News

NEAR THE HORSE PARK
Free, Guided Nature Walks Offered
At Big Haynes Creek Nature Center

CONYERS, GA--inexpensive family fun is readily available this fall with free, guided nature walks on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at the Big Haynes Creek Nature Center located within the Georgia International Horse Park.

            The city of Conyers is partnering with a local University of Georgia certified Master Naturalist, Cindy Roesel, to offer free, guided nature walks of the Big Haynes Creek Nature Center.  The walks will take place on Saturdays this fall:  Sept. 24, October 8, Oct. 22 and Nov. 12 starting at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Nature Center, located just off of Centennial Olympic Parkway. 

            Participants should be able to walk three miles at a moderate pace and they are encouraged to bring water and bug spray.  Participants are also encouraged to wear long pants and sturdy walking shoes.  The nature walk will last approximately two hours.         

            “Ms. Roesel’s enthusiasm for the Nature Center and offering to lead these nature walks for the public to experience the beauty of this protected area is very generous,” said Director of the Georgia International Horse Park Jennifer Bexley.

            The Big Haynes Creek Nature Center is 173 acres of land within the Georgia International Horse Park that is a dedicated nature preserve for the preservation and study of native plants and wildlife.  The Nature Center boasts more than five miles of trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riding enthusiasts and is open daily from dawn to dusk. 

            The installation of discovery kiosks, audio stations, conservation stations and touch stations along the Nature Center’s green trail is the latest investment the city has made in the Big Haynes Creek Nature Center.  The trail takes visitors along the banks of the wetlands through small fields of ferns to the boardwalk on the northern end of the wetlands that was constructed last year.

            “If these nature walks are popular, we’ll consider partnering with Ms. Roesel again to offer the community more guided tours in the future,” said Ms. Bexley.  “This is an excellent way to take advantage of the natural landscape here in Conyers while learning something new along the way.”

            For more information on the Big Haynes Creek Nature Center or the free nature walks, please visit www.visitconyersga.com or call 770-860-4190. Reservations for the nature walk are suggested, but not required.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ATLANTA CONNECTION—German breeder, Paul Schockemöhle and his wife, Bettina, proudly show off their recent acquisition, world champion dressage  stallion, Moorlands Totilas, at their farm in Vechta, Germany.  The Schockemöhles are long-time friends of Martin and Brigitte Richenhagen of Duluth, GA.  Georgia breeder Sherry Smith has purchased a breeding to Totilas for a mare at her farm, Dogwood Sport Horses, in Mansfield, and is hoping for a foal here in the spring of 2012. Totilas, ridden by Dutchman Edward Gal, is considered to be one of the most outstanding competitive dressage horses in the world, the first horse to score above 90% in dressage competition, and the current holder of the world record for the highest dressage score in Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage. Totilas has been given a new rider, 26-year-old German Matthias Alexander Rath, stepson of Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, former German dressage star.  (Photo by Stephan Pick)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

A Tribute to Nancy Ferebee

 

Dr. Nancy Ferebee died Feb. 18, 2011. These testimonials are submitted by members of The Good Horseman Foundation of which Nancy is a member.   These vignettes were written by those members who are closest to her: Anne Pagel, a German rider who has moved to Alpharetta,  who has been given  the charge of the care and exercise of Nancy's three prized stallions; Karen McGoldrick, GHF's director at large; Sandy Osborn, an FEI-level rider who helped train Nancy's stallions; Susanne Lauda, another German rider with connection to the German verbands; Ann Genovese, GHF director and long-time friend; and GHF member Maisie Compton, former President of  GADA (now known as GDCTA) and an active Pony Club organizer, and her daughter, Ada Holley, who is following in her mother's Pony Club foot steps.

Anne Pagel

.

There is Benno’s Dream (left), the boss of the three stallions, whose charm and charisma really impress me every single day.      And there is FS Daily Hero (center) who would do everything for Nancy if he only could sit on her lap.      Plus, there is Chicco B (right),  the most talented and intelligent horse I have ever ridden.         It has been my honor to have known Nancy for almost a year now. She is such a wonderful woman that I feel I have known her for much longer.       When I first met her, she was looking for someone to ride her three fancy stallions at her beautiful farm in Alpharetta--someone with the same passion that she has for them. I was so thankful to have been given the opportunity to try and step somewhat into filling these large shoes. Nancy's generous spirit allows me to fulfill my passion of riding and taking care of her beloved horses. As I settled into my new country this made me feel very welcomed and helped me adjust to my new environment, at the same time enabling me to meet people that were all of a kindred spirit.        I recently received a lovely e-mail from her thanking me. I truly believe she sees that I share the same love and care for her horses in the same way she does. I cannot thank her enough for her generosity and advice that has been invaluable to me.        The strength she shows while thinking and taking care of others and her horses reflects what a beautiful and amazing woman Nancy is. It is truly a privilege to know her.

Karen McGoldrick

When I think of Nancy, I see her in my mind’s eye standing in her stable, surrounded by her “boys.”  That’s where I usually found her when I would come over to coach her rider, Anne Pagel.

Her barn is unusual.  There is no center aisle, no traditional tack room.  The stalls are arranged one next to the other in a semi-circle.  The grooming stations are right there too, so the ponies seem to stand in a cluster, much as they would in the field, and we too are there as part of the herd.

In the cold weather I could always count on a cup of coffee.  There was also a basket of healthy snacks.  In the warm weather there were cold drinks and a place to sit down.  Nancy always made it a comfortable place to be.

Nancy delighted in caring for her ponies.  We loved to talk about their separate and distinct personalities:  “Benno” the extrovert, full of stallion bravado; “Hero” less secure, but always willing; and “Chico” the youngest with so much talent that it often brimmed over into quirkiness.  He would, for instance, stretch in the cross-ties like a cat and comically use one front hoof to scratch the other front leg.

Nancy was always a good listener.  I am a good talker!  She patiently allowed me go on and on about my own horse as only a compulsive dressage rider can do.  We compared notes on saddles, bits, nosebands, and other sundry tidbits. 

But her eyes really shone when she stood ring-side and watched her ponies go.  She was there watching every training session, and at the shows she was there for both the walk from the stables to the warm-up and the walk from the show-ring back to the stables. 

As a team, Anne, Nancy, groom Ellin Dennis, and I had begun to “hit-our-stride,” and the ponies reflected that.  Nancy had gone to great lengths to re-do her arena in felt footing.  She had purchased a new three-horse trailer so that no pony had to sit out a show.  In short, she had plans.  I was excited to be part of her plans.

But life is cruel.  Life is full of disappointments, and no one’s future is guaranteed.  I was also amazed by her incredible grace in acceptance.  And when she took time to try and console me over the loss of my horse “Wasabi,” well, all I can say is I was incredibly touched. 

Sandy Osborn

  It has been said that people come into your life always for a reason, but sometimes only for a season.  In the case of the very short season I have been privileged to consider Nancy Ferebee a friend, I have come to be so very grateful for her support and belief in me as we moved forward together with the common goal of achieving the necessary scores at 2^nd level for her beloved Chicco B to earn his lifetime approval as a German Riding Pony breeding stallion.
 
   Nancy is a very compassionate woman, full of love for her family, her ponies and her friends.  Her priority has always been the comfort and health of her ponies above everything else.  What I will always carry with me that Nancy gave to me is the reminder that we ride not only because we love to ride, but also because we love our magnificent horses and that their welfare is our responsibility, something we owe these wonderful beings who have been entrusted to our care.  We, as professionals, often take for granted the care and environment that we provide for our horses.  Nancy reminded me, not with words but with actions, that it is a privilege to be entrusted with the care of someone else’s beloved friends, something we must never forget or underestimate.

    My irreverent brother-in-law always said, “We’re only here for a look ‘round.  Sometimes we are slapped in the face with the shortness of that “look ‘round” as in this case.  I also believe that what is the most important thing we have as we have our “look ‘round” here on earth is the quality of the friendships and relationships we develop along the way.  In the end that is how we must measure the life we have lead.  When that slips out of sight, as it often does as we get caught up in the things we are chasing for ourselves, I will always be reminded of that whenever I think of Nancy, Spencer, Chicco, Benno, and Hero.  The loyalty of Nancy’s friends give proof of how rich she is in that area.

    I am thankful to have Nancy for a friend and thankful for what I learned about myself from my time with her and with her three “boys." 

Susanne Lauda

     Nancy is a true horse person who always puts the welfare of her horses above everything else. But her love for horses is not limited to her own beautiful stallions, she readily helps out whenever she sees the need for support. She graciously offered one of my horses a temporary home while all his regular care givers were out of the country, and she always gives me useful advice when it comes to health and performance issues with my two "boys".

      Tirelessly she works on improving the image of the German Riding Pony and has made quite an impact on the equestrian community in the U.S.  I feel privileged to know her, and I am heartbroken that we will loose this courageous friend to a malicious disease for which there is no cure. I admire the mental strength with which she deals with her illness, she shows grace and nobility as she faces this ultimate adversity.

Ann Genovese

     I first met Nancy Ferebee nearly 15 years ago when her family first moved here.   I believe it was at Wills Park at a dressage show where her daughter, Rachel,  was a rising Junior dressage star and she was active in the Atlanta Pony Club.
     But I really did not get to know Nancy’s true depth of intellect until I served as technical delegate for an Atlanta Pony Club Show Jumping Rally, substituting for Dot Benson who was recuperating.  I was so impressed at her attention to detail (show jumping is not for the faint of heart) and exceptional organizational skills. I actually got to watch the rounds and have fun!
    That experience with her put me to thinking:  Wouldn’t she be great in the GHF show office!   But, no, Nancy had her heart in other places. Over lunches of tuna and salmon salads at Alpha Soda we went over scenerios of what it would be like to put on a Pony Championships here in Atlanta, because her heart was with children and ponies.  
     Then she proceeded to develop her business, Through Connection, in Alpharetta, by standing her three German Riding Pony stallions at stud, and coming up with all sorts of ideas, some of which we use in our shows.  
       It would be appropriate to call her Dr. Nancy Ferebee because she holds a Ph.D. in psychology, and I am sure she plied her art with me when faced with some of my ideas that needed some therapy. 
      Nancy knows that we will continue to offer her Through Connection Pony Awards at the GHF shows in her honor—hardly enough to demonstrate how much I love her.

Maisie  Compton and daughter, Ada Holley (The Pony Club Connection)

Nancy became involved with Atlanta Pony Club when the Ferebee family moved to Alpharetta in the summer of 1996. Her daughter Rachel had been a U.S. Pony Clubs member in Virginia and transferred into the Atlanta Pony Club when they moved. At that time, the club was in a rebuilding stage and Nancy quickly became an active volunteer. She became district commissioner (“DC”) of the club in 1998, a position she held for two years. During her leadership the club grew to almost 40 members. She was a respected leader and ran the club in a professional manner. She always had the members’ best interests at heart and the pony clubbers always came first. Nancy also held leadership positions at the regional level after her tenure as DC.
       During Nancy’s tenure as Atlanta Pony Club DC, she applied for and received two national grants from USPC. The first was a grant “to teach pony clubbers to teach,” an important aspect of the USPC standard of proficiency.
      Nancy and Atlanta Pony Club organized three clinics with instruction by USPC national examiners and local clinicians. The clinics were open to all members of the South Region. The first clinic was at Big Bear, the second at Wills Park in conjunction with an Atlanta Pony Club show and the last at The Dorothy Benson Center that included a parents’ “Everything But the Horse” rally organized by the older pony clubbers.
     The second grant Nancy won for the club was the USPC Betsy Raine Grant to promote dressage and goal building for the club members. The club brought Betsy’s daughter, international rider Kathleen Raine,  across country to instruct the clinic. Nancy herself worked with the members in goal setting.
       Nancy’s involvement with pony club affected the lives of many members and the adult volunteers too. Not only did she encourage excellence in riding and horsemanship skills but also stressed the importance of members learning life skills through the work with their ponies. She encouraged parents to volunteer and learn new skills too.
       But perhaps Nancy is best known for the fun she brought to pony club. Everyone worked hard and had a good time doing it. Her “Cinco de Mayo” board meetings are fondly remembered by both the adult and junior board as being the best meetings ever.  

 ____________________________________________

Sandy Osborn Becomes an "S" Dressage Judge, A First for Georgia and GHF

Troxel, GHF 2010 sponsor, Posts Tribute to Sandy on Their Web Site

Sandy Osborn, an FEI-level dressage trainer who moved to Madison, GA's After the Fox Farm from Massachusetts a couple years ago, has received promotion to the "S" dressage judge's license by the United States Equestrian Federation.          Sandy is the first member of The Good Horseman Foundation to have received the "S" license, and the first for Georgia to accomplish this as well.  However, it should be noted that Elizabeth Lewis, formerly of Marietta, GA,  also is an "S" judge but she had already moved to Virginia when she was promoted--however we like to claim her too!       The  process for Sandy took more than  a year of preparation which included observing as well as apprenticing close to 200 Grand Prix rides, sitting with the top judges from all over the world.       Describing the program, Sandy relates it to receiving a Ph.D in dressage.  "Most people think only about the course itself as the preparation, but,"  Sandy adds, "it is the result of a lifetime of being a student of dressage which leads to the ability to evaluate the top levels of performance in a fair and objective way."        Because of her close work with Roel Theunissen over the last 14 years, she feels fortunate to have been exposed on a daily basis to the training of  many different horses at the FEI levels.       (Roel Theunissen now trains at the facilities of After the Fox Farm in Madison, GA, with partner, Adam Lastowka. The farm is owned by Alan and Barbara Friedman.)

She has trained two Dutch Warmblood geldings on which she has competed successfully at Grand Prix, Milestone (May Sherif/Belisar) and Plato Carlos (Peter Pan/Beaujolais).       As a result of this exposure,  she has been able to develop   her  eye   for  the  difficult   movements  of   the Grand Prix  in order to evaluate them and quickly decide on the numerical score with an appropriate comment in the few short seconds one has to make these decisions.        This year’s candidates did most of their apprenticing sessions in small groups, hiring their own “seminar leaders” each time off of the list of USEF-approved judges.            “We had the good fortune to work with all of this country’s FEI 'O' judges as well as many of the top 'I’s'.  We worked at many CDI’s, both in Florida and California, including at the Exquiss World Dressage Masters in Wellington in February of 2010.  In so doing, we saw top riders from all over the world.  Imagine this: my first apprenticing weekend was at the Masters where the first rider down the center line was Ulla Salzgeber!  Talk about intimidating!  But we all survived!”--and better for the experience, no doubt.                                                          (Photo 1006 Reflections Photography, Inc.)

__________________________________

GHF member Karen McGoldrick (who also serves as a GHF officer) has received a special award. She received this note from USDF Connections Editor Jennifer Bryant:  " 'Use Your Head' column just took 3rd place in its category in Personal Column in 2010 AHP awards contest."  Congratulations, Karen.  Here is the article as it appeared in the USEF Connection. 

_____________________________________________________________

Hay is a cleaning solution for oil spill! Take a look!  This is serious!

 

Intervet Schering-Plough has announced an urgent recall of all serial numbers of PreveNile® West Nile Virus vaccine for horses due to an increased number of adverse event reports associated with the use of these vaccines. According to a letter distributed by the manufacturer, the USDA has been alerted of this recall. See link below for more information.

West Nile Vaccine Recall

_________________________________________________________

A SIMPLE GUIDE

When Is It Too Hot For Your Horse?

From an article about the death of a horse in a show in Tennessee:

Add air temperature and relative humidity and subtract wind speed if your total adds up to 180 or above don't ride, if it is 130-170 use caution, 130 or below ride!
 
Determine: Temperature (F) + relative humidity (%) – wind speed For example: Temperature (F) 79 Relative Humidity (%) 58 Wind Speed 4.6 (MPH)
Answer = 132.4

Less than 130: All go—horses can function to cool themselves assuming adequate hydration.
130 – 170: Caution—a horse's cooling mechanisms can only partially function as intended. Some cooling management procedures will need to be performed.
180 or above: Stop—a horse's cooling systems cannot and will not function adequately. All cooling procedures will need to be utilized to keep the horse out of serious trouble.

       Why is it an issue for the horse when heat and humidity combine to equal 180+? What doesn't work and why? What are some of the physiological ramifications? What are some of the symptoms?
      Heat is produced by muscles in the metabolic conversion of chemical energy to the mechanical energy required for muscle contraction and limb movement. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the chemical energy is converted to heat, which moves from the contracting skeletal muscles to the surrounding tissues by the flow of lymph and blood.
      Assuming a comparable rate of exercise intensity, the rate of cooling, or heat loss is affected by air temperature, wind velocity and humidity. (Werner, 1993). Heat can also be lost in a fourth way, conduction, which is a direct transfer of heat from the skin or feet to surfaces in direct contact (such as an ice bag on the skin).
      So, thinking about the chart and the equation:
Temperature (F) + Relative Humidity (%) – Wind Speed (MPH), we see how the ability of the horse to cool itself in these four different ways will be affected:

• In cool temps with low humidity, heat loss through convection and conduction can be as much as 50%. Heat can also be lost through radiation, with as much as 60% of a body's heat lost in this way when air temperatures are cool. The numbers in our equation would add up to much less than 180, and the horse would have no difficulty cooling itself.
• As temperatures rise, the thermal gradient for heat dissipation is reduced, resulting is less convective, conductive and radiative heat loss and more evaporative cooling. The evaporation of water from the skin surface is the most important means of heat dissipation in high-heat/low-humidity conditions. So, when we get a high temperature reading with low humidity, a horse may still not have difficulty cooling, but if temperatures are extremely high with no wind, we might get a result above 140, which would means our horse needs our help cooling off.
• With high humidity, sweat cannot evaporate as easily and so the ability of the horse to cool itself in this important way is reduced. When high humidity is combined with high temperatures, (which we just saw reduce the effectiveness of radiant, conductive and convective cooling), the horse has now lost all four means to cool itself and is in a dangerous situation, subject to a greater rate of heat accumulation within his body.

The Good Horseman^® Foundation
is a Group Member Organization of the
  United States Dressage Federation.
Copyright © The Good Horseman^® Foundation.
All Rights Reserved.
Site designed by  Katie Patton

[Home] - [Times/Results] - [About us] - [Calendar] - [Links]