We've Moved!

Hello faithful readers!  The Absorbine Blog has officially moved over to a Wordpress blog.  You can find it by following the tab "Blog" from Absorbine.com or simply by visiting-

                                                              www.Absorbine.com/blog/  
                                    
                                    Stop by our blog to see how Absorbine is driving innovation!

Team Member And Equine Competitor Deborah

W.F Young, Inc. is active in the horse world, from those of us in the office to those out in the field calling on tack shops.  Deborah is one of our sales representatives (in the field) and loves Paints. Here are some pictures of her and her family, including her horses. Thanks for being part of our WFY team, Deborah!

   “We have been into Paints since 2005 We have been showing horses since 1994. We have had Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Paints. Currently we have 1 Tobiano and 3 breeding stock paints.

    “Last year my youngest daughter showed at the Youth World Paint Show placing 3rd. My oldest daughter showed at the Quarter Horse Congress receiving a top 10 and showing at the World Championship show receiving top 5. I showed my horse last year in the Wisconsin Paint Horse Open Show Program receiving grand champion. And also Grand champion in the Wisconsin Quarter Horse Assoc. My youngest daughter received reserve champion in Wisconsin Paint Horse Open Shows. Currently my filly holds 4th in the nation for PAC for Paints, she was top 20 honor roll as well.”

-Deborah D, Sales representative for W.F. Young, Inc.

Fun(ny) Horse Photos

For our recent Absorbine FaceBook contests, we asked people to send in photos of their horses that were were funny, pretty, sentimental or otherwise special. Twenty five winners receive a special Zenyatta edition of the Thoroughbred Times, all about the legendary mare. We also packed in some Absorbine goodies for good measure.

Many many photos were posted and they were indeed funny, pretty, sentimental and otherwise special. So in the interest of entertainment, I've pulled the ones that I think are in the  'funny' category and re-posted them here. I'll keep adding them as we get them in. Dear horses: you keep us laughing with your quirky personalities and attention-grabbing antics. We know you do it on purpose, and that makes it even better!

Caption excerpts taken from Facebook photo descriptions: 

"So I finally got it in there...now what?" Sent in by Lauren

Gizmo loves to grab Chipper's halter and lead him around the lot

 Sent in by Amanda

My girl Chili, checking out the golf cart. Sent in by Wendy

my Morab gelding "Dancing With Angels". He is always acting kind of crazy. :) Sent in by Amanda

"What did you put on my nose. Get it OFF, it's freaking me out" Sent in by Valerie

copenhagen and wyatt earpe amusing themselves. Sent in by Jane

Copper. Sent in by Judy

My crazy Thoroughbred, Lucky! Sent in by Kellie

Verbie aka Alfalfa Face let's me know when he's done eating by throwing his bucket at me! Sent in by Kristen

Sent in by Mary

1200 pound horse vs. 1 pound kitten Sent in by Megan

This is my girl being her silly self. Sent in by Paige

...yeah that's me, I'm Cinder Fella...Sent in by Rebecca

Chippa Sent in by Shea

It is a horse or a giraffe? Sent in by Valerie

This mini was my horse's boyfriend at an old barn. Sent in by Laura

Not the most anatomically correct, but here's a picture of the three of us as Halloween skeletons! Sent in by Laura

Horse Illustrated's Grooming Challenge

Horse Illustrated's Grooming Challenge Contest, sponsored by Absorbine, recently came to a close and the winner has been chosen:
Congratulations to Amy Conforti of Maine and her Thoroughbred Wally. She won a basket of ShowSheen grooming products and some other goodies.

Absorbine's very own Molly O'Brien

Horse Illustrated then gleaned the top five grooming questions from the entries and asked Absorbine's resident grooming expert Molly O'Brien to share her methods for solving them. She really knows how to clean up a mud-encrusted pony!

Horse Illustrated Article

Here is a link to the article on HorseChannel.com, the online accompaniment to Horse Illustrated. It's a real source of knowledge for horse folks!

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/2010-hi-grooming-challenge.aspx

Thanks Horse Bloggers!

Check out these nice reviews of our products!

Midwest Horse Blog who reviewed ShowSheen Finishing Mist- 

About horses and horse ownership by two women who own horses and live in the midwest of the United States

http://midwesthorse.blogspot.com/2010/11/absorbine-new-product-review.html

Bitless Horse Blog who compared Santa Fe Detangler, ShowSheen Detangler and a few other detanglers-

Just a Southern Ontario gal trying to discover true horsemanship through science rather than tradition

http://www.bitlesshorseblog.com/2010/11/review-de-tanglers-comparison.html

Again, thanks for considering our products and for providing a great place to discuss horsemanship!

Mazy, Molly and HorseChannel.com

We were delighted to read the new HorseChannel.com's Question Of The Week: A dusty winter coat. Our very own Molly O'Brien of Absorbine wrote in to tell everyone how she conquers a dusty winter coat. Molly is a life-long horse woman and competes in the Morgan show circuit. Her shining star is Rum Brook Immortal Waltz, a five year old mare with a ton of personality and a very sweet disposition. I know, because I've filmed her several times for our Absorbine videos and am basically in love with this filly! Her barn name is Mazy, an 1800's word for waltz.

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-experts/horse-management/dust-free-coat.aspx

Pilates Exercises for Horseback Riding

Most of the sports we do can be enhanced by a little physical training. Of course, most organized sports encourage strength and cardio work on top of playing the actual game. Also individual sports like skiing, rock climbing and cycling all benefit from some extra-curricular training. It seems logical that horseback riding, requiring strength and endurance to hold on, stay balanced, change direction etc would benefit from some training. Pilates may not be for everyone, but it is interesting to note what muscle groups they suggest you target and it does seem to be a good fit for some equestrians.

Check out this link to an About.com article describing an equine Pilates workshop in Colorado. I found it first in Kathrine's Horse Blog. The workshop was put on by Pam Harrington, Pilates instructor and Patty LeBlanc owner of Cappaleigh Farm.

http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesforeverybody/ss/Pilates-Exercises-For-Horseback-Riding.htm

Dispatch from a “Wild” Weekend at WEG

Heather Bean, Absorbine Marketing Manager writes:

I had a once in a lifetime experience this past weekend when I flew down to Lexington, KY to attend the World Equestrian Games. I spent a good amount of time in the Bit of Britain tent (www.bitofbritain.com) meeting loyal Absorbine customers from around the world.  I can’t tell you how excited everyone was to be there – taking in all of the wonderful sites the Kentucky Horse Park has to offer. Angelea from HorseGirlTV joined me to talk about our brand new ShowSheen Finishing Mist. She was approached by several fans and was more than gracious when giving autographs and sharing stories. 


We also spent some time (but not nearly enough!) watching the competitors on the cross-country course. What an opportunity to see world-class competition less than 15-feet away from us. 


To top it all off was the Horse Mania art installation. One horse called "Imagination" by Jamie Givens Schneider struck me as particularly wonderful because of its “wild” subject matter.  You will recognize it as soon as you see it. 

"Imagination" by Jamie Givens Schneider

WEG Week Two

Jaime and Jason McKinley at WEG-

Jaime McKinley

Thursday was a beautiful day to enjoy being part of the horse world in Lexington.  After watching Chester Weber tie for the lead in the driving competition, we decided to head back to the Alltech Experience pavilion to enjoy some refreshments. To my surprise, I recognized one of my friends and business associates among the 20,000 people walking in the other direction.  My husband Jason and I had the luck and fortune of being invited to join our friends from Dover Saddlery at a reception they were hosting along with the USHJA.  An added bonus was that the reception was air conditioned!  After exchanging stories about the previous night’s team show jumping competition, Jason and I thanked our hosts and started our trek back to the airport for our trip home.  To my good fortune, I spotted walking towards me one of my heroes, David O’Connor, who was kind enough to stop and chat.  I was gushing with admiration and was so happy to have my husband meet him with me.  With a beaming smile, we finally began our long trip home.

~Jaime Mckinley, VP Of New Product Development, Absorbine

Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil riding HH Rebozo during the evening session of team show jumping on October 6th

WEG Week One

Molly O'Brien, our current Absorbine staffer on deck at WEG writes:

Yesterday, I had tickets to the second half of the team Grand Prix dressage finals.  I got to see a number of absolutely wonderful horses and riders, including Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas (Netherlands), Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris (Great Britain), and Steffen Peters and Ravel (USA).  

Those three competed again today in the individual competition.  Although I didn't have tickets, I watched a number of rides on the jumbotron outside the Bit of Britain booth.  Edward Gal and Totilas won the gold with an amazing score of 85.667, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris took home the silver (a hallmark for Great Britain) with a score of 81.708, and Steffen Peters and Ravel earned the bronze medal with a score of 78.5428. 

The most touching moment, which was played on the jumbotron booth, occurred after Gal and Totilas left the ring.  Gal teared up for a moment, patting his horse on the neck.  If you compete with your horse, you know that amazing feeling when the two of you put it all together at just the right moment.  All the hours, days, months and years of working and sweating and trying and worrying fade away, while that incredible feeling of accomplishment courses through your very being.  For that moment, it's just you and your horse, and you're overwhelmed with emotion for all that your wonderful partner has given you. 

About an hour after the competition, what looked like the entire Dutch team and supporters -- many dressed in orange -- arrived at the Veuve champagne booth across from Bit of Britain to celebrate.  A huge cheer went up when Edward Gal arrived.  He left, but then came back a little later and spoke a few words to his teammates and supporters, again to great cheers and fanfare.  A few minutes ago, as I walked into the hotel, Edward Gal was in the lobby, where one of the event staffers asked him to pose for a picture -- probably for the millionth time today!  He graciously complied (a sign of a true champion), then carried what looked to be a tray with some dinner down the hall, probably off to his room for the night.  A mere mortal after all, no doubt ready for some food and sleep.

 ~Molly

WEG Opening Ceremony

Hey all!

If you are reading this post, you are most likely a horse person*. And you most likely have been bombarded with information about the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games happening in Lexington, KY as I type. I know I was! One thing that struck me was how little non-horse people* knew about it. Many people didn’t even know it was going on, or had only a cursory knowledge of it. I got “Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard about that” when I mentioned it to people in the airport. My reaction every time was shock, as I’ve been so very well informed about it over the last year. However, I believe that by the time this event is over many more non horse people will know what the World Equestrian Games are all about. This can only be a good thing for our community and more importantly, the horses we care for.

[*a horse enthusiast, not a half horse/half human centaur creature like in the Old Spice advertisement.]

I just got back from my too short weekend at WEG and was thoroughly dazzled! The competitors were as elite as promised; their horses were as incredible. I wish I was still there! They did an incredible job showcasing each discipline, breed and the home countries of the visiting teams. It really felt like the Olympics.

 

I was lucky enough to attend the opening ceremonies with our VP of Operations, Bob P. We were both taken aback by the level of drama and showmanship.

 

Stacy Westfall did her impressive reining demo, riding around the ring without any tack at all. She backed her horse up, galloped around the ring changing directions and executed turnarounds as if she were riding in full tack.

The Friesian Train wowed the crowd with their showmanship and grace.  Starting off with one performer, then two, then four and finally ten Friesians joined together in a syncopated routine. The crowd went crazy for them. It was hard not to!

Stunt riders Tommie Turvey and Dan James rode with only a lead around their necks and executed some difficult tricks. They were then joined by rider-less horses that matched their own horse in color. The stunt trainers had them doing tricks without touching them, in near perfect syncopation with the horse they were on. It showcased the tangible intelligence and personality of horses that we see in smaller ways every day.

The California Cowgirls put on an inspiring show as they rode through with full western togs. They passed close by each other with precision and pageantry in ever more hair raising patterns. They were joined by lasso experts Riata Cowboygirls who showed of their rope twirling skills, and lasso legend Vince Bruce kickin’ it up a notch or two in the center of the ring.

There were many more acts, 40 total, and I could write about them all day, but it might be better to just watch them yourself here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoCU4znxgt8

I did bring a camera down to get some video and still shots, but I ended up leaving it there for the Absorbine employee that replaced me to use to make sure we got as much footage as possible. I’ll have some pictures to add to this post by the halfway point of the games. That is the plan anyway.

It is indeed a great time for American and international horse people* and the horses themselves.

Little Red

Meet Jamie Hatfield and "Little Red". Jamie is one of our West Coast Absorbine sales representatives. Little Red is a registered quarter horse and was born at her house in 1988. Jamie and her father trained Little Red to be a cutting horse and a team penning horse. Little Red and Jamie basically grew up together, she was in the 4^th grade when he was born. "My father was teaching me how to ride cutting horses and little red was learning the discipline; so little red and I learned together – and we’ve been through a lot!"

What a team!

Quinnah

You may have seen pictures of Quinnah cycling through our blog's slideshow for a while. Andrea Potter, the filly's owner, is an Absorbine sales representative and a dedicated horsewoman. Quinnah was born in May 2010. Thanks for the pictures Andrea, Quinnah's looks great!

Filly Style

Very Graceful

Awwwww!

Secretariat And Absorbine Veterinary Liniment

Lucien Lauren was the world famous trainer of Secretariat, infamous winner of the Triple Crown in 1973. We dug through our archives and found this advertisement from 1973 featuring Lucien Lauren, Secretariat and everyone’s favorite, Absorbine^® Veterinary Liniment. The Disney movie Secretariat arrives in theaters October 8.

The Official Trailer:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/secretariat/

Absorbine Veterinary Liniment As A Body Wash

Absorbine Veterinary Liniment works wonders on the sore muscles and joints of your horse. It can help keep your horse's hooves from getting a fungal or bacterial infection. But did you know that you can also make up an invigorating body wash to rinse away sweat and dirt? As you can see from the picture to the left, this is not a new application for AVL but it works as well today as it did in 1892!

Recipe

Mix in a pail:

4oz (1/2 cup) Absorbine Veterinary Liniment

8oz (1 cup) vinegar

24oz (3 cups) cool water

Apply with a sponge or cloth to the horse avoiding their face. This recipe will invigorate your horse and brace their skin after a sweaty workout or a long ride.
It's a nice treat for your hard working horse!

Kentucky Horse Park Explored

For those of us that can't make it to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and have never been to the Kentucky Horse Park, this is what the facility looks like. WEG starts September 25th and continues until October 10th and will be held on the grounds of the fabled Kentucky Horse Park. Top riders from around the globe will converge on Lexington and compete for the honor of being the best in the world. Absorbine will be there, in the "Bit Of Britain" tent. Stop by if you're around!

Learn more about it at http://www.alltechfeigames.com/

Enough words though, this is a picture post!!

Some pretty pasture land at the Kentucky Horse Park

                                   More grazing...

                          The Outdoor Stadium

                                   We're here!

Have you heard of the Secretariat movie due for release October 2010?

                Stairs up to the new Indoor Arena

                   Inside the new Indoor Arena

                             A tribute to Morgans

       Inside the Visitors Center

Model horses painted by students at the entrance to the International Museum of Horses

       Hanging from the ceiling in the Museum of Horses

 

Triple Crown Winner Secretariat was affectionately know as "Big Red". Here, the iconic colors of Meadow Stables are displayed along with some of his trophies.

   A winning tack box along with some other horse racing lore

    Antique tack box with Hooflex and Absorbine Liniment

       A depiction of a horse being loaded on an ancient ship

Good luck to everyone at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games 2010!

Absorbine and Hooflex are registered trademarks of W.F. Young, Inc.