equinITy - the workout tracking technology as used for Mubtaahij

Fine Equinity Ltd was established in 2011 by racehorse owners Keith Hanson and Steve Catchpole to develop a product that would satisfy their need for a more interactive ownership experience. They felt that by collecting data relating to their horses’ fitness, they would have an insight without physically being present on the gallops each morning.

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equinITy has evolved over the last two years and now provides a powerful, state of the art equine training and welfare tool, designed to be simple to use whilst gaining as much important data as possible. The bespoke GPS device is held in a pocket on a lightweight girth sleeve which also incorporates an equine specific heart rate monitor. Speed, heart rate, stride, split times and location are all live streamed to any web enabled device anywhere in the world either through the equinITy website or via equinITy’s App onto smartphones or tablets.

As well as real time delivery, the data collected is also available for retrospective analysis through equinITy’s web based software. This processes and graphically illustrates the data producing highly informative performance reports of speed vs heart rate and stride, split times, distance and recovery rates enabling valuable comparison analysis.

equinITy has already been used by trainers as far afield as Australia, USA and Dubai as well as all over Europe, providing themselves and their owners with a method of accurately assessing ability and fitness in advance of running. equinITy has also proved a good indicator of impending health deterioration saving on expensive and disappointing trips to the races.

Mike de Kock says of equinITy:  “Having used the equinITy system for a number of years I am delighted that the stride monitoring and live streaming components are now available. Access to accurate speed, heart rate and stride data via equinITy allows me to make decisions based on scientific facts as well as my instinct.

I was thrilled with Mubtaahij’s win in the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup night. We used the new equinITy device on him in the build up to the Derby, which was a great help. Not only did he look amazing physically, but his data backed up exactly what I was seeing in front of me. His work showed that he could cruise at a high speed with a long stride length allowing him to conserve energy and thus quicken off a strong pace, which is exactly what he did on the big night.”

Click here for further information about equinITy

Equine Metabolic Syndrome

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Racing Schools

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This article appeared in European Trainer - issue 49

Meet Wesley Ward - preparing for Royal Ascot 2015

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Make feeding simpler with the Simple Feeder

What is a SiMPLEFEEDER?    

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SiMPLEFEEDER is an Automatic Horse Feeder which greatly improves horse health.  Enabling you to feed up to 8 times daily, it is not only better for your horse but it saves you time and money.

The concept behind SiMPLEFEEDER is to provide each horse with a feeding regime which replicates as close as possible to the natural feeding environment, ensuring the horse gains its full nutritional value from their feed.

The main benefits of SiMPLEFEEDER are that it produces a better, more consistent performing horse. It improves the horse’s recovery time from stress and or injury.  You can feed smaller but more frequent meals, greatly improving horse’s health and reducing  the risk of your horse getting Stomach Ulcers and/or Colic.

It enables your horses to be fed prior to training or competition, meaning your horse is ready when you are and is not fed late due to being worked..  By installing a SiMPLEFEEDER you no longer need somebody there to feed your precious animals,  massively reducing labour costs  plus  you can be rest assured that your horses are being fed on time.  SiMPLEFEEDER is also fussy eater approved.

Check out what are valued customers had to say about us:

“We have all our horses fed using SiMPLEFEEDER and it had a big impact on labour savings in our yard. I frequently travel to racecourses and used to have to come home early to feed horses. Now I can take my time as the horses will be fed. No more kicking of stable doors.”

Ballyhampshire Stud – Castlelyons Co. Cork – Ireland

Click here to learn more about Simple Feeder

SUPPORT for the racing gut with ReadySupp

Racing Gut has been developed to support all horses under the stress and pressure of training.

The comprehensive supplement includes apple pectin, a complex soluble carbohydrate, and emulsifying phospholipid soy lecithin, which can help form an acid-protective hydrophobic barrier on the gastric wall.  

Active herbs slippery elm, liquorice and marshmallow are combined with antioxidants, zinc and the essential amino-acid threonine to formulate this soothing supplement. The natural ingredients are designed to ‘soak’ up harmful excess acid and encourage natural healing of stomach cells to help soothe, support and reduce the risk of gastric disturbances in hard working horses.

Racing Gut is suitable to be fed as a course, or on a long-term basis,  and is suitable for horses prone to gastric challenges or with compromised gastric health, such as those fasting, on restricted diets, on high starch or low-fibre diets, or medication.

The supplement is manufactured under the NOPS code and all products are batch trackable for increased traceability.

Racing Gut does not contravene FEI or Jockey Club rules and is 100% race safe.

Active ingredients: Lecithin, apple pectin, threonine, calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, zinc, slippery elm powder, liquorice root powder, marshmallow root powder, grapeseed extract.

Click here to learn more about ReadySupp Racing Gut 

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RDInducoat enhance bio-security

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Bio-security is a priority for all training yards, with the main focus on the care of the environment in which the horse spends most hours of the day:  the stable. Whilst not seeking complete sterility, the aim should be to reduce your animal’s exposure to pathogenic mould and bacteria. Stable walls might look clean yet swabs will reveal a bacterial growth and mould.  Hence  the use of coatings on walls to protect against harmful micro-organisms makes perfect sense.

RDInducoat offers coatings which are tried, tested and approved by leading horse yards. Since 1948 it has been developing a reputation for its easy, safe and ecological coatings systems which specifically focus on protecting against harmful micro-organisms. All of the coatings are safe for humans, horses and the environment. Their efficacy complies to the strictest industry ISO standards. And, most importantly, they have been adding value in selected horse yards – both in the Netherlands and in Ireland. Independent horse hygiene specialist have concluded that the coatings are protected against harmful micro-organisms for 24 hours every day, all year.

The key to the system is the ease of application, durability, and suitability for use by staff. The value of of the coatings for any yard owner trying to achieve a high level of biosecurity for their performance horses has now been verified by bio-security specialist Alan Creighton, of the Irish Equine Centre.

“His test results were positive,” says Jack McGuinness, RDInducoat distributor in Ireland.  “This is why our team felt that it is now the time to give RDInucoat coatings some exposure to the readers of Trainer Magazine. After all, if you are painting anyway, why not choose a smart coating?”

Click here to learn more about RDInducoat

NEW specialist service from Racing FX

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With the cost of owning and training horses only going one way, costs and fees become ever more important. At the same time the number of horses being bought, trained and raced overseas continues to grows, meaning owners and trainers should be mindful of what they’re paying for converting currency and making overseas payments.  Banks typically charge between 3% and 5% for foreign exchange transactions, plus transfer fees on top, while providing what is often a slow and convoluted process.

Racing FX is a Foreign Exchange and payments provider to the Equine and sports industries. It delivers a private personal service to its clients offering cheaper rates, fast payments and a hassle free solution whilst ensuring client money is fully protected at all times. We can save you money on purchase costs, regular fees - such as overseas training cost -  purchase of goods and equipment, or conversion of prize money, as quickly as same day, or by fixing a rate for conversion for a future time.

Racing FX is fully authorised by the FCA and registered with HMRC as a money service business so adheres to the strictest controls and regulations to ensure client money is never at risk;  it is held in segregated and protected client accounts with a major UK bank at all times.

Click here to learn more about Racing FX

Yard and Stable Hygiene Services get on top of your biosecurity

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Racing stables, and indeed most yards, now recognise the need to improve their hygiene and biosecurity levels, often having learnt the hard way at some point in their careers.  

But how many think buying a disinfectant and adopting a lower dust regime is enough?

In order for any disinfecting treatments to work they must be applied properly, thoroughly and regularly on a cleaned surface to all areas of the yard including those so often overlooked: roof areas, beams, tops of grills, feed mangers, ablution blocks, tack rooms and the like.

Yard and Stable Hygiene Services was established by Tom Fillery, with ten years hands-on experience in the racing industry, to combat increasing problems and challenges that trainers are encountering due to climate and environmental changes.  The thought of someone coming into the yard to clean and overhaul the facilities while trying to get on with training routines can be a worry,  yet staffing levels and their duties are such that its near impossible to achieve it ‘in house.’  

YSHS understand these timescales and the necessity to work around them with minimal disturbance for maximum improvement while providing a professional, friendly, cost-and-time effective bespoke service, using specialised equipment and only professionally tested and endorsed materials and coatings.  Says Alan Creighton, Environmental Scientist at the Irish Equine Centre: “Stable hygiene is about being proactive rather than reactive. Barrier paints/coatings and disinfection are an essential part of the modern performance yard.”

Click here to learn more about Yard and Stable Hygiene Services

Learn about the NAF Respirator

RESPIRATOR BOOST

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A clear way to performance with racehorses can often be hindered by man-made factors. We all want to reach the winners post first and we therefore need our horses at their peak, but with modern husbandry systems there are many ways in which performance can be compromised and result in many horses not making the trip. The respiratory system is particularly vulnerable to stresses, predominantly from dust or spores commonly found in stabling, forage and kick back from schools or gallops. It only takes a small amount of dust to irritate the delicate airways, causing a rapid and dramatic trailing off. However, with the correct management and high quality supplementation, we can help to support the respiratory system.

Five Star Respirator Boost provides invaluable nutritional support to the respiratory mucosal immune system and the delicate capillary blood vessels that surround the lungs. These minute capillaries are placed under immense strain during vigorous exercise and thus it is essential to offer them five star backing in order to achieve the best performance. Research shows that, by supplementing the diet with naturally sourced anti-oxidants, the horse’s lungs can be given valuable support and this in turn will help the horse to perform to the best of their ability.

Anti-oxidants are found in many feedstuffs but it is important that they are high quality in order to flush free radical toxins from the system for enhanced performance and recovery. Five Star Respirator Boost contains a concentrated solution of natural antioxidants, alongside herbs such as ginger, rosehip and blueberries, long standing ingredients chosen for their targeted support of healthy lung function. In addition Echinacea is also included for immune system support while essential oils help maintain clear airways.

Clear the respiratory system FAST with Five Star Respirator Boost and help your horse cope with the pressures of the modern equine lifestyle with this Five Star Formula.

Click here to learn more about NAF

All about Monarch Equestrian

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Monarch Equestrian is the leading UK brand of stabling and horse exercisers used by professionals, worldwide. For decades we have been designing, patenting and producing high quality and affordable products for the racing industry at our family-run engineering HQ in the midlands.  

The horse exerciser offers flexible training options for a busy race yard and many trainers use it to warm up or cool down their horses, as well as for rehabilitation and fitness. At all times superior safety design and build quality is of paramount importance.

We produce four different sizes of exercisers ranging from the 36’0  for 4-5 horses up to the 66’0 for ten horses. The additional advantage of having a larger diameter is that the increased size offers the opportunity to increase the speed, to include some trot and canter work, without adding additional pressure or strain to the horse’s body.

All sizes can be fitted with optional extras including a roof,  auto reverse twin timers and thick rubber floor pavers, to reduce the risk of slipping and protect from possible concussion.  Both the Consort and Sovereign have been designed specifically with additional safety being paramount.   

Monarch are well renowned for creating prestigious stable yards, with a classic bygone elegance. However, the range seen in many UK racing yards is from our standard range, with a stocked service offering a fast turn around on delivery.  The design and quality of this collection remains the same, but it enables superior stabling solutions at affordable prices and quick delivery.

Click here to learn more about Monarch Equestrian 

Course 2 Course

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Plus 10

European trainers with a two-year-old horse in training have the opportunity to increase their earnings during the 2015 Flat season by targeting Plus 10 bonus races.

Plus 10 is a £5.5 million bonus scheme which will see qualified two-year-olds (and three-year-old horses in 2016) race for cash bonuses of £10,000 or €12,500 across several hundred races in Britain and Ireland.

This season there will be more than 480 opportunities for qualified two-year-olds to claim a Plus 10 bonus.

Each time a £10,000 bonus is won by a qualified horse, the trainer, jockey and stable staff will be paid a 5% (£500) share on top of race prize money, with the balance shared between the owner and breeder. Three registration stages must be completed for a horse to be qualified.

Ruth Quinn, the British Horseracing Authority’s Director of Racing, said: “Plus 10 offers significant opportunities for a trainer to increase their own earnings and provide an owner with a return on their investment in a horse.

“In 2015 there will be an anticipated 314 Maiden races in Britain to feature a bonus, 37 of which will be Auction or Median Auction Maidens.

“For trainers with qualified fillies, the Plus 10 programme offers significant opportunities with more than 42% of the Plus 10 races in 2015 being restricted to fillies only.

“We urge trainers to visit the Plus 10 website to find out more about the many opportunities for a two-year-old to win multiple bonuses in 2015.”

Horse Racing Ireland’s Director of Racing, Jason Morris said: “With 40 Maiden races in the next three months and at least 100 opportunities throughout the year, there are many opportunities for early maturing two-year-olds to sweep up a €12,500 Plus 10 bonus in Ireland before claiming a Nursery or Winners race later in the season.”

To view the March-June Plus 10 race programme for Britain and Ireland, check a horse’s qualification status, or for further information, visit plus10bonus.com.

Note: Plus 10 bonuses will feature on the following races:Britain:

2YO – All Class 2-4 Maiden, Novice and Conditions and Class 5 Fillies’ Maiden races.

3YO – All Class 2-4 Maiden and Conditions and Class 5 Fillies’ Maiden races

Ireland:

2YO – 100 bonuses available on all two-year-old, non-black-type races (including Open Maiden, Auction Maiden, Median Auction Maiden, Nursery and Winners) rolled over until all 100 bonuses are won.

3YO – Unclaimed two-year-old bonuses applied to three-year-old only Maiden races from the beginning of the 2016 Flat season, until all remaining bonuses are won.

Hamilton Park

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The £40,000 EBF Glasgow Listed Stakes on Friday (evening) 17th July at Hamilton Park (near Glasgow, Scotland) is the feature race within a £100,000 card. Since this historic race was switched to mid- July four years ago, it has quickly become a popular stepping stone for trainers with major autumn targets. Luca Cumani demonstrated this last year by winning The Glasgow with Postponed before going on to win Great Voltigeur.  Now open to Fillies as well as Colts/ Geldings, this 3-Y-O Listed contest is over 11 Furlongs.

Baden-Baden

August 28, 2015

Baden-Baden, Germany – Palais Biron

We are delighted to invite and welcome you to our “Business and Ethics of Racing” meeting. Old and unsolved problems and important changes in the conditions of Thoroughbred racing are the basis for the meeting. On the agenda will be the future of racing and the position of the trainer, breeder and the owner. The meeting is expected to last four hours and will run simultaneously with a veterinary meeting set to address similar issues.  We are pleased to have a group of renowned speakers along with an  interesting scientific and social programme.

The meeting starts on Friday, August 28, at 10 am and the programme includes subjects such as managing the risks of prohibited substance from feeds and supplements, Biosecurity protocols for stud farms, joint and tendon stress in young Thoroughbreds, and many more important subjects in racing, owning and breeding.

You are also invited to attend the social programme of the veterinary conference which will include a Klaus Philipp exhibition at Brenner’s Park Hotel and a dinner at the famous Casino of Baden-Baden on Saturday evening.

The famous spa of Baden-Baden is located in the south west of Germany in the Black Forest mountains near the River Rhine, and close to the French border. By car, Baden-Baden is on the A5 motorway from Frankfurt to Basel. There is a direct train connection (1.5 h) from Frankfurt International Airport. The regional Baden Airport is only 20 min away, and connects Baden-Baden directly to Berlin, Hamburg, London and Rome, and, via Berlin, to other European capitals. The meeting place in Baden-Baden is the historic villa Palais Biron, lying just outside the city centre on Lichtentaler Strasse.

Hans D. Lauk

Fees and information

Early booking (until June 30)   €160 ex 19% VAT

Normal (July 1st – August 20th)   €180 ex 19% VAT

Late booking (after August 20th)  €200 ex 19% VAT

Casino Dinner €60 (Must be booked separately)

Information for registration

Hippiatrika publishing, P. B. 100085, 76481 Baden-Baden, Germany

Phone: 0049 (0)176 23 41 14 22

Registration can be done online or by fax:

www.racing.care

Email: reg@phkforum.cc  |  Fax: 0049 (0)561 970 107 02

No refunds after 20th August 2015.

Ascot

Commonwealth Cup becomes Eighth Royal Ascot Group One race

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Royal Ascot has been lit up by many big international names in recent years – Black Caviar becoming the fifth Australian-trained winner at the meeting in 2012 will be many people’s highlight but there have also been memorable winners from Hong Kong and the USA, as well as from all over Europe.

It was Wesley Ward who stole most of the limelight on the international front in 2014, with Hootenanny winning the Windsor Castle Stakes en route to victory at the Breeders’ Cup in late October. In addition, Wesley’s Sunset Glow found only Cursory Glance too good in the Albany Stakes.

Royal Ascot has seen over 50 runners from outside Europe in its two Global Sprint Challenge legs since the series began in 2005 and this year, the meeting will stage a third Group One sprint for the first time – the Commonwealth Cup, limited to three-year-olds and run over 1200 metres (6 furlongs).

It is hoped that this race, whilst providing a valuable early season sprint championship for European horses, will also appeal particularly to the American market but also perhaps, in time, to Australian two-year-olds, Golden Slipper types, who are able to participate with a 10lb Southern Hemisphere Allowance.

With the addition of the Commonwealth Cup and the promotion of the QIPCO British Champions Sprint in the autumn to Group One status, Ascot will stage 13 top level races in 2015.

It was tremendous to see Animal Kingdom from the USA run in the Queen Anne Stakes of 2013 and we hope that this race particularly, along with the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, will continue to develop in intercontinental terms like the established sprints and two-year old races.

It is still early days, but to have Hong Kong's Able Friend being talked of as a Queen Anne horse for this year and Japan's Spielberg being trained for the Prince of Wales's Stakes is tremendously encouraging.

Byerley Technologies launch Tendon Manager

Byerley Technologies has combined the knowledge of the horse industry with experts in data management systems to develop Tendon Manager, an automatic system that allows for the  Early detection of potential lower leg injuries.

Tendon Manager is a world first in the management of equine lower leg health and delivers a simple user-friendly end solution to the equine sector.  .

Key Early Detection benefits include:  reassurance for trainers and owners; economic benefit for both trainer and owner and improved welfare. The system is fast, non-invasive, accurate and easy to interpret.

Byerley Technologies will be launching Tendon Manager this April at DBS, Doncaster Breeze up Sales, on 22nd and 23rd April.