Downeast Medal Finals

February 2018
Downeast Medal Finals
September 14-16th, 2018 This will be the 10th annual Downeast Medal Finals! Visit our website for more information about Downeast. We welcome all questions, suggestions, and sponsorship: please email Ginger at galbert@maine.rr.com .
*Reminder: Please contact Ginger if you know of riders who would like to participate in the alumni class (anyone who has previously won a Downeast Medal Final)!
Hemphill's Horses, Feed, and Saddlery
Hemphill's Horses, Feed, and Saddlery, Inc. is looking forward to partnering with Downeast Medal Finals as a sponsor and as your onsite tack shop for our 4th season in September of 2018. One of the first things that we agreed to do when we opened our doors as the new Hemphill's in the fall of 2014 was agree to sponsor DMF and make a plan to set up a traveling tack shop at the fairgrounds in September of 2015. We have been learning as we go, listening to feedback, and DMF has evolved into one of our favorite weekends of the year. From year one in the door, we have been happy to bring the traveling shop where we help some of our favorite customers enjoy the weekend by providing everything from a forgotten girth to a replacement peacock to extra Show Sheen or rain sheets and winter jackets depending on the Skowhegan weather pattern for the weekend! We have been working to provide more inventory on hand to offer competitors and spectators each year, and we thank you all so much for allowing us to grow up with you.

Another exciting and fun aspect for us as we have grown over the past few years is to see several of the horses and ponies that we have sold shine in the Medal Finals arena. We saw so many familiar faces thriving with their new owners and having successful competition weekends in 2017 that we set up our own competition on instagram for #myhemphillshorse, Downeast Medal Finals edition. We like to believe that this trend will also continue to grow and improve over the years, and we love to see our equine success stories out there in the ribbons.

For those of you who aren't familiar with our operation, we are a full service sales barn, tack shop, and feed store located in Vassalboro, Maine - just 40 minutes from the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. On the horse side of things, we buy and sell a variety of horses and ponies year round. In our barn, you might find everything from a family pleasure horse, to a seasoned hunter, to a trail pony, to a driving draft, to a barrel competitor, or an all around lesson saint. If we don't have what you are looking for to fit your needs, we are also happy to go looking on your behalf. 

In addition to buying and selling horses, we also run a robust camp leasing program. We lease over 100 lesson safe and kid suitable horses to summer camps and trail riding businesses around New England during the summer months and when they return home in August, we lease many of them to private individuals, college programs, and most recently IEA barns for the school year. Keep us in mind if you need to add to your own IEA programs in the fall.

Then of course, there is the tack shop and feed store in addition to the horse sales and leasing to round out our business. We carry a full line of Blue Seal Feeds and our motto is "if you have it, we can feed it!" Beyond just feed for horses, we also carry a healthy assortment of feed for dogs, cats, chickens, cows, sheep, pigs, goats, birds, guinea pigs, parrots, and more! Our tack shop carries all the basics from barn supplies, halters, leads, and grooming equipment to sheets, blankets, English and Western saddles, bridles, boots, farrier supplies, harnesses, apparel, show clothes, helmets, Breyer horses, and gifts. To showcase our farm and sale horses and promote education for riders in all disciplines, we host clinics, seminars, and competitions in our store and barn which we advertise on Facebook if you are looking for something fun to do with your horse and horse friends any time soon.

The long and the short of it is that we truly love horses and matchmaking. And one major key to our success is our incredible staff. You will love working with Andi, Beanie, Bonnie, and Dot in the store and Carley, Bonnie, Lizzie, Amanda, Savannah and Kirsten in the barn. Owners Emily and her husband Bill, who also own and operate Lupine Farm in Vassalboro, are thrilled to raise their children, Elliott, Willa, and a new baby girl arriving June 2018, surrounded by all of the ponies they can dream of while they learn by example to appreciate the value of working hard and living a life being passionate about what you do.

Come see us soon at our farm and store in Vassalboro or at our booth at Medal Finals in September! 
Hemphill's Horses Feed and Saddlery, 575 Oak Grove Road, Vassalboro, ME 04989
207-872-7964
We are open Mon-Sat every week and Sundays from Thanksgiving through Christmas. 
How to Build an Equine First Aid Kit
By Katy Raynor, DVM
New England Equine Medical and Surgical Center


Equine injuries can be just as common for horses that are stabled and those that are turned out to pasture. The best way to treat any injury is to be prepared with a well-stocked, easily accessible first aid kit. In fact, keeping even a few of the following first aid essentials could help save a severely injured horse’s life while you wait for your veterinarian to arrive.

Vital First Aid Supplies
Every horse owner needs a few basic first aid essentials. These items will help you dress wounds, and reduce swelling and inflammation until your veterinarian arrives. First aid kits are available for purchase at our clinic, or you can make your own kit with the following items, all of which are available at The Cheshire Horse:
  • Bandages: Protect wounds, support muscles, and hold ice packs with horse leg wraps or self-adhesive bandages.
  • Blunt-Tipped Scissors: Safely cut away and remove bandages and wraps.
  • Buckets: Soak hooves with a few buckets kept specifically for first aid use.
  • Flashlight: View wounds and injuries in low light conditions.
  • Hoof Pick
  • Ice Packs: Prevent and reduce swelling.
  • Rubbing Alcohol: Disinfect wounds, or cool horses rapidly if febrile.
  • Sheet or Roll Cotton: Help apply pressure bandages or offer support to injured muscles or bones.
  • Sterile Gauze: Clean and cover minor cuts and wounds with sterile gauze or Telfa (non-stick) pads of various sizes. Use gauze rolls to hold dressings and pressure wraps in place.
  • Exam Gloves: Keep your hands clean and help prevent wound contamination.
  • Thermometer: Measure your horse’s temperature (normal range is 99.0°F to 101.5°F) if you have a concern before you call the vet. Every farm should have at least one working thermometer.
  • Stethoscope: Know how to take your horses heart rate. If you don’t, ask your vet the next time they come to see your horse.
  • Wound Antiseptic
  • Wound Cleaner
Easy access to your veterinarian’s and farrier’s contact information is also vital. In addition, a complete record of all your horse’s medications, vaccinations, and dewormers is essential – especially in an emergency.

Helpful First Aid Extras
The best first aid kit holds a range of products to deal with a wide variety of injuries or accidents. In addition to the basics, having the following products accessible will help you further prepare for almost any mishap:
  • Electrolytes
  • Probiotics
  • Eye Cleanser/Saline
  • Hoof Boot
  • nSAIDS (phenylbutazone, banamine, Equioxx): Only used after consulting a veterinarian. Always take your horse’s temperature before administration.
  • Poultice

Additional Tip
Always have a fire extinguisher available in your barn and trailer/truck at all times!

Thank you to Katy Raynor and The Cheshire Horse for allowing us to reprint this article, which can also be viewed  here   .
Thank you so much to our incredible sponsors who help make this show possible.
Become a Downeast Medal Finals Sponsor:
All levels accepted and appreciated! 
Visit  our website  for more information.
For more information, to list your show with Downeast qualifying classes, to be featured as a Downeast spotlight rider, or to become a sponsor, please email Ginger at  galbert@maine.rr.com .

Thank you to Spotted Vision Photography and Riitta Fortier for providing us with many wonderful photographs from 2017 Downeast Medal Finals.