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 Hoofbeats Newsletter June 2015 Question of the Month When was the first Belmont Stakes run? Answer to last month’s question: Whimpy P1 Breed Profile The Akhal­Teke Modern Day Uses: The Akhal Teke excels in show jumping and typically has good endurance. Due to their athleticism they are often used for dressage and three­day eventing. In 1960, at the Summer Olympics, the Akhal­Teke stallion, Absent, won the Grand Prix de Dressage. Height: 14.2 ­ 16 hands high Color: Often times have a sheen to their coat and the golden buckskin and palomino colors (resulting from the creme gene) are very popular. This gene also produces perlino and cremello coloring. The breed also comes in more common colors such as bay black, chestnut, and gray. Conformation: The Akhal­Teke is a very refined breed and will often have a straight or convex head and long ears. The breed usually has almond­shaped eyes along with a sparse mane and tail and a longer, lightly muscled back. This breed typically has thinner skin with a long, upright neck, a flat croup, and a well­sloped shoulder. History: Although the exact ancestry of the Akhal­Teke in unknown, it is certain that the breed originated in the Middle Eastern country of Turkmenistan. The breed may also be related to the now extinct Turkoman horse. It is also argued whether the Arabian was part of the development of the Akhal­Teke or if the Akhal­Teke helped to develop the Arabian. The Akhal­Teke was originally used to raid other tribes in Turkmenistan. This horse was the tribesmen most valued possession and were selectively bred to produce only the best stock. Stallions were tethered next to the tents with up to seven layers of flet on them to keep their coats short and sleek, and the mares and foals were left to roam for forage. Before raids the horses were kept on limited diets to prepare them for the little food and water they would receive during the raid. After a war between Turkmenistan and the tsar (Turkmenistan lost and became part of the Russian Empire) the emperor of Russia grew fond of this breed of horse, created a breeding farm for the breed, and renamed the breed the “Akhal­Teke”. The original studbook was then closed in 1932 and included 756 horses. The Akhal­Teke’s number suffered greatly during the time in which horses were required to be slaughtered for meat. A one certain point during this period only a mere 1,250 horses remained that were of Akhal­Teke breeding. Today the Turkmenistan government uses these horses as diplomatic gifts. Both the Thoroughbred and the Trakehner are thought to be influenced the the Akhal­Teke. Today only Akhal­Tekes that are purebred may be allowed to be registered due to the lack of endurance found in the Thoroughbred crosses. Guess That Leader! Can you guess which Horse and Pony leaders are pictured below showing in 4­H as youth member of the project? Email your answers to us at ​
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, and read next month’s issue of Hoofbeats for the answers. Judging Practice How to Determine a Horse's Body Condition The Henneke Equine Body Condition Scoring System is a the name of the system used to determine the condition of the horse. The scale ranges from a score of one to nine (one being the thinnest and nine being the fattest). When judging a class be sure to take into consideration a horses body condition. 1. Poor ­ extremely emaciated ­ no fatty tissue ­ vertebrate, tailhead, bones of the withers, ribs, shoulder, and neck are visible 2. Very Thin ­ emaciated ­ slight tissue cover over bones ­ vertebrate, tailhead, bones of the withers, ribs, shoulder, and neck are visible 3. Thin ­ slight fat cover over body ­ individual ribs and vertebrae are no longer visibly distinguishable ­ withers, shoulder, and neck to not appear overly thin ­
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4. Moderately Thin ridge of spine and outline of ribs is visible tailhead may or may not be visible (dependant on breed) withers, shoulder, and neck do not appear overly thin 5. Moderate ­ spine and ribs cannot be seen, but ribs can be felt ­ tail head is spongy ­ withers, shoulder, and neck are round and smooth ­
6. Moderately Fleshy ­ slight crease down the spine ­ ribs and tailhead feel spongy fat deposits along wither and neck and behind the shoulder ­
7. Fleshy ­ crease down the spine ­ ribs have fat filling between them ­ spongy tailhead fat deposits alongs the withers and neck and behind the shoulder 8. Fat ­ apparent crease down the spine ­ ribs are difficult to feel ­ soft fat around the tailhead ­ fat deposits along the withers, behind the shoulder, and on the inner thighs ­ large neck 9. Extremely Fat obvious crease down the spine ­ patchy fat on the ribs ­ bulging fat on the tailhead, withers, behind the shoulder, and the neck ­ fat fills in flanks and inner thighs ­
Placings for last month’s class: 1st: Horse #2 (black and white paint) 2nd: Horse #3 (dark bay) 3rd: Horse #4 (chestnut) 4th: Horse #1 (gray) Old News The May horse show was held on May 16th. Despite the small turnout, everyone competing had a blast. At the show the youth competed in events ranging from in­hand classes to western pleasure to jumping events. On May 29th the Horseless Horse group met at the Hoffmann's farm and received a talk about making posters from the youth leaders, Rachel Wilde and Angie Grimm. After that the 4­Hers got to brush several of the Hoffmann’s ponies and also got the opportunity to lead them around a bit. In addition to that they got to drive a pony pulling a cart. On June 5th there was a jumping clinic held at the fairgrounds that was attended by several 4­H youth and a 4­H alumni. At the clinic jumpers of many different levels were given tips to improve their jumping. On June 6th an open jumping show was held at the fairgrounds that was also attended by many Horse and Pony youth. The show allowed the youth the put their newly learned jumping techniques into practice in the show arena. There was also a dressage clinic offered for the youth so they could fine tune their dressage patterns for the next day’s show. On June 7th an open english and dressage show was held at the fairgrounds where youth were able to put their dressage and flatwork pointers into practice in the setting of a show. June Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 Jumping Clinic 6 Jumping Show and Dressage Clinic 7 English and Dressage Show 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Speed Show 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 OCHPP General Meeting 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Edited by Amy Hoffmann and Anna Poull If you have a horse­related article that you have written and would like us to feature please email it to me at ​
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. Thank you!