Due to popular demand, Rex is returning to Windrock Farm May 14-18. He is taking a break from his current film, The Hanna Montana movie shooting in Franklin, Tenn.

Rex is an expert horse trainer who has worked with many different horses from all disciplines. He treats each horse as an individual and works to bring out the best performance possible. Rex studied with the reknown Glenn Randall (the trainer of Trigger and many other famous horses) for many years, and it was at Glenn’s farm where he met Alois Podhajsky , the Chief of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, who traveled from Europe to study with Glenn. Rex learned then that all trainers, no matter what their discipline seek the ability to ride from lightness.

Each horse and rider will work with Rex to develop better communication, understanding and performance. If you are interested in solving your horses behavior problem, breaking a youngster, teaching your horse new tricks or simply want to improve the communication with your your horse, contact Windrock Farm to sign up or email cari@cariswanson.com

Imported Andalusian from Spain is the perfect gentleman. Duende which means Gobelin, is a lovely horse with excellent ground manners and tons of fun to ride. He loves riding out cross country, as well as working his movements in the ring. Anyone can learn a great deal from this amazing soul.

All of the great riding masters emphasize the classic riding position. Eyes up, heels down, hands in front of the withers…this is the most effective way to ride and beautiful to watch a talented rider allow his horse to perform with invisible aids.

As in any great design, form follows function. Having your heel down, for example, helps anchor your lower leg so that you can control your upper body. Keeping your reins short and positioned just in front of you allows for quick adjustments when the situation changes.

Have someone video tape your ride so you can analyze and improve your position. Riding is a never-ending learning experience, each horse is an individual and you must learn to feel what works best. Be flexible and patient.

Prepare for the eventing season with a solid show jumping training. Work on gymnastics to improve the quality of the jump and rhythm to the fences.
Save your horses jump for the competition, practice over cavaletti and poles. Develop a better eye to the jump, always look up and ride over the center of each jump. Be elastic in your seat and hands, work on lengthening and shortening strides between the jumps, and jump off turns.

Always consider your horse’s balance, rhythm, straightness and speed to the jump. By working over small jumps you can perfect your timing and skills while saving your horse for the competition.

Winsome Adante to be Honored in Official Retirement Ceremony at the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam

4047 IRON WORKS PARKWAY, LEXINGTON, KY 40511-8483
(859) 258-2472 (859) 231-6662 FAX
UNITED STATES EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION®
WWW.USEF.ORG

By Joanie Morris
High Performance Communications Manager
jmorris@usef.org

The only three-time winner of the CCI**** at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Eventing legend Winsome Adante will grace the Sheila C. Johnson Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington one final time. He will be honored by the Rolex Kentucky organizer Equestrian Events Inc. and his fans in an official retirement ceremony at the 2008 Event on Sunday, April 27.

Owned by Plain Dealing Farm in Scottsville, VA and ridden by Kim Severson, Winsome Adante is the only horse to win the nation’s only CCI**** more than once, and he is undefeated at the competition. Officially retiring him at Rolex Kentucky was the obvious choice.

“Dan,” as he is widely known, won the competition in 2002 and then went on to be an integral part of the Gold Medal winning team at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain later that year. He battled a bout of colic in 2003, sitting out most of the competition season, but returned with a vengeance in 2004 and won the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event again, making him a medal favorite for the looming Olympics. He delivered on the expectation, winning Individual Silver and Team Bronze Medals in Athens, Greece.

April of 2005 brought him back to Lexington where he won the CCI**** again as the overwhelming favorite, decimating the rest of the field and winning by an incredible17 points. He led from the start and was the only horse to finish on his dressage score. He went on to represent his country again at the 2006 World Equestrian Games and was third in his first attempt at the Badminton CCI**** in England in the spring of 2007.

It was after an injury sustained in 2007 that Plain Dealing Farm’s Linda Wachtmeister, in consultation with Severson and his veterinarians, decided that due to a suspensory injury in a hind leg, it was in Dan’s best interest to retire him. The English Thoroughbred gelding is 15 years old and will live out his retirement in the field at Plain Dealing Farm.

The formal retirement ceremony will take place just prior to the beginning of the Jumping Test of the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam.

The Horse will examine the powerful and continuing relationship between the horse and humans. The exhibition will explore the origins of the horse family, extending back over more than 50 million years; examine early interactions between horses and humans that led to horse domestication; and see how horses have, over time, changed warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports, and many other facets of human life. The Horse showcases spectacular fossils and cultural objects from around the world—including many from the Museum’s extraordinary collections. This exhibition will include videos, computer interactives, hands-on activities, and touchable casts.

“The American Museum of Natural History has long focused its research and outreach efforts on the interactions between humans and the natural world, between science and society,” said Museum President Ellen V. Futter. “In keeping with that tradition, The Horse will celebrate this magnificent animal while presenting one of the most fascinating stories in the history of life on Earth—the close and complex relationship between horses and humans. The exhibition will show how the two species have influenced each other through the ages and explore the integral role the horse has played in the history of humanity and civilization.”

The Horse will showcase spectacular fossils and cultural objects from around the world-including many from the Museum’s extraordinary collections. Highlights include a diorama of horse evolution, the horse in art from the Paleolithic to the present, horse gear and armor from 15th-century Germany, and a horse-drawn fire engine from the 19th century. The exhibition also examines exciting new archaeological discoveries concerning the domestication of the horse and the role of horses in sport from early forms of fox hunting to modern polo, the Triple Crown, and the Olympics.

Numerous interactive stations throughout the exhibition will invite visitors to measure their strength in horsepower; examine different gaits of a horse by looking through a zoetrope—a device that turns still images into moving ones—based on photos by famous 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge; and to learn about the latest developments in the study of horse biology and the role of the horse in modern society. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are introduced to unusual objects and asked to identify them, including such items as a Roman horse shoe, a stirrup, a bit ornament, and a whip used in buzkashi—a sport on horseback played in Central Asia.

Effective immediately are many new rules for eventing. It is the responsibility of the rider to know the rules of competition, they can be viewed on the web site www.useventing.com Here is a sample of one of the new rules:

TECHNCIAL ELIMINATION = TE

“Technical Elimination” is a term now adopted for use at recognized horse trials effective immediately. Abbreviated as “TE” for the score sheets, technical elimination is to define an error strictly related to the actions of the rider; such as, but not limited to: entering the arena with prohibited saddlery; prohibited dress, missing a jump, mandatory flag or finish line, etc.

As with any final decision, is it at the discretion of the Ground Jury, in consultation with the Technical Delegate, if the term “TE” should be applied - it is very important for the event personnel responsible for noting infractions to be very specific in their explanation of said infraction. This information will enable the officials to properly assess and inform the scorers what to apply to a rider’s score and, ultimately their performance record. Note: This new definition does not replace the definition and term elimination (E) used to determine the disobedience of a horse during competition.

Cassie is a 12 year old, 17 hand mare who loves to event. She is a fun horse to be around, has excellent gaits and is ready to take a confident rider around any training course and move up to Prelim. Cassie is a special horse with tremendous talent and heart to be your next partner.

The mission of Dressage 4 Kids is the following: To encourage riders under 21 to become true horsemen with correct position, competitive skills, and knowledge of all aspects of riding and horse care; to offer scholarships to enable competitors to further their education; to have fun and develop good sportsmanship throughout.

I highly recommend all riders under 21 take advantage of this tremendous opportunity to learn more about riding and their horses. The event will be held in Saugerties, NY at the Hits showgrounds (www.hitsshows.com) and will be July 18-20.

Visit the web site, www.dressage4kids.com for information on upcoming clinics and seminars. There is also a reading list of books that are excellent.

Plan on attending the Aiken Event Horse Sale! We hope you will make time on your calendar Wednesday and Thursday February 20-21, 2008 to attend two great days of horse shopping in the United States’ fastest growing horse country, Aiken, South Carolina. Our goal is to bring together event horse sellers and buyers in one convenient, enjoyable setting that is conducive to doing a little business.

We have enlisted the help and input of a truly experienced group of eventing professionals from different backgrounds and geographic locales. Our thanks go to dedicated committee members, Lara Anderson, Stephie Baer, Mara Dean, Helen Delacroce, Phillip Dutton, Holly Hepp, Zeb Fry, Nadeem Noon, and Sharon White, for their assistance in planning this event!

In the course of my career as a horseman, I have had the pleasure of selling many very nice horses. A handful have gone on to be superstars in the sport at the highest level, many have gone on to be superstars in the hearts and minds of their owners. Regardless of the individual horse, there has always been pleasure for me in seeing the right horse end up with the right rider. It’s our hope that the Aiken Event Horse Sale can help make that happen, as surely truer words were never spoken than that “the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.”

check out www.aikeneventhorsesale.com

-Craig Thompson