arena, they will not stay).

Now you have a perfect circle. GO RIDE!

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 21

meets

Jennifer Bate

Horse owners discover the benefits of combining traditional and Chinese medicine

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s a responsible horse owner, you should make sure that you are keeping up with vaccinations and regular health exams. However, routine health exams do not prevent injuries from occurring.

This is where you and your veterinarian should be involved. When you encounter a problem, call your veterinarian. Describe to your veterinarian what is going on and allow them to do an evaluation. He or she will try to resolve issues using traditional veterinary medical practices but increasingly, many traditional vets believe that alternative medicine is beneficial.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine based on the belief that health depends upon having a free flow of a vital energy force named “Qi,” pronounced chee.

According to ancient Chinese medicine, Qi constantly flows throughout the body and sustains a balance between yin and yang, unless it becomes blocked. A blockage of Qi flow results in pain which in accordance with beliefs of Chinese medicine, can be relieved through acupuncture stimulation. The stimulation is achieved through inserting thin, sterile needles into particular target areas, or acupoints.

There are 361 targeted acupoints, or “Shu-xu” points, in humans and 173 points in animals. When the acupoints are stimulated, the free flow of Qi is restored and Yin and Yang return to their balanced levels. The site where the needles are inserted is chosen based on the horse’s response to palpation. The veterinarian palpates areas of the horse by testing reflexes and muscle tissue for amplified or decreased responses.

The tiny acupuncture needles stimulate nerve endings which, in turn, stimulate the spine and brain, resulting in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. The release of these natural painkillers is evidenced when a horse relaxes and begins to lick, chew, yawn or stretch.

Stimulation is most commonly achieved using dry needle, wet needle, moxabustion, or electromagnetic acupuncture. Dry needles are regular sterile, stainless needles. Wet needle acupuncture usually involves

injecting vitamin B12. Moxabustion is when needles are heated by burning herbs. Electromagnetic acupuncture is stimulation by electrical pulses. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners recognize these methods of acupuncture as suitable equine treatments.

Acupuncture can prove to be especially helpful at shows or when a quick fix might be needed in order to help relieve pain and works well with chiropractic medicine. Upon stimulation, increased blood supply helps the muscles to heal and return to work.

photo courtesy of Jean White

Pictured is Marilyn Maler DVM, CVS, CVC, BBA, who works and teaches at the Chi Institute in Reddick, Fla.

22 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

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The tiny acupuncture needles stimulate nerve endings which, in turn, stimulate the spine and brain, resulting in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. The release of these natural painkillers is evidenced when a horse relaxes and begins to lick, chew, yawn or stretch..

“I’ve found that acupuncture can sometimes help muscle soreness that traditional western medicine cannot help quite as dramatically,” Ocala trainer Katie Showers said.

“I’ve used both wet and dry acupuncture to move horses along and found that chiropractic can help soreness and increase flexibility.”

Simple ear movements, a head turn, tail swish, piaffe, passage or jump is achieved only through the synchronization of a great many muscles. The command to every movement is delivered through nerves, the body’s communication lines. When nerves are pinched the communication line can become kinked and result in poor coordination and the muscular synchronization is no longer synchronized. This lack of coordination can cause a horse to compensate and lead to more serious injuries. This is where some owners, trainers and veterinarians see the use of chiropractic medicine.

Contrary to popular belief, chiropractic medicine is not about fixing bones. It is about restoring a normal range of motion to a joint that has a subluxation.

Subluxations occur when there is no range of motion in a joint or that range of motion is asymmetrical. To correct a subluxation, a veterinary chiropractor uses an adjustment to restore the joint to the correct position to allow for full range of motion. The adjustment is a low force, high amplitude hand thrust. Like in acupuncture, there is an endorphin release that horses express that in chewing, licking, yawning, head-shaking, stretching and other motions. The practice of chiropractic medicine has actually existed for over 100 years.

“Our goal is to put motion back into it but the effect we are having on the horse is on its neurological system,”

veterinarian Marilyn Maler said.

In addition to being a DVM, Maler is a certified to practice both chiropractic and acupuncture. “Chiropr actic medicine really has its basis in neurology, and up until recently it has just been a lot of testimonials. Science is now at a level where we are beginning to follow the nerves and neurophysiology and understanding how an adjustment affects the neurological system. The science is catching up with it,” she said.

Sean Redman, DVM, started believing in chiropractic medicine after seeing its effectiveness in sporthorses during his experiences with horsemen who believed in the practice, as well as witnessing the effectiveness of a chiropractic veterinarian.

“I think that chiropractic and acupuncture both can help to relieve chronic, painful musculoskeletal conditions that remain and cause problems even after acute conditions are resolved,” he said.

Because chiropractic medicine works with joints and the neurological system it is critical to seek out a qualified practitioner. Anything that has the potential to do good can also do harm. Chiropractic care that is performed by less than qualified people may, in fact, do more harm than good. The ‘practitioner’ may have good intentions but yield dangerously bad results. A bad angle of correction can be equivalent to a car wreck. In fact, veterinary chiropractic work should look very much like what a human chiropractor does. Animal chiropractors work to adjust the horse using only their hands.

“There are people out there using mallets; using all kinds of stuff. That’s not chiropractic. If it does not look

Chiropractic care that is performed by less than qualified people may, in fact, do more harm than good.

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 23 like a human chiropractor would do it then you wouldn’t do it to your horse,” Maler said. “There should be no wringing legs up by the horse’s head or behind the horse.

That is not chiropractic medicine.”

A qualified chiropractor is either a doctor of veterinary medicine or a human chiropractor who has studied chiropractic medicine at an approved school and earned either an International Veterinary Chiropractic Association or American Veterinary Chiropractic Association certification.

Massage therapy is a therapeutic practice that involves using hands-on massage to stimulate muscles and soft tissue. This helps to reduce muscle spasm, relax the muscles, relieve tension and increase the range of motion. Increasing range of motion allows the horse to better perform without risking injury. A proper warmup and cool-down can drastically improve circulation and range of motion, leaving less work for a massage therapist. Massage therapy works as a great complement to traditional medicine, acupuncture and chiropractic. It encourages circulation and helps to increase the supply of nutrients to the muscles.

While there are a number of emerging non-Western veterinary medicines gaining popularity, non-Western treatments do not replace traditional veterinary medicine.

However, they may work as good complements.

“I think massage does help, but we don’t rely on it. It is a wonderful adjunct to things that we are doing, but not a standalone practice,” said Renne Pelzman, a Miamiarea trainer. “When the horses get accustomed to it they do seem to love it.”

Like Pelzman, Dr. Maler believes in using massage in conjunction with other medicines.

“I absolutely believe in massage. I have found horses that I have adjusted and adjusted, and keep having the

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Dr. Maler stressed the importance of finding a holistic animal practiioner who ihas studied in approved, licensed programs. .

same things come up. Then, finally used a massage therapist and found that the horse’s adjustments would hold,” Maler said. “I couldn’t do anything without them and they couldn’t do it without me. We work with each other.”

Although both traditional veterinary medicine and non-western medicine can be used either alone or in conjunction with one another to resolve issues, the surest fix is to eliminating the source of the issue. Issues often arise out of teeth, feet or saddle abnormalities. Make sure that your horse’s teeth are floated and well-balanced.

They should be checked every six to eight months if the horse is under five and yearly if the horse is over five.

Imagine wearing a heeled boot on one foot and a flip-flop on the other. Chances are you would be feeling pretty sore if you walked around like that all day, never mind exercising like that!

Having improperly fitting shoes makes it very difficult for a horse’s spinal cord to maintain proper function. To help your horse from being in that kind of situation, you should be diligent in having your farrier visit every four to six weeks. Make sure that your farrier is properly balancing the hooves and putting on the proper size shoes.

Ensure that your saddle is properly fitted your horse.

Horses’ body shape and the flocking of the saddle may change over time so make sure to check your saddle every six months. If the saddle fits properly then it should be suitable to use without any additional padding.

However, if there it fits incorrectly check to see that the flocking of the saddle is symmetrical. An easy way to see if the saddle is symmetrical is to look at the sweat pattern on your horses back after working. If the sweat pattern is asymmetrical you may need to bring your saddle to someone who can re-flock or reshape the tree. Also be sure to look at the tree of the saddle to find if it is correctly intact.

Simple checks and careful oversight can prevent many problems. Talking to your veterinarian can solve many existing problems and seeking new effective treatments may provide additional aid. Be sure that no matter what the issue may be, you are open and honest with your horse’s team. Everyone should be in the know in order to provide their most accurate and helpful input.

“It is very important that there are open lines of communication in which everybody is involved and aware of other therapies. I believe in a team approach to each horse. Make sure that the owner, trainer, veterinarian, chiropractor, rider, farrier and nutritionist are involved,” Redman said.

“It isn’t always clear as to what approach may provide the best benefit for the horse. People have to do what they are comfortable with, treat each horse as an individual and always seek out effective treatments. Veterinarians should always be open-minded and alternative therapy should always be an option, even if they have never used it before.”

24 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

Higher Education

Jane Whitehurst

An amateur dressage rider spends a season sharpening her skills

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The author with FEI dressage trainer John Zopatti and the Dutch Warmblood, Rebel Kartoon. Jane spent months traveling from St. Petersburg to Wellington in order to train with Zopatti.

It’s almost 10:00 pm. I’m inside the miniscule living quarters of my horse trailer feeling like a sardine in a tin can when I hear what sounds like a weed eater just outside my door. “It can’t be,” I think. “Who would be weed whacking in the dark?”

I open the door to find John Zopatti.

“Are you nuts? How can you see?”

I ask.

“I can see fine. I just finished mowing around the trailers,” he answers proudly.

I scrunch my face, shut the trailer door and return to my book glass of wine.

I know first hand that today, John

has been up since 5:00 a.m. and has probably ridden 12 horses. Earlier this evening he left for a 60-minute Cycle Mania workout at the gym.

For almost six months my trailer has sat camped on the property of Jensen Zopatti Enterprises, LLC in Wellington. It is my home away from home. In fact, at this point, it’s possible that I have squatter’s rights to the land underneath.

Last February, I made the leap from an occasional lesson in a clinic to a fulltime dressage training program.

It began with the purchase of a 16year-old Dutch warmblood gelding who had more stamps in his passport than me. It was my mother who made

it possible. She had died four months earlier, and with the money she left me I was afforded the opportunity to purchase a once in a lifetime horse.

I bought Kartoon for the sole purpose of showing FEI levels and attaining my USDF Silver Medal. Before Kartoon, I had shown fourth level only once with a hot thoroughbred that compressed my spine and rattled my teeth with every lead change. Kartoon did perfect lead changes. In fact, I could flail my body in any position, and as long as I clairvoyantly indicated ‘lead change,’ he would accommodate. My equine teacher unfailingly allowed me to practice on him until I was able to do tempi changes of 4’s, 3’s, and 2’s.

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Another one of Kartoon’s favorite Florida Sporthorse Magazine 25 party tricks was passage. Although not technically correct, it was fun to show off to my non-horsey friends.

Kartoon would stiffen his joints and impressively bounce up and down as if he were a pogo stick and, well, that was the problem. Along the way Kartoon had developed his own way of going with a short neck, hollow back and flat croup. I didn’t need a trainer to point out Kartoon’s evasions, they were clear. I needed the tools to change his way of going.

I first met John Zopatti at a clinic held at Pam Aide’s facility, “Keystone Sport Horses,” in Odessa. His credentials are impressive. He has obtained his Bronze, Silver and Gold USDF medals and has participated in the USDF L program where he graduated with distinction.

What helps separate John from the rest of the pack is his show record.

In the past 15 years both he and his M. Sprecher students have won many Regional John schools Jane in the passage.

Trust and communication skills are essential components to the rider/ Championships from Training through instructor relationship. the FEI levels. At the 2008 Region 3 championships, John won both the mainly because John really liked my elude me. I’ve been at this sport for too Intermediare I and Intermediare I horse. Over the next year, I lessoned many years trying to figure this stuff Freestyle with his own mount Mitchell, with him every time he came into out on my own mostly with sporadic whom he trained from the ground up. town. After showing Prix St. George lessons on sub par horses. Now, I have Quite recently he debuted Mitchell at and Intermediare 1 at the Regionals in the horse and have earned my silver, Grand Prix. John promised Mitchell’s 2009, I went to John’s place with my but it’s not enough.” former owner, after importing the husband Mark and stayed for a few We discussed the logistics of a horse young horse to the States, that the days. in full training in a town that we did gelding would someday not live in. Obviously, do Grand Prix. When Along the way Kartoon had developed the cost would be the Mitchell’s former owner his own way of going with a short neck, biggest element. passed away, she willed “I’ll have to drive back hollow back and flat croup. I didn’t need and forth every week. At the horse to John, and he a trainer to point out Kartoon’s evasions; least the gas prices have has fulfilled his promise.

John’s clinics fill they were clear. I needed the tools to fallen,” I added weakly. quickly, and there is an “John says I can hook up change his way of going. auditor in every white on his property, and that “This is what I need to do,” I said to will eliminate the hotel expenses.” plastic chair. It’s no wonder he has been named trainer of the year four times by Mark at the end of one of my lessons.

My voice was ringing with optimism.

I had just shared the ring with a the Gold Coast Dressage Association “For how long, do you think?” and was recently the recipient of the number of professionals and serious Mark asked, and somehow I managed Markel Insurance Trainer’s Award for amateur riders, in an atmosphere not to answer. which elicited a dedication to the sport the 2009 Florida circuit.

And so it was decided: Kartoon and John impressed me with his old- where true training was taking place myself would train with John Zopatti. fashioned work ethic and a relaxing with each horse’s foot fall.

There are many types of instructors.

“I need to ride everyday with a There are the quiet instructors who sense of humor. I liked how each horse and rider were treated individually. In trainer in this atmosphere. I’m suppose are reserved in their teaching. Their to be riding at ultimate collection; after instruction is careful, deliberate and his lessons one size did not fit all.

I decided to take a lesson on all I’m a stone’s throw from Grand exact. These are people who can get Kartoon and afterwards was ecstatic, Prix, and yet true contact continues to their point across in just a few words.

26 Florida Sporthorse Magazine This would not describe John or me for that matter.

I’m not always comfortable with quiet. I like the dialogue.

I can ask questions and he answer. He can ask questions and I can answer. It is not formal; it is immediate. Our open conversation helps connect us. When I’m lessoning with John it feels like he, too, is sitting on the horse and he always knows if I let up even for a second.

A big plus with working with a trainer is that they have all the equipment which is great because this aspect of training has always eluded me, especially the subject of bits.

John has a trunk full of bits and a trunk full of spurs, too. After a months of bit testing, we have concluded that Kartoon likes a short shank, no port curb with a larger than normal bradoon. The spurs of choice? Not too long and not too short, neither a rounded edge nor a rowel but more of a squared off end.

I am thankful that John is as conservative with money as I am and that I did not have to buy all these bits. My pockets don’t extend nearly as far as many of the other clients who have their horses in Wellington at a full-training facility.

Both John and I are honest to a fault. I can’t snow others and neither can John, and he won’t even try. If I hear “good” or “yes” or “good riding.” I can believe it.

Just as I would want a trusting relationship with a friend or a colleague; the same reigns with my trainer; otherwise my lessons are futile. If I am feeling something different than what he is seeing I must feel free to question it or to disagree. But, for the most part, I have to believe that what my instructor is telling me is legitimate and coming from his history of good training.

Moreover, it has to be what is best for both me and my horse. Trust also extends to the rider’s safety. This is especially important when they are working with you in tandem to perfect a movement like piaffe and passage where ultimate collection is needed.

They may walk or run beside you holding the bridle with one hand and a whip in the other. Sometimes Kartoon can get pretty expressive and excited, and at this point I’ve been known to have onset Tourette Syndrome. This is when John, puffing as he is running next to the horse, jokingly tells me “shut up” or “ack” every time I go to speak. This usually send me into laughter which in turn settles Kartoon into some amazing passage. Our lessons can be hard but there always fun.

Except for a couple of weeks in July for summer vacation, my schedule has remained pretty consistent. Typically, I make the 4 hours and 15 minute trip from my drive way to John’s on a Tuesday in time to take a late afternoon lesson and head back on Saturday after a early morning lesson. I can tell you each and every way to plot this voyage, but the bottom line is that it is impossible to break this time. I’ve tried and in the process have received a speeding ticket, for an exorbitant amount and have run out of gas.

The ride is bearable thanks to audio books, and I have used the hours on the road to broaden my horizons with the literary classics I abstained from in high school.

And I have gotten quite use to living in my trailer,

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Bella Equine Designs

Jane and Kartoon at the 2008 Regional Championships. After finding success at Prix St. George, Jane felt she needed intensive training to reach the next level.

although I must admit when you add a dog and a husband for the weekend, the quarters become cramped. The dog knows to go under the table to get out of the way. Mark and I just try to step around each other without elbowing the other in the eye.

These last few months have presented me the opportunity to watch a lot of horses going. Horses being ridden by professionals, by amateurs, by amateurs receiving instruction from professionals and yes, even professionals receiving instruction from other professionals.

The biggest difference between a professional barn and a boarding barn filled with amateur dressage riders and amateurs of other disciplines would have to be attitude.

The professional’s attitude is that they are going to ask the horse to do something and the horse is going to do it. If the horse doesn’t they will ask in a different manner, or the same, but maybe more convincingly until the horse obliges.

In the professional ring there is no room for temper tantrums or pity, only determination.

John, along with his partner Bent Jensen, a past Olympian on the Danish team have some of the nicest people working around From the grooms to the boarders and clients, they all have made me feel right at home.

Tine Zinglersen, a lovely Danish professional, has a standing invitation at Jenson Zopatti Enterprises. Each winter, Tina and her clients bring at least seven horses down from New York for the Wellington season. At any given time, only one hundred paces from my trailer, there may be five different trainers riding horses. Many times Juan Matute will be at the perimeter of the arena working horses in hand at piaffe and passage. I watch them for hours hoping there is some truth in learning through osmosis.

Wellington is to the horse enthusiast as Napa Valley is to a lover of wine. Feed and tack stores abound. It’s funny to go into the local grocery store and see so many others in riding breeches, paddock boots and sweat-stained polo shirts.

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 27 If you run out of horse shampoo after hours, you can always head to the Publix where they carry a whole line of horse supplies.

During the season the place is bustling with excitement.

As you drive closer to the show grounds the sidewalks and canals are flecked with riders perched on horses with long reins; none spook at a loud diesel truck or a six-horse shiny aluminum-sided van. Billboards next to manicured Ficus hedges advertise Saturday night jumping under the lights or Sunday afternoon polo matches.

Each weekend horse shows draw in more crowds as the outsiders come to Wellington, the little town with patches of paradise cut in squares by ditches and canals. Restaurants like Konticki and the infamous Players Club fill with top international competitors in dressage and show jumping along with equally interesting owners and sponsors.

Just down the road from John’s farm is the place where the Purina Mills USA Team practices for the annual Challenge of the Americans, (COA), to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

John, has been invited to participate. The rest of the members of the quadrille are Betsy Steiner, Pamela Goodrich, James Koford, Chris Hickey and George Williams. They will be competing against the Team International, The Seely Parker Group of Merrill Lynch. Once a week I follow John on foot and watch them practice.

Their practices start off sketchy at best, and there are some

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close calls, how can there not be with eight large horses, but the camaraderie of the group abounds, and soon they are working together like a well-oiled machine.

I learn volumes from watching these practices. I learn that they are far from perfect and their horses don’t automatically do as they command. I also realize that there is no single, well-hidden, secret to dressage.

John and Bent’s winter clients leave somewhere in April and though the wash racks become more available, the ring feels eerily quiet. But still there’s a lot to do; Wellington never folds up completely.

I have the fortunate opportunity to audit a Steffen Peters clinic at Carol Cohen’s farm “Two Swans.” Carol’s daughter, Rebecca participated in the clinic along with John and Dr. Kristi Truebenbach, another client of John’s for the past 17 years. After I audit a few hours, I feel that I have taken a lesson from Steffen.

I have sincerely cherished each and every one of my lessons. They get better and easier as my horse takes over more of the work load. When I look in the mirrors I can see the transformation that has occurred with Kartoon and me.

My upper body does not succumb to the movement of the horse as it once did. I have found my core. My reins, though always on the verge of being too long, at least don’t flap in the breeze, and yes, Virginia, I believe there is such thing as contact.

I can now tell when a horse is in front of my leg. I can feel a horse “taking me” when his engaging his hind end.

I have felt true collection and understand even more the importance of the foundation blocks in the German Training Pyramid.

My time is drawing to an end, and I will leave with mixed feelings. Part of me wants to stay camped in the trailer for many more months, but I know it’s time to go.

I look forward to having my horse closer to my home especially now that I am charged up, armed with new knowledge. I feel that I have climbed a few more rungs up the dressage ladder. The ones below me have broken away.

There is no going back. The good news is I don’t have to.

So, I’ll choose to keep climbing and reaching for the next rung. There are still many more, now they seem closer together and well within my reach.

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28 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

A $2 raffle ticket wins a dressage rider her future FEI partner

Lucky chance

Suzanne Benne

Who can say they bought a Grand Prix horse for $2.00?

Probably not many, but I did.

The story of Roger Rabbit begins on a cold and rainy day in Braunschweig, a city in Germany near Hannover, a region well known for breeding some of the greatest sport horses in the world. As head trainer and Pferdewirtschaftsmeister at a prestigious equestrian facility, my duties included not only educating horse and rider but also seeking young new talent thus always keeping an eye on what the market may offer.

What caught my eye on this particular day was a young Hanoverian gelding named “Little Big Man.” My client, Dr. Joachim Bösche, a well- known and respected “O” judge and a mentor of mine, had already seen and made the arrangements for me to try the three-yearold.

After riding this big, athletic individual with gorgeous gaits I absolutely fell in love.

Little Big Man was to be sold at the Verden horse auction, a huge annual event that attracts potential buyers of all nationalities. This is where one comes to see the best of what the industry has produced.

Dr. Bösche made the decision to buy the gelding, and I was to train him.

As we entered the packed arena in Verden two weeks later, we looked for two seats at about mid-level. Working our way through the crowd we passed a group of people selling raffle tickets, shouting, “First prize is a Hanoverian Yearling!” and I thought, “Why not.” I had an extra $2.00 and the prizes where quite nice: riding boots, a saddle with bridle and, of course, the yearling.

I bought a ticket, stuffed it in my purse and we took our seats as the bidding began.

Horse after horse was led out, the gavel fell and purchases were made.

At last our horse was on the block and after an intense “cat and mouse chase,” we were able to outbid a buyer from Switzerland.

“Little Big Man” was ours. As the day was coming to an end, Dr. Bösche took care of the formalities, and I stayed for the drawing of the raffle tickets.

I cannot describe what I felt at that moment when they called the numbers I held in my hand, 2250, the winning ticket.

Me! I won!

I do recall jumping up and waving my arms...somehow I must have floated down the stairs because the next thing I remember is standing in the arena holding my new colt, introduced to me as “Roger Rabbit.”

Numb with joy, we loaded the two horses into our trailer and took our “prizes” home.

I turned Roger out with youngsters his age at a small farm not too far away. I would visit occasionally, watching him develop while trying to keep an open mind.

Growing up on the family breeding farm, I knew what to look for when evaluating young horses. So far Roger Rabbit was true to his name in having a rather large set of ears, but as he was reaching his second year, I had some serious doubts about his future as a performance horse. He was ugly and uncoordinated.

His lineage was impeccable coming from the “Gestüt Amselhof” in Celle, a facility with a reputation of breeding and educating top-notch performance horses. The facility is headed by Heike Kemmer, one of Germany’s finest trainers.

A year later I made the decision to leave Braunschweig and move back home to help run the family business. Roger Rabbit, now a three-year-old, made the move with me, and it was time to start his career.

Actually quite handsome now, he had finally grown into his ears. Dark chocolate in color with three white socks and a tiny snip on his nose, he was huge, topping out at almost 18 hands and still growing. Having spent the last two years with his peers in a pasture, Roger wasn’t accustomed to human contact.

Extremely sensitive and very insecure, the initial training steps were not easy. My first goal was to ride him straight and forward, getting him used to the weight of the rider and establishing balance in all three gaits. Again, true to his name, he was more like a rabbit, but eventually, with great patience, Roger began to trust me, and our relationship over the next few years became a true partnership.

It was a partnership so strong I felt confidant and at ease riding him while pregnant with both of my children.

My husband Richard, a Floridian who had spent most of his adult life in Europe, felt it was time to move to the United States to be close to his parents.

We both agreed we would enjoy the sunny, tropical

The

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Florida Sporthorse Magazine 29

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photo courtesy of S. Benne

The author with Roger Rabbit, the horse she won as a yearling with a $2 raffle ticket. Roger’s systematic training has led to many dressage championships.

Florida climate after living in cold and often wet Germany.

This meant a big change for me but also a challenge I would not turn down.

In 2000 I said good-bye to Germany, my parents and my friends. We packed up our children the two horses and flew across the Atlantic to make Florida our new home.

I thought the language would be my biggest hurdle until I stepped off the plane and tried to breathe the hot, salty, humid air of the sub tropics. Not to mention the bugs, biting, crawling, flying in the unrelenting sun.

Over the years I have been able to adjust completely, but Roger with his massive stature still has issues with the environment.

At 18.1 hands his size is truly monumental and at six, we hit a major training plateau as we schooled third level movements and struggled for more collection.

I wasn’t convinced Roger could develop the self carriage required for the upper levels, and the thought of selling him crossed my mind more than once.

It was then I began to work on a more stringent training regiment, a diet plan to make him sweat more and a

conditioning program to give him more endurance.

In 2005, Richard and I established Half Halt Stables, a 13acre full-service training facility on Florida’s east coast.

With the addition of a covered arena in 2006 and the help of a few esteemed colleagues, I have been able to build Rogers stamina and work through the ever- increasing difficult demands of the sport, earning many championship titles.

This winter, at the age of 13, Roger will show Grand Prix, the highest degree of collection and balance in dressage. We know one another’s strengths and weaknesses and we work with them in full collaboration and harmony.

He is a reliable partner, still sensitive but trusts me wholeheartedly. Ever correct and honest, he has been a wonderful experience in my life and best of all he is a joy to ride every day.

I feel compelled to tell Roger’s unusual story because it says so much about horses; their resilience, devotion and trust in their human partners. And how we need to be patient, understanding and most importantly not to give up too soon!

30 Florida Sporthorse Magazine

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