The FEI Tribunal decided not to intervene in the FEI Bureau’s decision of September 17, which meant the British, Belgian and Italian teams were relegated to the Nations Cup Promotional League for the 2010 season.

Initially the FEI said that Britain and Belgium could go back into the top league, but less than a month later changed its mind. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) appealed the decision.

The relegation decision was taken “in the best interest of the sport,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya said at the time.

“This is the very first time I have seen all the fundamentals of our sport joined together in a universal vision. The FEI, the National Federations, riders and organisers are certain that the eight-team format is the only sustainable format ensuring the safe future of our sport.” The BEF has 30 days to appeal the latest decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The trial format is the brainchild of the FEI’s dressage Task Force, led by Chairman Frank Kemperman, who is also the show director of Aachen’s World Equestrian Festival, which takes place from July 9 to 18. The FEI’s General Assembly approved the innovations in Copenhagen in November.

As well as detailed proposals regarding the improvement of the judging system, the Task Force has formulated a concept for a changed competition format for Olympic Games. The team competition will now be decided in the Grand Prix Special, and the teams will start in reverse order of their Grand Prix results.

New ideas regarding the judging system will also be trailed at Aachen. Innovations include more judges, so for special competitions seven judges instead of five will officiate; in marking, judges will be able to give half marks; in the Freestyle to music test judges will assume different tasks – one judge is responsible for the rating of the technical performance, and another will judge solely the artistic performance; and finally a supervisory panel, where the work of the judges is supervised.

For the Aachen competition, the “3+1″ system will be applied: a country can bring four riders, but only three of them will officially start for the team – there will be no more drop score.

New sponsors will also be on side to provide high end pellet bedding to give the horses optimum rest over the course of the festival.

This product was made from sawmill waste, no trees were purposefully harvested to manufacture this material and it is Carbon Neutral.

White softwood shavings and sawdust are reduced to a small granular size in the mill and then subjected to intense heat to remove the majority of the moisture and impurities. It then passes through a pelletizing machine under extreme pressure and heat, further reducing the moisture content and emerges in the pellet state as we know it. The pellet is bonded by the natural lignum found in the wood fiber and there are no other additives in this process. The newly formed pellet bedding for horses and other animals then passes through several dust extractors and onto the packaging line where it is bagged.

What are the benefits?

Wood pellet bedding for horses and other animals is a healthy and long-lasting alternative to shavings and straw. Pellet bedding usage provides an overall yearly cost reduction based on a 65 bag usage per horse. The labor fact is reduced by 50% due to the efficiency of the pellet bedding in mucking the stalls. There is a 40% reduction in stall waste for disposal and in composting, the breakdown of product is faster and the product is more valuable as a gardening supplement. The ammonia smells from the animals urine is quickly absorbed, insuring a fresher smell in the barn area.

The Nicky Henderson team continue to churn out winners and I’m convinced that Oscar Whisky will take some beating in the Blue Square Tolworth Hurdle I ride William hill, who returns to novice company after a good second in a handicap. He is a useful, tough horse with lots of experience and, while he may not be quite in the top league, he is quite up to exploiting any weaknesses they might have if they don’t run to their best. He no forlorn hope.

I kick off with Anak (1.30). I’ve ridden him in all three of his runs over hurdles and he didn’t go too badly in a red hot Plumpton race last time out . He has a little each-way chance as the track and ground will suit him. Watergate strikes i as the likely winner.

The Vicar (2.05) would have a squeak on his best form in an open race but he is not Mr Consistent.

To be truthful, I’ve been a bit disappointed with Song Of Songs (2.35) this season. He hasn’t jumped that well and is probably a little bit high in the handicap. Lorient Express looks to have a good time .

Mamlook (3.10) will win today I hope this is a decent little horse and I’ve won on him before. He’s a real fighter. The two we have to beat are Harry Tricker and Stravinsky Dance. I’m pretty hopeful he’ll finish in the money at worst and he can definitely win.

You would have to fancy that Plumpton will struggle to race, but it not a race if it is on then Ranjobaie looks, by some way, the best of my rides.

]]> http://www.naturesbedding.co.uk/mamlook-can-take-advantage/feed/ 0 http://www.naturesbedding.co.uk/badminton-horse-trials/ http://www.naturesbedding.co.uk/badminton-horse-trials/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:02:13 +0000 admin http://www.naturesbedding.co.uk/?p=179 One of the most prestigious horse events in the 3 day event calendar. It can take years to get to the standard of entry level needed to compete.

· It is one of the toughest and exciting equestrian events in the world; riders come from all over the world just to compete.

· The competition is based over 3 grueling days, each day consisting of different disciplines. Horses and riders must complete a dressage test demonstrating obedience, discipline, accuracy and elegance.

· Throughout the competition stable hands are kept busy, mucking out numerous stables and using over hundreds of bags of pellet horse bedding.

· Overheating can be a big problem in winter, be careful not to use too many rugs. Try to keep air circulation constant.

· Construct a form of shelter or lean-to this will ensure that your horse can protect its self from all the elements over winter.

· Have some sand available to use on icy paths.

· When your horse is stabled it is advised to use pellet bedding, it’s cheap, easy to use and a lot less is needed in the bed.

· Make sure fresh water is always available by breaking any ice.

Volunteers James and Patricia Pugh along with Blue Cross dog Charlie presented the members with the welfare badge and certificate. They also gave a talk on The Blue Cross and the work that we do.

The Dressage Canada Levy Program, which began in 2008, requires all Equine Canada-sanctioned Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Dressage competitions to collect and remit $7.00 per horse entered in their competition to Dressage Canada. The revenues generated from the Levy Program are used to support a number of domestic, provincial and national programs, all of which are designed to foster the development of dressage riders, coaches, officials, owners and the industry at large.

The funds are distributed

• 70 per cent to Domestic Program Support,

• 20 per cent to National Team Program Support,

• five per cent to Dressage Canada Bursary, and

• five per cent to administration including publicity and public relations.

The Dressage Canada Bursary was created in recognition of the difficulty riders face as they strive to continue their dressage education while competing at high levels of equestrian sport. Dressage Canada has developed the Bursary program for competitors in the Federation Equestre International (FEI) dressage divisions—Children, Pony, Junior, Young Rider, Advanced and Grand Prix.

The 2009 Dressage Canada Bursary recipients are

• Robin-Lynn Byrne Brent of Metcalfe, ON (Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I)

• Whitney Harris of Burlington, ON (Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I)

• Jessica York of Delta, BC (Young Rider)

Under the Domestic Program Support portion of the Levy Program, a domestic program is defined as an event or function that is designed to develop and educate the dressage community in Canada. The programs provide the opportunity for personal improvement for community members.

Recipients of the first disbursement of these funds are

• CADORA Inc. — riding clinic with FEI O judge Stephen Clarke ($230)

• Calgary Area Alberta Dressage Association — riding clinic with international clinician Sylvia Loch ($1,850)

• Calgary Area Alberta Dressage Association — scribe clinic ($800)

• Dressage New Brunswick for riding clinics and a coaching skills development clinic — various programs ($1,260)

• Dressage Winnipeg — junior riders camp ($3000)

• Kawartha Lakes Dressage Association — rider development clinic ($1,800)

• Kawartha Lakes Dressage Association — performance enhancement team seminar with sports psychologist Dr. Kate Hays and personal trainer Glenn Minor ($3,900)Ottawa Area Dressage Group — riding clinic with Olympian Steffen Peters ($1,346.47)

• Riders Interested in Dressage and English Riding (R.I.D.E.R.S Nova Scotia) — riding clinic with Olympic bronze medalist Lisa Wilcox ($2,000)

• Parkland Area Alberta Dressage Association — symposium with FEI I judge Christoph Hess ($627.50)

• Linda Pepin for a “Through the Judges Eye” clinic — with FEI O judge Cara Whitham ($1,150)

• Southlands Riding Club — riding clinic with international rider Betsy Steiner ($1,421)

• Victoria-Saanich Area CADORA — freestyle clinic with international freestyle designer Karen Robinson ($800)

Earlier this month, Jessica Rhinelander of St. John’s NL became the first recipient of the Travel Assistance Support program which is designed to provide financial assistance for athletes competing at the Dressage Canada National Youth Championships as well as representing Canada internationally at major competitions. Rhinelander competed as the Canadian Representative at the FEI Young Rider World Cup held December 2008 in Germany.

“Our committee was very impressed with the overall quality of submissions for both the Dressage Canada Bursary and the Domestic Program Support,” said Lisa Hossack-Scott, a member of the DDC. “Those that supported the Levy program last year should be proud of the fact that a wide variety of domestic programs across Canada have been able to be created to the benefit of as large a community as each program could reach.”

For more information on the Levy program in 2009 and how to apply for Levy money, please visit the Dressage Canada Levy Program section of the Equine Canada website.

About Dressage Canada

Dressage Canada, as a committee of Equine Canada, is the National governing body for Dressage in Canada. Dressage Canada’s objective is to foster the growth of Dressage and the pursuit of excellence in the sport at the local, national and international levels. Dressage Canada provides support and guidance to both amateur and professional through the following programs: coaching education and programs, officials’ education and programs, rules & qualifying criteria, sport development, publications & awards. For more information about Dressage Canada, please visit the Dressage section of the Equine Canada site.

About Equine Canada

Equine Canada is a member-based association that represents, promotes and services Canada’s equine community and industry. Its core areas of activity involve sport, equine health and welfare, education and safety, governance and marketing, representation and communication. Equine Canada is recognized by Sport Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Coaching Association of Canada as the national organization representing equestrian sport and equine interests in Canada. For more information about Equine Canada, please visit www.equinecanada.ca

EMAGIN® (Equine Mapping and Geographical Information Network) is a G.I.S-based tool for collecting equestrian data, such as where to ride or carriage drive, or where to find approved B.H.S riding centres . The British Horse Society hopes to collate enough information to map every equestrian route in the UK, including routes that may have unrecorded or under-recorded rights.

The BHS’s Access Department is asking members of the public to sign up as Mapping Volunteers and provide information on the routes they use.

The British Horse Society’s Head of Access, Heather Holmes, said: “This is a great opportunity for people who like to ride off-road to work with us on digitising the routes in their area. If you’ve ever thought about volunteering for the BHS, but weren’t quite sure what to do, this is a perfect opportunity to test the water, and help other riders by mapping your area. If you like it, you may wish to explore the possibility of becoming an Access and Bridleways Officer for the BHS, and so make a difference in your community now and for future generations.”

When signing up as a Mapping Volunteer, the BHS can provide printout maps of an area for the volunteer to mark up and return. Options are available for those who have their own mapping software, though this is not essential to participating in the project. The project aims to recruit at least 500 mapping volunteers spread throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The BHS is working with sponsors to provide GPS equipment and training for those who wish to become involved at a more serious level.

GIS Officer for the BHS, Sarah Shackleton, said: “Becoming a mapping volunteer requires as little or as much effort as you want – whether you’ve only ever ridden one route, have a full-time job and one afternoon a month you can spare us, or you’re retired, with plenty of local riding knowledge and time that you would like to invest in the project. You don’t even need a horse . Every bit of help will expand our EMAGIN system, providing information that will defend, extend and promote the equestrian rights of way network.”