Downeast Medal Finals

February 2020

September 17-20, 2020

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

Check out this video for highlights from the 2019 Downeast Medal Finals!

Message from the President

Happy February! Not long now until the 2020 show season begins. Be sure to check the show calendar on our website; there are lots of shows offering the DMF classes. Thank you to all of these shows for hosting the qualifying classes.

We are excited to offer a new show schedule for 2020 to help streamline the days. Stalls can be available on Wednesday for an additional fee, and the warm-ups will be on Thursday. Friday will be equitation day , except for the first class which will be a 2’3” Professional Open Hunter class, open to professionals only. All divisions will then have one equitation class on the flat and then one over fences. The NEHC pleasure class will follow and lastly the Team Challenge. Our one leadline class will also be on Friday. Saturday will be the hunter day , starting with the Professional Open Hunter class, followed by one hunter class for each division and then the 18” Derby, the 2”3” Derby, and the 2”6” Derby followed by the Pro Am class. Sunday, medal day , the schedule will remain the same as in previous years.

We are also very proud to announce that we will be selling reusable grain bag shopping bags to support an additional scholarship for 2021! The Maltese family is making the bags and donating all proceeds to a scholarship! Please look for more information soon on how you can purchase one to support a wonderful cause.

Please let us know if you have an interest in supporting this great show, sponsorship levels can be seen on our website as well as advertisement prices for the color program. Please let us promote your business as you support DMF.

We are looking forward to seeing all of our old friends and making some new ones in 2020!

Rider Spotlight- KaeDee Nowakowski

The 2019 2'6" Hunter Derby at the 2019 Downeast Medal Finals was won by Conquistador ridden by KaeDee Nowakowski. Here is what KaeDee had to say:

"I moved to Maine in August of this year from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and was welcomed by the wonderful people of SeaHorse Stables in Belfast. I was excited to show at Downeast Medal Finals and was especially thrilled to see the Hunter Derby offered. Conquistador or “Captain” is the horse I’ve had the privilege of riding and showing. He’s a 15 year old, Mecklenburg gelding, and owned by Tara Daugherty of Boston, Massachusetts. He’s always such a joy to ride, especially in the handy round of derbies. He’s a super confident horse and loves the challenge of a tight, inside turn! My experience at Downeast Finals was great. I thought the courses were fun and inviting, jumps were nicely decorated, wonderful awards and overall, the whole show was very exhibitor friendly. We hope to return back in 2020!"

Rider Spotlight- Lily Sukeforth

The 2019 Modified Junior Medal Final at the 2019 Downeast Medal Finals was won by Lily Sukeforth. Here is a bit about Lily:

After first being exposed to riding horses when she was seven years old, Lily instantly fell in love and her passion began when she started taking weekly riding lessons for fun. Shortly, Lily began to show in the hunters less than a year after initially beginning to ride. Her first show season began with doing poles and ended with competing in a short stirrup. At 9 years old, Lily was able to get a horse of her very own, Henri, a 6-year-old leopard Appaloosa. Once Henri became a part of her family, Lily began to train with Virginia Shaw of Stonewall Stables located in Nobleboro, Maine.

Virginia brought Lily to her first Downeast Medal Finals in 2015, where she rode Henri. Since then Lily has competed in DMF each year and continues to shine. Lily competes in many local horse shows around Maine but also loves to compete in Massachusetts. With a lot of experience from the different shows, Lily has both, ridden and competed, on numerous horses and has learned so many valuable things from each one.

Riding has made a tremendous impact on not just Lily but also her mother, Heidi. Lily and her mom have found a passion that they share, they both lesson together a few times a week. But during the show season, Heidi trailers the horses to each show and then they both compete at the same shows. This mother-daughter duo has found equine to be something that they have been able to bond over, especially at shows, where they are extremely supportive of each other.

Today, Lily owns 2 horses, which she has kept at home for a couple of years and has had to do the daily chores and work with the horses to keep them in shape. Lily values the time of having them at home and realized how much she has learned from the experience of day to day care.

Currently, Lily is riding and competing on Campidano, an 18 hand Oldenburg. She and her family began leasing Dano six months before DMF 2019. Despite a rocky start, Lily and Dano quickly began to shine through hard work and determination once they figured each other out. Lily first brought Dano to Head of the Bay Horse Show at Grazing Fields and was awarded 7th in a Derby. Lily appreciates the impact that Dano has had on her life and the lessons learned whether they were good or bad. She has learned that equestrianism is all about the relationship between the rider and the horse and most importantly, trust between the two. Lily is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had such a wonderful and in sync equine partnership with Dano and his willingness during their 2019 show season. Lily plans to continue to ride horses and learn everything she can about them into her college years and for the rest of her life.

Cushing’s Disease in Horses: A Metabolic Disease

By Dr. Kathleen Giguere

Cushing’s Disease, also known as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction or PPID, is a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Studies show that between 20 and 33% of all horses develop PPID by the age of 20, making it the most common endocrine condition of horses. Clinical signs of Cushing’s include excessive hair growth or lack of seasonal shedding, recurrent laminitis, muscle-wasting and pendulous abdomen, recurrent infections (e.g., sole abscess, skin infections), abnormal sweating patterns, excessive thirst and urination, and behavioral changes, primarily dullness or depression. Most of these clinical signs result from excess cortisol levels circulating in the body.

Pathophysiology

The pituitary gland (an organ in the brainstem) drives the production of hormones in the body to maintain homeostasis (a state of balance). PPID results from a benign growth of a specific region of the pituitary gland called the pars intermedia. As the mass grows, it produces excessive amounts of various hormones, such as adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) in which drives cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol, or the stress hormone, controls several body functions, including maintenance of blood sugar levels, generation of energy during exercise, activation of the “fight or flight” response, detoxification, antioxidation, and infection-fighting pathways. Excessive levels of cortisol, however, have an effect on virtually every body system. Consistently elevated cortisol causes muscle-wasting, increases susceptibility to infection, and contributes to insulin resistance and laminitis.

Diagnosis

After a complete physical examination and routine blood work (complete blood count and chemistry), your veterinarian has a few options for specifically diagnosing Cushing’s. These include measuring the resting ACTH level, performing a TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone) stimulation test, and others. In cases of suspected PPID, the best test to perform is a TRH stimulation test. This test involves obtaining a blood sample, administering TRH, and collecting a second blood sample exactly 10 minutes later. If ACTH levels in the blood samples increase excessively in response to TRH, the test is considered positive for PPID. Alternatively, advanced cases of PPID can still be diagnosed by identifying elevated ACTH levels in circulation. Although there is no definitive treatment for equine Cushing's disease, there are a handful of ways to manage and effectively control it. In addition to diet changes (see below), horses can be treated with Pergolide, the only FDA-approved medication for PPID. Anywhere from 0.2 to 5 milligrams orally per day has been shown to stabilize the cortisol levels in most horses. If effective, the veterinarian may then gradually reduce the dosage.

Management

Because insulin and blood sugar metabolism may not be functioning properly in Cushing’s horses, it is recommended to avoid food that is high in sugars and starches. Avoid feeding traditional grains, treats or pasture is an important part in managing a horse with PPID. Instead, feed a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement or low-sugar/high-fiber feed made especially for senior horses. Adding canola oil is a great fat supplement that can help increase a horse calorie intake if needed. Cushing’s often compromises the immune system, causing horses with this condition to be more prone to infections and other health problems. Because of this, Cushing’s horses should be seen by a veterinarian at least twice per year with special attention paid to vaccinations, deworming, dental health, hoof care, and other preventive maintenance.

Equine Cushing’s Disease: Back to the basics. Kentucky Equine Research. January 15, 2018