Participation in equine events is the goal of most horse owners. Traveling to a distant state for a high level competition, you will need to do some advanced planning. In Missouri it is your legal responsibility to have a current Coggins test and if you are crossing state lines you will also need to have a health certificate. Coggins tests are testing for exposure to the disease Equine Infectious Anemia. This is a federal test that normally takes about a week to obtain. A health certificate is a testimony by your veterinarian that your horse is free from infectious disease and able to participate in public events, including transport on state and federal highways.
In addition, if you are assembling in an area with a large group of horses you increase your risk of exposure to disease. A quick review of your horse ‘s vaccination status is recommended. If you are traveling to the east coast, and you have not vaccinated for Potomac Horse Fever, you may want to consider doing so or at least discussing the issue with your veterinarian. In Missouri exposure to Potomac Horse Fever is very rare, however if you to the Eminence area we advise that your horse be vaccinated as a precaution. In some states it is common to vaccinate for Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis, and though it is rare in this country, you may run across questions about your status. We do not vaccinate for this disease in our area, however vaccine is available with this strain. In recent years the emergence of a more virulent strain of strangles has created a concern that must be considered. If you will be exposed to other horses you may want to consider the intra-nasal strangles vaccine. As with most vaccines, this will require a second booster in three weeks and protective immunity will not be attained for two or more weeks after this second dose.
Horses at shows are at greater risk for developing respiratory tract infections because there are so many horses congregating from so many different places. Two common respiratory tract infections are rhinopneumonitis (commonly shortened to “rhino”) and influenza. Horses are usually vaccinated against these viruses, but the duration of immunity is brief. Horses that are showing heavily and frequently exposed to a lot of other horses should be vaccinated more frequently than horses kept in the backyard. We recommend vaccinating show horses every three months.
You can also decrease your horse’s risk for developing a respiratory tract infection by using some common sense to try to limit your horse’s exposure and occasionally by doing something to boost the horse’s immune system. The immune system can be boosted by giving Eqstim, a series of immunostimulant injections, prior to the show. At the show, you can reduce the horse’s risk by not allowing people to touch your horse after touching other horses from other barns. Keep your horse’s food and water buckets separate from others. When filling the water bucket, do not dip the end of the hose in the bucket. Do not turn your horse out or graze your horse in areas used by other horses.
Some horses at the show or in training become very stressed. They may eat their food poorly, be colicky, perform poorly, have a bad attitude, or grind their teeth. Over time (like over a show season), these horses can lose weight and develop a poor haircoat. Many of these horses have gastric ulcers which can be demonstrated with an endoscopic examination of the stomach. Horses like this can be successfully treated with omeprazole (Gastrogard and Ulcergard) and then often need to be maintained during the show season on Gastrogard or Ulcergard. If you suspect your horse may have gastric ulcers, please contact your veterinarian.
There are many health concerns for show horses. Please discuss your horse’s show schedule with your veterinarian to determine the best course of action to keep your horse as healthy and as competitive as possible for the show season.
Good luck at the show!
As your organization begins planning your event, one of the most important tasks is identifying those in your group who will actively seek sponsorships. From our perspective, the person contacting us is very important because this person represents the event and your entire group. It is important that this contact person be prepared with some vital information that will allow us to evaluate the request and respond quickly. We look at sponsorships as an opportunity to help support our equine community.
In the last few years the number of requested sponsorships has risen and this is a good sign of a very busy and healthy local equine community. We celebrate every event that helps provide a venue for equine enthusiasts to enjoy and promote their sport from local weekend shows to larger multi-week series. We appreciate the opportunity to play a role and look forward to learning more about your event.
With this ever-increasing number of requests, the reality is that it’s impossible for us to support each and every event and as a result we have set up guidelines that will help you determine if your event would qualify for financial support. In the following pages you will be able to learn about our sponsorship supports and how to go about contacting us with your proposal. The best first contact should be through your veterinarian. Discuss the event with your doctor and allow them to propose the event to the sponsorship committee.
We would ask that you keep in mind that our goal in sponsoring events is to select those events that will reach the most people and encourage the involvement of our young people. If this applies to your event please read on.
Important Information:
Who will be the person responsible for seeing to the details of the agreement?
We will need dates and times of your events. (We require requests be made no later than 60 days prior to the event and the earlier the better.)
We would like a list of the board members of the organization.
How many horses/riders do you expect to participate? (We base the sponsorship level on the number of horses involved.)
We would like a description of how the event will be advertised and if the organization lists supporters on their website. Specifically, how do you promote your sponsors?
After your event, are you willing to provide a summary letter detailing the success of the event and of the total number of people that attended and participated in your event?
What events are eligible for sponsorships?
* We will sponsor events that support charities that benefit horses.
* We will sponsor events that support charities that benefit children’s issues.
* Horse shows of all breeds and uses are eligible for sponsorship.
*We will sponsor local groups and saddle club events. This includes high school events if the event involves horses.
What events are not eligible for sponsorships?
* We are unable to sponsor individuals for shows or events.
* We are unable to sponsor local school events unless they involve horses.
* We are unable to sponsor events that do not involve horses directly
* We are unable to sponsor events scheduled closer than sixty days from the first contact requesting support.
* We are unable to sponsor events that send requests in the mail.
Once Selected:
Should your organization be selected for sponsorship we would ask that you consider the following items:
We will actively list your event on our website and we would request information and photos of your past events for this purpose.
We would appreciate photos highlighting your event and especially photos that highlight our involvement as a sponsor.
We would appreciate copies of any advertisements of the events we are sponsoring.
We require events that list a charity as a beneficiary, to provide a report on the percentage of proceeds actually donated to the listed charity.
Keep in mind that we value our sponsoring relationships and look forward to being involved with them in years to come. Any information that you can provide to us that documents your event and the tallies of horses and riders involved will be helpful in paving the way for future involvement of the Mid-Rivers Equine Centre.
In addition, if you are assembling in an area with a large group of horses you increase your risk of exposure to disease. A quick review of your horse ‘s vaccination status is recommended. If you are traveling to the east coast, and you have not vaccinated for Potomac Horse Fever, you may want to consider doing so or at least discussing the issue with your veterinarian. In Missouri exposure to Potomac Horse Fever is very rare, however if you to the Eminence area we advise that your horse be vaccinated as a precaution. In some states it is common to vaccinate for Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis, and though it is rare in this country, you may run across questions about your status. We do not vaccinate for this disease in our area, however vaccine is available with this strain. In recent years the emergence of a more virulent strain of strangles has created a concern that must be considered. If you will be exposed to other horses you may want to consider the intra-nasal strangles vaccine. As with most vaccines, this will require a second booster in three weeks and protective immunity will not be attained for two or more weeks after this second dose.
There are many health concerns for show horses. Please discuss your horse’s show schedule with your veterinarian to determine the best course of action to keep your horse as healthy and as competitive as possible for the show season.
With this ever-increasing number of requests, the reality is that it’s impossible for us to support each and every event and as a result we have set up guidelines that will help you determine if your event would qualify for financial support. In the following pages you will be able to learn about our sponsorship supports and how to go about contacting us with your proposal. The best first contact should be through your veterinarian. Discuss the event with your doctor and allow them to propose the event to the sponsorship committee.