Downeast Medal Finals

September 2019

September 12-15, 2019

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

Downeast Medal Finals in a partnership with the Skowhegan Fairgrounds is pleased to announce new footing in the schooling area for DMF 2019!!!

2019 Downeast Medal Finals

The 11th annual Downeast Medal Finals is almost here!

Have you sent in your entries yet? Closing date is TODAY , except for late qualifiers (Sept. 4). View the prizelist and entry form on our website to sign up.

2019 DMF Warmups: Thursday Warmup Schedule

Handwalking only 7:00am – 9:00am
Warm up for 2’3”-2’6” 9:00am – 12:30pm
Warm up for 18” 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Warm up for poles 2:30pm – 4pm

REMINDER: You do not need to be qualified in one of our Medal Finals to compete in the classes and Hunter Derbies on Friday and Saturday! We welcome everyone to attend and compete on those days, regardless of qualification status. Stick around for Sunday to watch our Medal Finals qualifiers compete!

LEADERBOARD: Downeast will again be having an electronic leaderboard in the ring!

BIGGER PRIZES: This year we have increased money in all of our Hunter Derbies, $1250 for the 18" MIPR Derby and $1500 for both the 2'3" American National/Farm Family Derby and the 2'6" Mason Dixon Memorial Derby. Our Medal Final winners will receive an EquiFit Essential Gift Set, second place Medal Final winners and second place Hunter Derby winners will receive a bag of Poulin Grain , Shires will still be recognizing the high point Maine horse in each of the three Derbies with a special award, and Old Dominion Saddlery is awarding the high point Maine horse of the show with a Devoucoux girth and 5 point breastplate. On top of that, the Francis award donated by BTB for the judges’ choice best overall Maine horse awards a sash and leather halter with nameplate, and new this year, we have the CWD judges’ choice for the overall best horse at DMF 2019, with a prize of a gift certificate for $500 of product at CWD. Meader Supply has filled all of our class winner buckets with some wonderful things, as well as our awards for the best decorated table and tack room awards. A vet from New England Equine will be on grounds all week! Dover Saddlery has filled the welcome bags along with True Blue Thrush Solution giving every rider a complimentary bottle of their wonderful product. Townsend’s Trailer Sales will be on grounds with one of their Exiss trailers offering a $250 show discount for purchase or a reservation. Hemphill’s will again be there in case you forgot something or see something that you just can’t live without. SmartPak is back this year offering a complimentary bottle of OutSmart fly spray to every medal final rider in a reusable shopping tote and Nutrena has given us some great awards for the Team Challenge so be sure to get your entries in early. This is just a small picture of everything that we have for our riders this year! Thank you to all our sponsors!

DMF Sportsmanship Award in Memory of Polly MacMullen

Sportsmanship is defined as “fair and generous behavior or treatment of others, especially in a sports contest.” Polly MacMullen embodied these traits. She was always willing to lend a hand, offer a kind word, and was supportive of everyone no matter what was going on in her life. Her love of horses and everything about them could always be seen. She was a dedicated and devoted rider, always striving to ride better, learn more and always beyond anything else, was a wonderful competitor.Polly was taken from us too soon, and we here at DMF would like to remember her spirit, kindness, and generosity with this award.

We would like to recognize an individual at DMF who embodies these traits. A rider, parent, sibling, trainer, groom, or anyone who is active in the lives of our competitors. Please submit your nominations to ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com, or please give a name to Scott, Kate, or Ginger up at the show.

Table Decorating Contest and Best Tack Stall Decorating Contest are back again for this year! We also have the DMF Sportsmanship award, given to an individual on show grounds during DMF 2019 who exhibits exemplary traits- anyone can be rewarded, not just riders!

Horsemanship challenge participants, this year's questions will be taken from articles in the newsletter and the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Study Guide, which can be found at USHJA.org

Click here for a list of Local Hotels. If you are having a hard time finding a room please consider renting a camper from our horse show camper dealer, Rod’s Cycle and RV (207-474-6637). They drop them off at the fairgrounds and pick them up, all you have to do is open the door.

If you have not received your Downeast Medal Finals Qualifying Medal, you can pick them up at the Finals!

Hay 101

Forage (fiber) from pasture and/or hay is the predominant ingredient in the diet for most horses. The digestive system of a horse requires forage to function properly. Horses that have access to abundant pasture will satisfy their need for forage by grazing. Horses kept in stables, horses kept in grass-free paddocks, and most horses during the winter months depend on their caregivers to provide the proper amount and type of forage. The forage of choice in these situations is hay. Given the importance of hay in horse diets, we should take a refresher course in hay — we’ll call it “Hay 101”.

What is hay? Hay is plant material that has been grown, cut down, dried, packaged into bales, and stored for feeding at a later time. Just about any type of plant can be made into hay. To have good quality horse hay you must start with nutritious plants, harvest those plants at the proper stage of maturity to maximize nutrient content, and dry the plants properly so they don’t spoil (mold).

In general, horse hay falls into two broad categories - legume and grass. Legume hay is generally higher in protein, energy, and minerals than grasses harvested at the same maturity. Examples of legume hays include alfalfa, clover, bird’s foot trefoil and lespedeza. Grass hays include Timothy, orchard grass, bluegrass, bromegrass, ryegrass, fescue, and bermuda grass. Other plants with a similar nutrient profile to grass hay are cereal grain hays. Cereal grain plants, such as oats, barley and wheat, generally make good hay when harvested during their early growth stages before seed heads become predominant. Most any legume, grass or grain hay can be fed to horses if it is high quality.

Selecting a Hay

With so many types of hay available, how do you choose one appropriate for your horse? The goal is to match the nutrients provided by the hay with the nutrient requirements of the individual horse. For example, the nutrient requirements of a pregnant mare are higher than the requirements of a mature gelding. Table 1 lists several classes of horses and recommendations for hay type selection. Note: quality hay, of any type, could be fed to any class of horse. If hay with a low or moderate nutrient content is fed to a horse with high nutrient requirements, the nutrients lacking in the hay must be supplied in the grain concentrate portion of the diet. Likewise, if hay with a high nutrient content is fed to horses with low or moderate nutrient requirements, less grain is needed to balance the diet. More important than the type of hay fed, is the amount of good quality hay fed. Feed at least 1 lb. of hay per 100 lbs. of body weight per day.

Determining Hay Quality

Horses require good quality hay because their digestive tract is “one-way” in direction. Horses normally are not capable of vomiting, and they become sick if fed moldy or dusty hay. Hay quality can be determined in many ways. Stage of maturity, leafiness, color, foreign material, odor and condition are physical parameters that can be judged to determine quality. Physical quality can be determined by observation and comparison of hay samples.

Physical Characteristics of High-Quality Hay

Stage of Maturity: High quality hays have a high percentage of leaves (blades) to stems. Look for abundant leaves or blades and small, thin stems.

Lefiness: High quality hays have a high percentage of leaves (blades) to stems. Look for abundant leaves or blades and small, thin stems.

Color: Bright green color indicates proper curing, high vitamin content and good palatability. Loss of color indicates weather damage. Look for bright green color.

Foreign Material: Hay should not contain weeds or foreign material such as dirt, wire, sticks. Look for grass or alfalfa plants with no weeds.

Odor/ Mold: Odors such as musty or rotten odors indicate low quality hay that was not properly cured or stored. Look for clean, fresh-smelling hay free of visible mold or excessive dust.

It should be noted that lower nutritive value hay can be fed, but it will require increased grain supplementation. Moldy or very dusty hay should not be fed at all.

Health Concerns Related to Different Hays

Finally, there are a few health concerns that merit attention when choosing horse hay. High moisture hay (haylage or baleage) may be fed to horses, but may have increased risk of molds or toxins such as botulism. Some hays are susceptible to fungal infections, including rye (may be infected with ergot) or fescue (which may be infected with endophyte fungus). Sudangrass hay or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids may result in health disorders and should be avoided. Red clover harvested in warm humid weather may become infected with a fungus that causes “slobbering.” Alfalfa may contain blister beetles, primarily if sourced from the central US, and should be examined to ascertain that it is not infested. In general these problems are not common,but awareness of the possibilities will help when making informed decisions about hay selection.

Source: https://www.poulingrain.com/blog/hay-101/

We would like to thank True Blue Thrush Solution for their generous sponsorship and support of the Downeast Medal Finals.

True Blue Thrush Solution

SafeQuest Technologies LLC

SafeQuest is focused on developing safe, effective, and environmentally friendly solutions for horses with bacterially driven conditions such as thrush and white line disease. We have nearly 15 years of experience in successfully developing anti-microbial solutions for live animal and human food safety applications.

Our True Blue Thrush Solution is the result of our experience in anti-microbial chemistry, an independent lab study, field trials and farrier and horse owner assessment.

Rosemary, who holds a patent for the invention of an antimicrobial compound that addresses digital dermatitis in dairy cows, is a lifelong horse owner. She is well aware of the limitations of existing thrush products, including smell, staining, skin irritation, and overall lack of effectiveness.

True Blue Thrush Solution is the answer to these problems. True Blue is a fast acting, all natural blend of organic acids and salts that is safe for horses, humans, and the environment – all with out stain, sting, or stink! Everyone who has tried it, including farriers and trainers, has claimed that it’s the best product for thrush and white line disease they have ever tried.

We know you and your horse will love it too.

Dennis & Rosemary Smithyman