Galway Downs Equestrian Center

Sponsor Spotlight – Feeding to Improve Your Horse’s Topline

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by Marty Adams, PhD, PAS – Cargill Technical Services Equine Nutritionist

The topline of the horse refers to the muscle cover over the top of the horse’s neck, back and rump, specifically the withers, back, loin and croup. Show and performance horses require strong toplines to provide balance and strength for racing, jumping and dressage.

Many factors contribute to the horse’s topline or lack of it; including genetic conformation, age, exercise, diseases (gastric ulcers and Cushing’s Disease, for example) and chronic back pain (kissing spine, poor saddle fit, vertebral sublaxation, arthritis, etc.).

Nutritional factors include body condition because, as the amount of fat tissue increases, it will add depth to the horse’s topline as well. However, if we provide enough calories to maintain a body condition of 5.0 or more in a horse that is in regular work, and don’t supply enough quality protein, the topline can be inadequate to provide optimal muscular performance.

Protein’s Role

Protein quality is dependent upon the amount of essential amino acids that it contains. The three most important, or “limiting,” amino acids for the horse are lysine, threonine and methionine.

Growing horses and horses in work need more of these amino acids for muscle growth and repair. They are called limiting amino acids because, if they are not provided in the diet, they can’t be synthesized at an adequate amount in the body and protein or muscle growth is limited.

Many mature horses in work are provided large amounts of hay and pasture, and many of these breeds or types, especially sport horses, are easy keepers. Adequate body condition can be maintained with these horses, but in many cases, topline can be improved with a simple feeding change.

The problem is that conventional horse feeds or concentrates are designed to meet nutrient requirements when fed at a minimal amount of 0.5% of body weight daily. Many sport horses, and other easy keeper breeds, are fed less than this amount because of their more efficient metabolism and large amounts of forage fed. This results in less than required amounts of amino acids, minerals and vitamins in the horse’s diet.

Ensuring Enough Amino Acids

This situation is more problematic for providing essential amino acids for the horse, because the digestion of protein or absorption of essential amino acids from forages is less than half as that for concentrates, resulting in inadequate essential amino acid intake.

Feeding a few pounds per day of a regular horse feed won’t provide adequate essential amino acids for many active horses, and a good topline will not be achieved.

The way to ensure an adequate supply of essential amino acids is to include a diet balancer in your horse’s diet. Diet Balancers are designed to meet the protein, mineral and vitamin requirements when fed at small amounts along with only forage (hay and pasture).

They are recommended for easy keepers, horses requiring a feeding program for weight reduction, and as a way to fortify the diet if a concentrate is fed at less than the recommended amount. The minimum feeding rate is 1 pound per 1,000-lbs body weight per day. Replacing one pound daily of your regular horse feed with one pound of a diet balancer will help to provide the required amount of essential amino acids to your horse’s diet, and you should see an improvement in topline in a few months.

ProElite® Options

ProElite® Horse Feeds include Grass Advantage and Alfalfa Advantage Diet Balancers. These two products are designed to meet all nutrient requirements of your horse with a low minimum feeding rate of 1 pound per 1,000 pounds of body weight, for active horses increase to 1.5 to 2,5 pounds per day depending on activity level and desired topline.

ProElite® Topline Advantage is a supplement that can be fed in addition to a regular concentrate and has an even greater protein and amino acid content, with a feeding rate to 8 to 16 ounces per day, according to activity level.

These products contain high levels of guaranteed amino acids and will provide a significant improvement in your horse’s topline in a few months.

Volunteer Spotlight – Kate Cummins

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Kate Cummins is one of those brave people who took up riding as an adult. Overcoming normal adult fears, she was happily “stunned” to get to Training Level with the encouragement and coaching of Kim Schied.

As a student of Kim’s at Spring Creek Training Center in Hemet, Kate was also indoctrinated to volunteer as something one simply does. No ifs, ands or buts.

“If you ride, you volunteer,” Kate recalls Kim stating. And she’s glad she did. Especially since she stopped riding herself.

“I changed from riding to other activities, including lots of travel. But after a few years I realized I really missed it. I realized that volunteering would enable me stay involved with it and connected to it.”

As a competitor, Kate volunteered as much as possible. Now, amid working part time as a nurse and traveling with her husband, she earmarks time to help out throughout the year. She always tries to be there for the big competitions – like the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs Oct. 30-Nov. 3.

A Different Perspective

No longer juggling volunteering with competing during a show day, Kate describes a different quality of appreciation for the benefits of giving her time to the sport. Although she admits to being slightly intimidated by dressage scribing, she has stepped into the judging booth to record scores and comments many times.

“It really gives you a different perspective from when you are sitting on the horse,” she says. “You start to learn what the judges are looking for and what makes a good test.”

The more Kate scribes, the more she realizes that it’s the simple things that “trip you up.”

She heard that message repeatedly while being coached as a rider, but it takes on new meaning while seeing how it affects the judge’s input. “It’s being precise – doing transitions and circles where you are supposed to do them.”

Reflecting on how she viewed judges’ notes on her own dressage tests, Kate wishes she’d spent more time looking at the comments and comparing them to those on past tests. “I wish that I had looked past the scores to see if the work I was putting in was actually paying off. I think the comments reflect things like is my seat getting better, are my hands steadier…”

“I wish that I had done more scribing when I was competing,” she shares. “You really learn a lot from it.” For those new to this volunteer role, she recommends asking the judge’s preferences in advance – how they like the comments written, what to do if the scribe misses a comment, etc. The majority of judges Kate has scribed for are gracious, and happy to share their knowledge and to clarify their expectations.

Watching Galway Grow

As a competitor and volunteer, Kate’s enjoyed a front row seat for Galway Downs’ evolution. “It’s gone from being a nice facility to being an event center that can probably hold its own against any venue anywhere.”

Volunteer organization and incentives are super, Kate reports. And having good friends in Volunteer Coordinator team members Bernie Low and Jerri Lance created an easy entry to this key component of Galway Downs’ success.

Kate is excited but not surprised about Galway Downs as the likely venue for 2024 Los Angeles Olympic equestrian competition. “I think about four years ago, I saw they had put up Olympic rings out on cross-country, and I thought then, ‘They must be going for it.’”

She’s already let the volunteer committee know she’d like to help in 2028. “Hey, I’ll empty the trash if I need to!”

Smoke Coping Strategies

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Minimizing exercise and maximizing hydration are keys to preventing smoke’s harmful effects.

What’s In Wildfire Smoke

Smoke comes in endless variations, depending on what is burned. In the case of wildfires that spread beyond forests and rangeland to consume homes and other structures, smoke is produced from burning wood, vegetation, plastic, building materials, furniture, vehicles and combustibles such as gas and oil.

Wildfire smoke can contain carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, among other chemicals, for example. Even the smoldering stages of a fire can be deadly – that’s when colorless, odorless carbon monoxide is produced in the greatest quantities. In high doses, carbon monoxide can be fatal.

Particulate matter from wildfire smoke is the greatest threat to our horse’s health.

Particulates are an airborne mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that are very small – less than five microns, smaller than the width of a human hair, which is typically 70 microns. Sub-micron particles are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs where they can cause damage even before any signs of respiratory distress become evident.

How Horses Are Affected

Horses show signs similar to humans, with irritated eyes and respiratory systems, compromised lung function and worsened conditions on the Equine Asthma Spectrum that ranges from Inflammatory Airway Disease to Recurrent Airway Obstruction, aka “heaves.”

Coughs, nasal discharge, wheezing and other breathing distress are signs to watch for.  If these indicators increase or persist, call your veterinarian for a professional diagnosis and treatment.

Not as widely discussed is the effect of particulates on the immune system. Particulates have been shown to alter the immune system. This reduces the lungs’ ability to remove inhaled materials like pollen and bacteria. Because horses are continually exposed to allergens outdoors as well as in the stable, an immune system compromised by wildfire particulates is a serious matter.

How to Help Your Horse

First of all, watch for clinical or behavioral signs that your horse needs treatment and don’t hesitate to call your vet. You know your horse better than anyone, and your equestrian instinct can be your horse’s best defense.

Keep exercise to a minimum. Avoid activities that increase smoky airflow into your horse’s lungs. You may note your horse being less active in his field or paddock, a sign that his horse sense tells him not to exert himself when it’s more difficult to breathe. Even if his horse sense hasn’t kicked in, be his advocate and refrain from normal activity until the air clears.

After a particularly intense period of smoke inhalation, it may take four to six weeks for your horse’s airway to heal. Give your horse the gift of time to heal. Exercising too soon could aggravate the condition of your horse’s lungs, delay healing and compromise future performance.

Experts familiar with the training and competition schedules of sport horses advise a return to exercise no sooner than two weeks after the atmosphere is clear of smoke. Monitor the Air Quality Index to know when it’s safe to exercise. The AQI’s six levels of ozone and particulate pollution are intended for humans, but are relevant for horses, too. If your horse has existing respiratory conditions, consider him to be in the “sensitive” category.

 
In the meantime, water is your horse’s friend. It keeps the horse’s airways moist and helps clear inhaled particulates from the airways. Dry airways encourage particulates to stay in the lungs and air passages. Because horses drink most of their water within two hours of eating hay, encourage water consumption by keeping fresh water close to where he eats.

Environmental improvements

Respiratory conditions affect a surprisingly high percent of active horses. Some estimates peg this number at 80% of all horses. Often, a horse can be struggling even without showing obvious symptoms when the problem is at its earliest and most treatable stage.

Reducing breathable dust in our horses’ environment is veterinarians’ #1 recommendation for preventing or managing respiratory problems year-round and in normal weather conditions. Bedding and hay are the main sources of dust in the stable. Low, or dust-free bedding, is a good option and soaking or steaming hay can help reduce respirable particles.

While it’s usually healthier for horses to live outdoors, the opposite is true when smoke is present. And the more time horses have to spend indoors, the more important it is to ensure the air their breathing is not posing more risks.

Bottom Line: 

Keep exercise to a minimum and hydration to a maximum. Watch for signs your horse is not feeling normal and keep an extra watch on horses with compromised respiratory and immune systems. If in doubt, call your vet.

Volunteer Spotlight – Lorraine Heath

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Newly located to Southern California in 2019, Lorraine Heath prioritized developing an equestrian community like what she’d enjoyed in eastern Washington. The dedicated horse owner, competitor and volunteer got settled in Hemet in October of that year and jumped into volunteering at Galway Down’s international event in November.

Lorraine was deeply entrenched in the horse community in Washington. She organized hunter/jumper and dressage shows and competed and volunteered at eventing competitions. Those experiences confirmed her conviction that eventing would not exist without volunteers. She helps consistently, even when she’s competing and handling all her own horse’s preparation and care.

Lorraine trains with Kim Scheid of Spring Creek Training Center, where volunteering is promoted as something every responsible eventer does. Period. End of story.

The Juggling Act

One of Galway Downs’ 2023 Power Volunteers, Lorraine notes that Bernie Low and her fellow volunteer committee members make it feasible for busy exhibitors to chip in.

“They are very accommodating. They know I won’t be there at the first crack of dawn because I already have a lot of experience in most of the positions. Or, often, I can’t do a whole half-day of volunteering if I’m competing. I know it’s more work for the coordinators to juggle that, but they do a great job making it easy for us competitors to volunteer.”

In addition to helping her sport, Lorraine knew that volunteering would quickly plug her into the Southern California horse scene. “I got to know the local equestrian community and meet horsey people,” she says. “Plus, I enjoy getting a front row seat to watch the sport.”

She enjoys several positions. Scribing for dressage judges at the highest level is always an education and inspiration, she notes. Scribing at her own level, currently Beginner Novice-Novice, is packed with learning opportunities, too.

Giving Back Feels Good

In late June, Lorraine even volunteered at the Sweetheart Horse Driving Trials staged at Galway Downs. She scribed for the cones course judge on Saturday and served as an obstacle judge on Sunday. “That was really fun and they did as good a job of welcoming volunteers as the Galway organizers do.”

It feels good to give back to the sport. If she’s managing the cross-country warm-up ring, for example, Lorraine enjoys “Helping people feel comfortable they are not going to miss their time. Or keeping everybody in the loop if something has changed.”

She knows from experience the frustration and nerve-wrackedness of having your horse ready to go for a set start time that gets delayed. Things happen, of course, but keeping competitors informed and on track helps ensure that misunderstandings or mistakes won’t be the cause of those delays.

“I see it from both sides,” she shares. “It drives me nuts when things are supposed to happen at a certain time, but they’re not because somebody is just not getting in gear. Then your horse who needed 15 minutes of warm-up is now getting 30 minutes.” She likes the usually precise timing of eventing competition. “You can plan your day and your life and there is less stress and you’re less tired.”

Hungarian Sport Horse Fan

Lorraine rides a Hungarian Sport Horse named TMAC HS Zane. The Hungarian Horse Association of American defines Zane as a “Hungarian Sportlo,” which means he’s crossbred – in Zane’s case with a Trakehner and a Thoroughbred in the Seattle Slew line.

Her previous horse was a pure-bred Hungarian, a “Felver,” mare, a rarity in the United States. A positive experience with that horse inspired Lorraine’s ongoing involvement with the North American breed organization and led her to Zane.

Partners for nearly four years, Lorraine and Zane are working on the step-up from Beginner Novice to Novice. The plan is to run the Classic Series at Ram Tap in October, then consider moving up.

A Helping Nature

Lorraine’s desire to help extends beyond the horse world.

She enjoyed a career in law enforcement for 25 years, as a civilian expert in forensic analysis. She moved to California to work for the San Bernardino Sherriff’s Department’s Crime Lab as a DNA technical leader.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease coincided with contemplating a career change. That led to starting a Seniors Helping Seniors franchise serving Hemet and the surrounding San Jacinto Valley areas.

Seniors Helping Seniors provides non-medical, in-home care – ranging from companionship and light housekeeping to personal care. The providers are seniors themselves, often retired from relevant professions and with plenty of experience, time and compassion to share.

“When I was considering all this, I wanted to see something that was more positive on a daily basis. My mom had Alzheimer’s, so I had senior care on my mind. Connecting independent seniors with those who need assistance is gratifying work.

“It can make a big difference being cared for by someone with similar challenges,” Lorraine explains. “You remember the same events and parts of history. Most people are not thrilled with having to ask for help, and having that help come from another senior can make it much more palatable and relatable.” 

(For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors, call Lorraine at 951 578 7950.)

Meet Our Officials – Malcolm Hook

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Malcolm Hook, aka “The Voice Of The West,” has been a fixture in US eventing for a long time. The announcer, controller and technical delegate has been at it long enough to remember asking his late brother-in-law, Pete Costello, “Why build an Advanced course when we don’ t have Advanced eventers out here in the West?”

The Field of Dreamsy answer to that was, in effect, “If you build it, they will come.”

Which they did. And Malcolm has enjoyed a front row seat for much of the sport’s significant changes around safety, sophistication and participation.

What hasn’t changed is the reassuring effect of Malcolm’s ever-present voice throughout the day.  ‘It’s funny. I get a lot of people – riders, coaches, parents – telling me they knew it was going to be OK when they heard my voice.’”

He’s reassuring in the moment and over eventing’s modern trajectory. His service to the sport included being an Area VII Chair and USEA Vice President. The Galway Downs regular has held key roles on many committees and continues to sit on a few, including the USEA course design safety committee and others.  

Malcolm and his wife, Julie Costello Hook, own Talisman Farm in Aurora, Oregon. Julie coaches, trains and hosts educational events. Malcolm manages behind-the-scenes tasks, juggling that with about 20-25 announcer/controller assignments and typically 2-3 technical delegate jobs per year.

He suggests that things in the control tower are not always as under control as his calm voice makes it sound. At national competitions, Malcolm often does double duty as controller and announcer. FEI competition rules don’t allow that.

Juggling Act

Indeed, the controller’s role is a lot on its own. Horse and rider safety are the controller’s priority. That involves communicating information to all exhibitors, officials, volunteers and show management, ensuring horses and riders get the attention they need when there’s an incident and monitoring all the components for a smooth flow of traffic on cross-country.

When everyone gets around without refusals or falls, and on a relatively normal pace, the controller’s job is relatively easy. When they don’t, the controller’s quick assessment of the situation and judgement are critical.

The controller monitors each horse’s progress based on the reports from the startbox and jump judges and visually for parts of the course that can be seen from the tower.

Typically, Malcolm has driven the course in a golf cart to understand where the obstacles and challenges are.  Stopping points where a pair would be held if needed are determined by the officials, and it’s the controller’s job to determine when that’s warranted.

“I find it very easy to keep track in my head of where people are because I’m announcing. I’ve just been talking about where a certain rider is. I just said, for example, ‘Rider 21 completed fence 15,’ so the commentary about what’s happening helps me track where they are on course.

“Controlling and announcing is a lot,” Malcolm continues. “It keeps me amused and I like to be busy.” Handling both tasks is a cost-saver for organizers, too, he adds.

Keeping track of riders is one thing. Keeping track of the three to five radios typically at his fingertips in the control booth is another matter. “My biggest problem is which radio I’m talking on. One is dedicated to veterinary and medical emergencies. Another is dedicated to the office. I’m typically using two channels at any moment. I have my moments… something like telling the fence judge at 7 to start the next rider! But I don’t dwell on those moments.”

After reporting on riders’ status all day, Malcolm admits he’s often stumped by his wife Julie’s end-of-the-day “who won” question. “I’ll get the start and finish time for 250 horses, update their scores and have an idea who appears to be the winner, then 20 minutes later I can’t remember!”

Tremendous Growth

“The growth of the sport has been tremendous,” he says. Going back to when Pete Costello suggested developing a circuit of Advanced level courses out West, Malcolm recalls Kevin Freeman being one of very few eventual Olympians to be based in the West.

“The fact that Tamie (Smith), Jil (Walton), Amy (Tryon) and Todd (Trewin) did that is really a big thing if you look at the demographics of the United States and the powerhouse areas being USEA II and III, and, earlier, Area I. The growth at the upper levels has fueled the lower levels as well, because without them, it would be very difficult to build the Advanced courses.”

He’s witnessed unforgettable moments. Like Bruce Davidson completing the Rolex (now Defender) Kentucky Three Day course in “an utter, horrible downpour and coming clear inside the time in a way you would not have known there was anything difficult about what he just did.”

Or any pair who flows through the track like “water flowing down hill,” Malcolm describes.
“It’s like you are looking at a stream going downhill and even if it’s a fairly steep run, over boulders, around rocks, the flow is effortless and appears inevitable.” Outings like that come up about 10 times a year, he guesses. They’re always a delight.

He has awe and appreciation for all. “I am impressed by anybody that will go out there and do this sport,” he says. “It’s something I can’t do. And the lower levels are really, for me, the center of the sport.”

“The upper levels are great,” he continues. “They are exciting and there is a lot of pageantry attached to it. But on a day-in, day-out basis, we can never overlook the lower levels. They’re the ones whose participation provides the money to build the courses that support the next Amy Tryon, the next Jil Walton, the next Todd Trewin or Tamie Smith, etc.”

Seeing young horses and riders advance up the levels is gratifying, too.

Looking ahead, Malcolm says he may opt out of the 2028 Olympic equestrian competition likely to be held at Galway Downs. He’ll be 81 by then and anticipates being ready to watch from afar.

“I am really pleased for Galway Downs, though, and especially for Robert Kellerhouse. It is a tremendous opportunity and, when looking at what else was available, really the only logical choice. It is going to be a huge boost to the sport.”