Back from my first live show!

Well, after almost ten years of collecting I finally made it to my first live show. I didn't get any 1st or 2nd placings but I did come home with nine ribbons at the end of the day. It was pretty amazing to meet fellow collectors. I've never actually met another model horse collector in person before today. Pretty pathetic, huh? :)

I did have a bit of confusion, due to a beginners mistake on my part. My custom Fresian had won a NAN card in a draft class before I bought him so that is how I intended on showing him. However, I was informed that Fresians should actually be in the carriage breed class. That class had already been judged but the judge was nice enough to let me put him in "other draft".

Peter Stone released a couple of horses at the show but none of them really struck my fancy. I did pick up a Texas Trinket though. I'll shoot some pictures once I get home but here is what she looks like.

Vet Explains What Happened To Theodore O’Connor

Vet Explains What Happened To Theodore O’Connor

Renowned veterinarian Kent Allen DVM, who attended to the devastating injuries of international event pony Theodore O’Connor yesterday morning, explained what happened and why he had to be euthanized.

Allen, who practices near the Middleburg, Va. base of Team O’Connor and is a long-time friend and veterinarian, shared the story with thehorse.com. Here’s what he said.

"Karen and David (O'Connor) would have done anything to let this little guy have a shot."

Allen described the accident as “a freak thing” and said, "The right thing to do was euthanize him."

"He spooked at something while being ridden and bolted," Allen said.

"The rider came off and the horse ran toward the barn. He got into a freak accident and slid into the side of the barn and lacerated his right hind leg about 4 inches above the fetlock on the back of the leg. It looked like a knife cut it; he severed the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons, ligaments, cut both branches of the arterial blood supply, and nerves. My experience with injuries like this are that the chances of reattaching the vascular supply and nerve supply and reattaching the tendons and ligaments is almost zero The horse was remarkably calm and let me examine him completely,” Allen noted.

"Realistically, there was nothing we could do," he said. Allen said two other veterinarians were there, and agreed with the decision to euthanize the pony.

Loss of Theodore O'Connor

What a sad loss for the O'Connors, eventing and the horse world in general. My thoughts are with Karen and David.

May 28, 2008
Statement from Karen and David O’Connor regarding Theodore O'Connor:

It is with great sadness that we must announce Theodore O'Connor - "Teddy" - was humanely euthanized today, May 28, 2008, after an injury sustained in an accident at the O'Connor farm.

The injury consisted of a severe laceration to the hind leg which severed tendons and ligaments alike, and was a direct result from Teddy slipping after he spooked and bolted. Our staff attended to his needs, and Dr. A Kent Allen was there to exam the horse before it was determined that the injury was irrecoverable and impairing to Teddy's quality of life. This is a devastating loss for O'Connor Equestrian, and we appreciate all the prayers, support, thoughts, and sympathy during this difficult time.

Condolences may be sent to Karen and David O'Connor, Teddy's groom Max Corcoran, his breeder P.Wynn Norman, and the rest of his owners in the Theodore O'Connor Syndicate via email at teddy@oconnoreventteam.com.

Congress Joins Horse Racing Debate

I've been struggling with keeping my opinions out of the whole horse racing issue. The Eight Bells tragedy is still fresh in my mind and I hope she wasn't lost for naught. For now, I'll still to posting news stories as they develop.

Congress joins debate on racing, thoroughbred troubles
House panel to study drugs, breakdowns and breeding
By Andrew Wolfson • awolfson@courier-journal.com • May 24, 2008

First, it was steroids in baseball. Now Congress is turning its attention to the horse racing business.
Citing concerns that "leading officials in the sport" have failed to address longstanding concerns over the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses, a House panel has demanded that state racing commissions provide information on breakdowns, drug use and breeding.
Saying the public demise of Eight Belles in this year's Kentucky Derby shows that the "thoroughbred breed has become increasingly fragile," the leaders of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection say they want answers by June 2.
The panel expects to hold a hearing sometime next month on the state of horse racing in the United States, said Kristin Walker, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, its ranking minority member. Whitfield and subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, made their demands in a letter sent this week to the Lexington-based Association of Racing Commissioners International, which represents 44 jurisdictions.

They ask the organization to identify by name every trainer who has been sanctioned for medication infractions during the past five years and for a list of the nature and severity of the injuries of every horse over that period.

They also ask if the racing commissioners would favor a comprehensive tracking system for track-related thoroughbred injuries and if they would support a central national body to govern horse racing, such as the one in the United Kingdom.

The letter does not reveal how the information will be used, but it does say that "we believe Congressional oversight should play a role in determining whether the special status of the sport under federal law is still warranted."

In 1978, Congress enacted the Interstate Horseracing Act, allowing racetracks to televise their races to off-track locations for wagering, then amended it in 2002 to allow wagering at home over the phone and Internet.

Alex Waldrop, chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said yesterday that the "health and safety of our horses is a top priority for the thoroughbred racing industry, and we do appreciate Congressmen Rush's and Whitfield's interest in our sport."

He said he believes the commissioners' group will cooperate fully with the request. Waldrop said the NTRA supports an injury-reporting system but opposes a federal racing commission because there are already groups like his own and the commissioners' association to promote uniform regulations nationally.

"We believe that states are the right places to govern these issues," he said.
Waldrop testified before the subcommittee in February, when it examined how drug use in various sports, including horse racing, was affecting safety and the integrity of competition.
The congressmen's letter says that "many, if not most, racing experts believe that the thoroughbred breed has become increasingly ... incapable of withstanding ... the rigors of dirt racing on the track."

It cites charges that breeders are "biologically engineering horses to run very fast at a very early stage in their lives at the expense of long-term durability," and the use of race-day medications that allow unsound horses to compete and pass on their genetic infirmities to their offspring.
Officials with the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, Racing Commissioners International and Churchill Downs could not be reached for comment.

My First Live Show!

I know...I've been a really bad blogger. I've just been so busy with work and school and everything else in my life. Good news is that I more than likely will be going to my first live show this weekend. I'm really looking forward to showing off some of the customs that I've accumulated lately. I'm waiting to hear back from the show holder to see if I can still get in. I'll be sure to post a full report if I do. :)