A bit of a quiet weekend for Eventing, but we still enjoyed seeing some action at Bouckaert, Shepherd Ranch, and Town Hill! Were still waiting for Town Hill results to come in, but take a look at these results and this social recap as we celebrate these Weekend Winners!Wed also like to give an extra shout out to the winner of our Unofficial Low Score Award, Tamra Smith and Kareena K, who finished on a 17.9 to secure the win in the Open Training at Shepherd Ranch. Congrats!Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. International (Fairburn, GA) [Website][Scoring] View this post on InstagramA post shared by Halite Creative (@halite_creative)CCI 4*S: Dana Cooke and FE Quattro (38.8)CCI 3*S: Devon Brown and Hickstead (32.0)CCI 2*S: Katie Malensek and Valeska (30.5)CCI 1*S: Vanessa Stevenson and Virgo (32.8)Advanced: Matthew Ulmer and Wellview Mister Lux (58.3)Intermediate CT: Sallie Johnson and Fernhill DiCaprio (40.7)Open Intermediate: Nilson Moreira Da Silva and Elmo (40.6)Open Preliminary A: Alexander ONeal and Fernhill In Motion (32.1)Open Preliminary B: Alexander ONeal and BGK ARDEO VALENTINE (26.6)Preliminary Rider: Sterling Pollard and Ultra T (43.2)Modified Rider: Elizabeth Vaughn and Kendji du Haut du Roy (31.5)Open Modified: Karl Slezak and Ardeo On Point (29.3)Open Training: Lara Roberts and Fernhill Show Biz (21.4)Training CT: Malin Eriksson and Ardeo Illusion (30.8)Training Rider: Kate Brown and Coulson (35.9)Novice CT: Elizabeth Zuelke and Fernhill Simba (37.2)Novice Rider: Ella Bratti and Fernhill Valentino (34.2)Open Novice: Alexandra Knowles and Blacklist (24.7)Beginner Novice CT: Madeline Brechtel and Fernhill Sinatra (40.6)Beginner Novice: Kamran Fatehdin and Fernhill So Miguel (24.7)Open Beginner Novice: Julie Richards and Fernhill Next Star (33.8) View this post on InstagramA post shared by Gabby Dickerson Eventing (@gabbydickersoneventing) View this post on InstagramA post shared by Maya Clarkson (@clarkson.equestrian)Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. II (Santa Ynez, CA) [Website][Scoring] View this post on InstagramA post shared by Lucinde van Brakel (@lucindevanbrakel)Intermediate/Preliminary: Sarah Cullum and Rebels Lancelot (24.0)Open Preliminary: Molly Duda and Disco Traveler(31.9)Preliminary/Training: Camille Batoy and Femme Fatale WE(55.2)Open Training: Tamra Smith and Kareena K (17.9)Training Rider: Amy Parker and HSH Redfield Kazou (25.5)Training/Novice: Elsa Warble and FE Kyoto (33.8)Novice Rider Provisional Scores: Dede McCoy and Dune DeHeir (27.9)Open Novice: Meghan Lewis and Rayastrada (30.0)Novice/Beginner Novice: Katy Vataha and Tango BF (80.9)Beginner Novice Rider Provisional Scores: Annalise Gudiksen and Western Sky VE (32.2)Open Beginner Novice Provisional Scores: Lisa Sabo and Summerwood Clover Rua (32.8)Grasshopper Provisional Scores: Taryn Edwards and Island Time! (23.8)Open Introductory Provisional Scores: JESSIE KLUBBEN and Simon Says (21.7)YEH-4 Year-old Provisional Scores: Andrea Baxter and MBF Dig Deep (82.0)YEH-5 Year-old Provisional Scores: Elsa Warble and FE Kyoto (89.8) View this post on InstagramA post shared by Danielle McKinley (@dani_mckinley)Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, CT) [Website][Scoring] View this post on InstagramA post shared by CSHT (@coffinsporthorsetraining) View this post on InstagramA post shared by remington_sharp_eventing (@remington_sharp_eventing)

New Research From Zoetis and the University of Pennsylvania looked at the effectiveness of the Pro-Stride APS equine regenerative medicine device for the alleviation of acute synovitis.The post Pro-StrideAPS Device Shown to Offer Protection Against Synovitis in Horses appeared first on The Horse.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Defender Blair Castle Horse Trials (@blairhorsetrials)Saying goodbye is hard to do, and even harder when you know its the final time. Scotlands emblematic event, the Defender Blair Castle International, is no more following its culmination yesterday, as the estate will now be used for regenerative farming, and Scotlands premier event will be a new fixture at Scone Palace from next summer. But what a thrill for the final hurrah to end up with a win for Wills Oakden, who is one of Scotlands few top-level professionals, and who has now won the 2*, 3*, and 4* in consecutive years on the same horse, Keep It Cooley. A fitting farewell to a wonderful event and a big thank you to the team of organisers and volunteers whove made this such a special part of the eventing world for so long.US Weekend Action:Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. International (Fairburn, GA):[Website] [Results]Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. II (Santa Ynez, CA):[Website] [Results]Town Hill Farm H.T. (Lakeville, CT):[Website][Results]UK International Results:Blair Castle International (Perthshire, Scotland):[Website][Results]European International Round-Up:FEI Junior and Young Rider European Championships (Strzegom, Poland): [Results]Lisgarvan House International (County Carlow, Ireland):[Website][Results]Your Monday Reading List:That win for Wills Oakden at Blair couldnt have been a more fitting finale.Horse & Houndcaught up with him to find out more about the exciting nine-year-old Keep It Cooley and unpack his thoughts on what comes next following the sad loss of this much-loved event.This is an interesting investigative piece on Alicia Dickinson, who has been alleged to be though denies being the whistleblower in the Charlotte Dujardin scandal.Just to be very clear here, I dont subscribe to the notion that a dodgy alleged whistleblower means that the severity of the scandal itself is diminished I think if theres something to whistleblow, thats a big problem in its own right and the focus on it shouldnt be sidetracked. But the separate story thats now unfolding about the seemingly dodgy business practices around Dickinson is interesting and worth following through if only to bring more awareness to some of the less savoury consumer models that exist in our largely unregulated industry.What is your understanding of good hands?If its perfectly still, totally quiet hands, then you might be missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. This piece onCOTHmakes for great reading and will help you level up your rides this week.Morning Viewing:Catch up on all the Young Rider cross-country action from the European Championships here.

The mare lived in Clark County and was euthanized. The post Unvaccinated Wisconsin Mare Tests Positive for WNV appeared first on The Horse.

Gem Twist was argueably one of the most famous show horses of all time. Even if your non-horsie friends might know him, although not for his show record. They might know him because he was cloned. In a marvel of how far science has come, he was able to be cloned two years after his death in order to continue his incredible bloodline.He was an extremely accomplished show jumper, bred from a line of great show horses. And, although it wasnt unheard of back then, in todays warmblood world, he stands out as being a purebred thoroughbred.Purpose Bred ThoroughbredThese days its pretty rare for a thoroughbred to be specifically bred to be a showjumper. Today most thoroughbreds out in the world were former racehorses, now moving on in their second careers.But in the 70s, it was a different vibe. Not just from the disco (or maybe related?) but thoroughbreds were concerned the main sporthorses in America. The European warmblood invasion hadnt really happened yet, and many warmbloods at the time were more of the clunky Volkswagen type. They didnt evolve into their current form until much later.But even if thoroughbred sporthorse breeding was more common, this wasnt just any run of the mill thoroughbred breeder. This was the legendary Frank Capot, 6 time Olympian, the USAs Chef dequipe for over 20 years, and recipient of the United States Equestrian Federations Lifetime Achievement Award. This was a man who knew his stuff.In 1979, his most famous horse, Gem Twist, was born.BreedingGem Twist was sired by Good Twist, and this was a stallion the Chapots used many times. There was a good reason for it Good Twist earned the American Horse Show Associations Green Jumper Championship in 1965 and went on to win over twenty classes in North America and Europe as a member of the USET.He was also just a little thing, only 15.1. Dont discount the little ones!Gem Twists dam was Coldly Noble, a thoroughbred that unfortunately there isnt a lot of data on. She may have raced, with three starts, and no placings, but she was also a showjumper. Her main claim to fame is being the mother of Gem Twist.Theres a high likelihood that Gem Twist was not immediately recognized as great. He was gelded, so they didnt think they were going to be breeding him. This was likely a decision that they regretted for a long time.The ridersFrank CapotAfter being brought into the world by Frank Chapot, it was only natural that he was also trained by Frank Chapot. Chapot was Gems only trainer throughout his life, and he set him up for success.When it was time for him to begin competing, the search begin for the rider.Greg BestWhen Gem Twist begin his competition career as a 6 year old, he was a rookie. Greg Best was also a rookie, and the two ended up together. Gem Twist did their first Grand Prix together all the way to their first Olympics, the 1988 Games in Seoul. They earned 2 silver medals.They continued to compete together, winning numerous events and earning the Horse of the Year title twice. In 1990, he was named the Worlds Best Horse, at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm.Gem Twist was on track for the next Olympic Games in Barcelona when he surprised everyone by refusing a jump three times. He was eliminated from the section process.Leslie Burr HowardGem Twist was on his way to earning a third Horse of the Year title when another surprise popped up. But this time it was Greg Best he fell and broke his shoulder, requiring multiple surgeries. A new rider had to be found, and that rider was Leslie Burr Howard. Best believed that he and Leslie rode very similarly, making her a perfect replacement.Leslie spoke about being intimidated at first riding Gem, as he was already a famous horse. But from her first ride, she realized he was an amazing horse to ride.At their first competition, everyone was watching Leslie, comparing her ride to Bests. The news media, in an early version of the modern reaction video and not being subtle at all, had a camera stationed inches from Bests face to record his reaction as she rode. He remained mostly expressionless, but his face erupted in a huge smile as she rode him clean. They placed second, and this gave Gem Twist his third Horse of the Year title.Leslie was cemented as Gem Twists new rider. She continued to compete on him. At one memorable show, the USET Show Jumping Championship in 1994, Leslie tied with herself for 1st place, riding both Gem Twist and Charisma.Leslie continued riding Gem Twist for the next two years, but after they qualified for the World Equestrian Games, Gem had a setback he got an infection while at the games, putting him out of that competition, and requiring a lengthy year long recovery.Laura ChapotLaura Chapot, Franks daughter, helped rehabbing Gem. In 1995, when Gem was well enough to compete again, Laura was offered the ride.Still being young, Laura said she didnt realize just how incredible it was to be offered the ride. We got to know each other when I was rehabbing him after his injury. I never anticipated that I would ride him. It was a bit of a surprise but at the same time, I dont know if I felt as much pressure as I would now because I was young and naive. It was exciting to have the opportunity to do it and he was such a spectacular horseLaura and Gem got along well, as Laura had grown up riding other Twist horses, so she was used to their way of going. She found immediate success, winning their first Grand Prix that year. Laura rode him for the next year until his retirement.Being such a famous horse, he got a retirement ceremony worthy of a celebrity. On November 1, 1997, at a ceremony at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden, Gem Twist was formally retired.For the next 9 years, Gem lived on the Chapots farm, still going down to Florida for WEF. On November 18, 2006, Gem Twist was euthanized as he was struggling to recover from a pulled muscle. He was 27 years old. Just a week before he was still being ridden.CloningThe year is 2080. Robots have taken over the human race, and laser shoot out from random machines. Humans are kept in jars, so the robots can harvest their DNA to clone their favorites. Also the jars shoot lasers. It turned out the future really loves lasers.But much earlier than that, the first steps are being taken with genetics, and the creation of life. It started in the late 1800s when a scientist created identical twins from a sea urchin embryo. Over 100 years later, in 1996, scientists cloned the first mammal, the sheep named Dolly. From there, it didnt take long for the personal requests to come in. In 2001, the first beloved pet was cloned, a cat named CC. And in 2008, the first clone of Gem Twist was born.Gemini CLHe was named Gemini CL, and lived with the Chapots. Despite the identical DNA, he only grew to 15.2, which caused a theory to start that the original Gem Twist had been bitten by a radioactive spider in order to reach his height of 16.2hh. (That was me, I started that rumor.)*Note: The final height in horses can be influenced by the dam. Even if the DNA is identical, they are still attached to the surrogate, which effects the development of the embryo.Gemini CL was used for breeding, although any thoroughbreds born to him cannot be registered with the Jockey Club, possibly because they dont allow artificial insemination, but also possibly because they are trying to take a stand against our eventual fall to our robot overlords (probably the earlier one, though.)Gemini CL was exported from the US to the Netherlands, where he continues to stand at stud, and hes been a busy boy, as there are 217 offspring listed as of 2023.Murkas GemThe Chapots liked the original and the clone so much, they had scientists do their voodoo magic and made a second clone in 2011. This one was sold to a new owner though, and moved to Europe. He now spends his days breeding mostly warmblood mares.Gem Twist Alpha ZThe Chapots continued their ploy for world domination by way of Gem Twist clones by creating yet another Gem Twist clone in 2012. He, too, was born in the US but ended up being spent to Belgium to stand stud.Although I joke about the cloning, it really is incredible that this bloodline was able to be revived and continue on. Gem Twist was an incredible horse, and his clones seem to possess his freakishly good abilities and intelligence.Although all of these studs are in Europe, they all ship worldwide. Which means that you too could have your very own Gem Twist clone offspring. (Or you could just purchase one of the hundreds of babies that have been born too, I guess. But I hope you saved up, one foal reportedly sold for $23k, another for $33k). Some of the offspring have gone on to compete in FEI competitions so the talent is there.Gem Twist was a remarkable horse, and a testament to how great a thoroughbred can be. In these days of warmbloods, its great to see what an outstanding example of a thoroughbred can be. Itll be interesting to see how his cloned bloodline continues. I dont know enough about the science behind it to know, but will there be complications in future generations as a result of the cloning? Will future competitions allow genetically modified horses in competition? Will we eventually have genetically engineered horses right next to the humans in jars?Obviously I wont know, because Ill probably be long gone before then (very unlikely I would survive the robot wars). But it will be very interesting to see what the future holds. This is just the beginning of this kind of science impacting horses.The post Gem Twist, the Legend appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

New studies look at the effects of NSAID use on the output of Pro-Stride APS and Restigen PRP.The post Research From the University of Pennsylvanias New Bolton Center Informs the Use of NSAIDs Alongside Regenerative Medicine Devices appeared first on The Horse.

The horse lived in Boone County and was euthanized. The post Missouri Horse Positive for WNV appeared first on The Horse.

The filly lives in Latimer County. The post Oklahoma Filly Positive for WNV appeared first on The Horse.

The horse lived in Lapeer County and was euthanized. The post Michigan Horse Positive for EEE appeared first on The Horse.