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Live Oak: Battle of the Fittest
This year recognized more than just driving skill as veterinarians
sought to choose the most physically fit horses in the event.
by
Tracy Williams
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Glorious
weather heralded in this March's Live Oak Combined Driving Event,
held on the beautiful 4,500 acres of Charlotte Weber's Live
Oak Plantation in Ocala, Florida. Live Oak CDE is one of only
two international driving events held in the United States sanctioned
by the Federal Equestrian International, and the collection
of competitors vie for the best display of grace, athleticism,
precision - and physical prowess.
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A
Different Competition
In addition to division awards, Live Oak also doles out accolades
for the fittest horse and fittest team in the event. This year,
Jack Lowe, DVM, had the difficult task of ferreting out the
fitness award winners from amid many horses in top form. The
choice is based on each horse's response to a physically challenging
cross country course filled with difficult hazards; veterinarians
are stationed along the course to monitor each horse's temperature,
pulse and respiration rates. Veterinarians choose the fittest
athletes from the information they glean from watching the horses
complete the hazards and monitoring how quickly their rates
descend to normal. "We are looking for the most relaxed,
brightest horses with the lowest temperatures and whose heart
rates and respiratory rates recover the fastest - basically,
which ones are physically ready to go out and do the same things
again," said Dr. Lowe.
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The Fittest of the Fit: Whatsup, Terry Robert's Haflinger gelding,
was honored as the fittest equine at the 2006 Live Oak Combined
Driving Event. Photo by Sherry Roberts. |
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This year, Dr. Lowe sifted through fierce competition to give
Chester Weber's four-horse team of Warmbloods a fitness award.
The second, he gave to Terry Roberts' Haflinger, Whatsup.
"That pony just stood out to me," said Dr. Lowe.
"He looked like he had just gone for a walk in the park
rather than complete the hazards course."
Terry Roberts and Whatsup
Terry Roberts has been around various horses of various breeds
and disciplines since grade school. He began driving about
five years ago and started combined driving a year ago, and
for this sport shift, he chose to work with Haflingers because
of their attitude and personality. "They are kind horses,"
he said.
Whatsup is a 5-year-old Haflinger that Terry has driven for
about a year. Live Oak was only his third driving event, and
while he didn't win his division, he did capture Dr. Lowe's
attention to claim the fitness award. Terry credits the honor
to his rigorous training and nutrition programs.
Although he is still fairly new to the sport, Terry prefers
to do all his own training. His routine varies speed and distance
for a well-rounded workout. "With any good exercise,
you are breaking it up and not doing the same thing every
day," Terry says. "This way you are working different
muscles or working the same muscles in different ways, and
it keeps your horse from getting bored and sour."
Terry has given the same thought and attention to his feeding
program; he has worked diligently with Seminole nutrition
consultants to develop the perfect program for his herd of
horses. He feeds Whatsup Seminole Perfect 12 because the higher
fat and lower starch contents give calories without hyping
him up on sugar. "Feeding starch gets your horse mentally
hot, and at that point, you can't do anything with him,"
says Terry. In addition, he provides plenty of roughage with
coastal hay and ensures adequate minerals with a Grass Balancer
Mineral Block.
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Chester
Weber and his Four-Horse Team
Internationally acclaimed driver Chester Weber grew up on Live
Oak Stud, the renowned Thoroughbred farm in Ocala, Florida that
hosts the annual combined driving event. He began his driving
career with Clydesdales and carriages but then shifted to combined
driving, and his current stable of top European Warmbloods competes
at the highest level on an international scale.
This year his cross country team - Snoopy, Jamaica, Senate and
Grumus - contributed to an overall division win and garnered
the fittest team title. "Both the fitness award and the
division win can be attributed to our intense training regimen
and our careful nutrition program," says Chester.
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Live Oak International CDE winner, Chester Weber
wins the USEF National 4-in-hand Championship and the Jack Lowe
fitness award for the best conditioned team of horses. Photo
by Branam's Photography. |
Chester's
horses have a strenuous six-day work week, and he does virtually
all the training himself. Two days a week he works his horses
individually with long-lining and riding, and the other four
days he works them in teams. Once again, a well-rounded education
keeps the horses physically fit and mentally prepared.
Nutritionally, Chester works with SPILLERS
while he competes in Europe and with Spillers/Seminole
while in the United States for a consistent and quality diet
for his champion horses. He feeds a combination of SPILLERS
Feeds and a little ground flax or corn oil to promote a shiny
hair coat. In addition, he uses Cosequin® products for joints,
Farriers Formula® products for hooves, and Succeed for gastrointestinal
tracts - leaving no stone unturned for the benefit of his horses'
health. |
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Tracy
Williams, a native New Mexican, recently graduated from Colorado
State Univesity with degrees in both Equine Science and Journalism.
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