Is It Autumn Yet?

We are almost through August! Mentally, if I make it to Labor Day, I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I know that the worst is behind. The days are still wicked hot, but the nights start to cool down and there is a crispness in the morning air as I feed breakfast to everyone.

It has been a brutal summer and Chance, my adopted OTTB, quit sweating a few weeks ago. Yes, the one who also received over 50 sutures in his hind leg. That one! I have started him on a regiment that my equine bodyworker suggested, and he is getting hosed off….alot! He loves to be hosed off, and comes and stands by the hose bib when he is ready. This means he is getting sprayed with a hose just about every hour that he is outside from 7am until lunch time at 1:00, beginning at 10am. I will even hose him down when he is in his stall during the afternoon if he is looking uncomfortable. I have heard so many instances this summer of horses who have quit sweating and even found a support group on FaceBook for horses with Anhydrosis.

In other news, you have probably heard that the USEF took action against Cesar Parra. In a news release, the USEF stated that they were supporting the FEI Tribunal’s decision that imposed a 15 year suspension of Parra, after videos surfaced of him abusing horses in his care. The suspension began on February 2, 2024 and continues through 2039. Parra was also fined $15,000 and ordered to pay legal fees of $10,000.

It is disgusting to me that it took a year and a half for the USEF to take action. It is an abomination that nowhere in the rules of a governing body for equestrian sports, is there a rule in place allowing the USEF to take action on welfare issues which happen outside of sanctioned events. Thankfully, the FEI does have a rule in place which allows them to investigate such allegations. How many other horses have been abused by Parra in the time that it took to issue this ruling? But sadly, despite this ruling, he will still have clients who flock to him, just as Helgstrand had clients attending clinics at his farm in Wellington, despite the horrible videos that surfaced of his beating horses at his farm and his short-lived suspension.

The USEF eventually passed rule GR838, which expands their jurisdiction to include the unethical treatment of horses that occur both on and off the grounds of a Federation competition. For a governing body of equestrian sport, this should have been done at the inception of the USEF.

According to Piper Klemm of The Plaid Horse, the rule book for the USEF is over 1200 pages! And this doesn’t include the separate rulebook for drugs and medications. As Klemm sat in on a USEF/USHJA Town Hall meeting recently, she noted the disconnect that the Federation has not only with its members, but within itself. She stated that the rulebook is hard to understand and even the leadership were unable to explain the rules. As a result, there is a lot of finger pointing and blaming, from trainers to stewards to competitors. Rules are ignored or contradicted with no repercussions. You can read her full article here: Let's Make it Easy to Follow the Rules - The Plaid Horse Magazine

The mission statement of the USEF states the following: “To provide access to and increase participation in equestrian sports at all levels by ensuring fairness, safety, and enjoyment.” It seems to me that somewhere in that statement there should be something about ensuring the safety and mental and physical welfare of the horses.

In other news….

My book anniversary was August 15, and if you read my last blog, then you knew I was running a contest for subscribers. Congratulation to Lindsey in Maryland who won a signed copy of Common Sense Horse Keeping, as well as copies of my Common Sense Horse Keeping Barn Book, Health Records and Pasture Management journals! I also gave out copies of the journals at a recent Ravin’ Riders meeting. The Ravin’ Riders, a Florida chapter of the Old People's Riding Club hosted my first book signing event last year and I wanted to thank them for their support!

I will be speaking again at North America's Premier Equestrian Exposition - Equine Affaire in November! This time I will be speaking on Disaster Planning and How to Be a Good Boarder! I have always loved this event, having attended for many years when I was the U.S. rep for Hilton Herbs. I will also be set up with a group of wonderful horse book authors in the Better Living Building. We will have a booth to sell books and do book signings. Look for details as we get closer to the event! This year will be especially exciting as my daughter and son-in-law will have a booth for their horse show software company, Pegasus.

Also, in the big news department, I have officially joined TikTok! You can find me there at:

For those of you in the north, enjoy the last few weeks of your summer. For those of us in the brutal south...hang in there, fall is around the corner!

Don’t forget to hug your horse!

Lori