Downeast Medal Finals

January 2024

September 12-15, 2024

Visit our website for more information about Downeast. We welcome all feedback and suggestions: please email Ginger at ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com

Happy New Year from the DMF team!

Message from the President

All of us at DMF wish all of you the best for the upcoming year. We truly appreciate all of your support to help us bring you the best medal final possible. We are committed to you, our exhibitors!

Please contact us with any questions about our height changes (outlined in our December newsletter).

Please be sure to mark your calendars for September 12-15, 2024!

Thank you,

Ginger and the entire DMF team

Impaction Colic in Horses

By Carol Phillips

Impactions are one of the most common types of colics seen by vets, so get the latest expert advice on how to recognize the signs and what to do next.

Impaction colic occurs when a blockage within the horse’s gastrointestinal tract prevents the normal passage of its contents through the gut. It is usually caused by a build-up of solid material, such as drier than normal food or partially formed feces. Occasionally there can be blockage caused by something else, such a foreign body, for example a plastic bag, a nylon hay net or occasionally parasitic worms. Impaction colics are among the most common colics seen by vets.

An impaction will cause discomfort or pain, leading to typical colic signs. The severity will depend on the size of the blockage and its location. Most commonly the obstruction is in the large colon, where there is a natural U-bend in the hind gut, but they can occur elsewhere. Obstructions are more of a problem when they happen further forward in the bowel, while a blockage filling the stomach can be particularly problematic to treat.

Article continued here at Horse & Hound.

If you are a Downeast Medal Finals rider, we would like to feature you! Send your bio and picture to ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com

DMF Rider Spotlight: Taylor Haselton

This month, we are featuring Taylor Haselton (formerly Taylor Svenconis) as our spotlight rider! Taylor won the 2023 DMF Adult Medal, as well as the 2013 DMF Mini (formerly Children's Pony) Medal! Let's hear from Taylor:

"I started riding horses when I was 6. I fell in love with them when my Dad let me sit on our friend Sandy’s pony named Opal. I rode a friend’s horse named Vinny in walk trot and we got Champion at NHHJA Finals. Shortly after that I got my first medium pony, Ramsey, AKA Little Dash-About. He turned into a Champion and we won multiple medal finals in Short Stirrup together. Once I outgrew him I got Leroy, AKA King Of Spades. Both of these ponies were green and definitely made me into a better rider. Leroy and I had a stellar year in 2013 becoming Champion at Downeast Medal Finals, MHJ Finals, NHHJA finals, and 4th out of 91 at MHC Finals. I then moved up to a horse named Chili, AKA Chili Pepper and we got lots of awards together, including 5th at Downeast Finals in the Junior Medal in 2015.

I’ve always loved the Downeast Medal Finals. The jumps are fun, workers are friendly, and overall it’s an amazing show! I took a break from riding due to being diagnosed with Celiac and other medical and personal reasons. I recently started to get back into showing around 2021. In 2023 I decided I wanted to go back to Downeast Finals with my lease mare Angel, AKA As Heaven Sent. Even with the storm adding challenges to finals, it was well run and put together show. Angel and I got Champion in the Adult Medal at Downeast Medal Finals this year! My first Adult Medal Final win and Angel’s first Medal win. Thank you to all of the DMF staff for putting on such a wonderful event. I love being able to compete with my partner and putting all of our hard work to test. Most importantly, riding is fun. The ribbons are a bonus to having a partnership with horses."