Canada will host the biennial American Quarter Horse Association’s (AQHA) Youth World Cup at Western Fair Agriplex in London, Ontario, in 2008.

This event, first held in Australia in 1986 as the International Youth Quarter Horse World Cup, has become one of the most prestigious equine competitions recognized world wide.

The CQHA is extremely pleased to announce that Della Cryderman of Murillo, Ontario, and Karen Westerback of Thunder Bay, Ontario, have been appointed as 2008 Team Canada Coach and Team Canada Manager, respectively.
continue reading "CQHA seeks Youth for 2008 World Cup"

This book provides a complete introduction to horse massage, with easy-to-learn techniques and exercises. Practical Horse Massage is for everyone who wants to help their horses become more supple or to relax and regenerate after competitions or long rides.

Includes chapters on: the mechanics of the horse’s body; conditioning the equine athlete; the benefits of massage; massage techniques and principles; stretching techniques; specific problem areas; and much more.

Author Tenate Ettl is an equine sports therapist and has bred horse for many years.

Author: Renate Ettl
Publisher: The Lyons Press
ISBN: 1-59228-773-5
Price: $26.95 CAD
Soft cover / 96 pages / colour photographs
To order: Contact The Lyons Press at (203) 458-4500,
write to Box 480, Guilford, CT, 06437-0480, USA,
or visit www.LyonsPress.com

A record-breaking top price of $17,500 was reached for a stallion at this year’s 82nd annual Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen’s Pony Auction.

Thousands of people went to Virginia to see the 10-minute annual swim across the 200-yard Assateague Channel by a herd of about 150 ponies (pictured right) that are then sold at auction. The swim was immortalized in Marguerite Henry’s book Misty of Chincoteague.
continue reading "Chincoteague stallion sale breaks records"

A British company has developed a GPS product that attaches to a horse to send essential physical, physiological, and environmental information about a training workout to the trainer, via the Internet.

Having immediate access to information detailing the work the horse is doing, its gait, temperature, breathing, and the environmental conditions means that trainers and vets will be able to optimize training regimes while at the same time ensuring its welfare, says developer Gmax Ltd.
continue reading "New GPS technology to help horse trainers"

1982 Kentucky Derby winner Gato Del Sol died of age-related causes on August 7 at the age of 28.

He was the second oldest living winner of the Kentucky Derby. The oldest is now 1980 winner Genuine Risk, the second filly to win the race.

Gato del Sol (Cougar II x Peacefully) was owned by co-breeder Arthur Hancock and is buried near their house on Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He was retired to stud at Hancock’s Stone Farm as a six-year-old after winning seven races and $1,340,107 USD.

The grey stallion was not a big success at stud, and was sold to Germany in 1993 in the hopes that he would produce horses favouring longer distances and grass tracks. But he did not excel there as a sire, either.

In 1999, fearing that he would end up in a slaughterhouse, Arthur and Staci Hancock bought the horse back. Staci Hancock had learned that top US galloper Exceller, who had been sold to Japan, had been killed in a slaughterhouse in Sweden.

The Hancock’s saved Gato Del Sol from that possibility, buying him for $5,500, and shipping him back to the US at a cost of $12,500, according to Daily Racing Form.

The Hancock’s are on the frontline of the equine welfare/anti-slaughter movements and highly involved in the new Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KEHC).

The American Saddlebred Museum at the Kentucky Horse Park has been awarded a Silver Telly at the 28th Annual Telly Awards for its film Out of The Shadows.

The 30-minute film, which features black horsemen from the late 1800s through to the 1970s, was chosen among 15,000 entries for the highest prize offered by the Telly Awards.

The Tellys honour outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as video and film productions. Out of The Shadows competed in the Non-Broadcast category.
continue reading "Saddlebred Film Wins Award"

What’s your horse telling you? Equine behaviour makes perfect sense when you consider a horse’s survival instincts and fears and know what makes him feel calm and confident. Learn what’s going on in his mind, as noted horsewoman Cherry Hill describes your horse’s basic needs and routines and responses to sights, smells, sounds, and touch. You will learn to see things from your horse’s point of view, anticipate his reactions to many situations, and adjust your training methods accordingly.

Author: Cherry Hill
Publisher: Storey Publishing
ISBN-10: 1-58017-835-9
Price: $27.95 CAD
Soft cover / 181 pages / colour photographs and diagrams
To order: Contact Storey Publishing at (413) 346-2100,
write to 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, 01247,
USA, or visit www.storey.com