April 2012 - Lake Erie College

April 2012In This IssueCANTERSt. BaldricksBugattiNew FoalComing UpNewsletter StaffNicole SauerDr. Pam HessPhoto CreditsFairfield PhotographyRon SchwaneRachelle MosholderHilltop FarmCANTER and Lake Erie CollegeEach semester, the boarder barn becomes home to a small number of horses that are a part of the Training Iand II classes. These “training babies” are horses that are either untrained or very green, which gives the students inthese classes the opportunity to work with essentially a blank slate and to learn how to train a horse from the basics.This semester there are seven training babies at the school, including five thoroughbreds from the organization CAN-TER.CANTER, or The Communication Alliance to NetworkThoroughbred Ex-Racehorses, is a national non-profit organizationwhich works to find retired racehorses new homes and careers by connectingsellers and buyers through online horse listings. Many ofCANTER’s local affiliates, including the one here in Northeast Ohio,have expanded their services to include adoption programs in whichracehorse owners relinquish their horses to CANTER and the organizationthen rehabilitates, retrains, and adopts out the horses from theirlocal farms.CANTER of Ohio and Lake Erie College have developed avery special relationship over the past couple of years in which CAN-TER sends some of the thoroughbreds they have acquired to LakeErie to be retrained as riding horses by the students in the Trainingclasses. This is a mutually beneficial relationship where LEC studentsare given the opportunity to work with horses that have no solid experienceas riding horses, and CANTER in return receives qualityBaby King, a CANTER horse, being ridden by trainingstudent Valerie Davistraining for their horses which makes them much more adoptable. The horses currently at Lake Erie for training, aswell as other adoptable horses and more information on CANTER, are listed on CANTER’s website,www.canterusa.org.By Bethany SattlerLovely Locks Do Not a Beautiful Girl MakeAt Lake Erie College, students usually only participate in events if there is the promise of freefood or T-shirts, but recently one event was able to bring in volunteers and donors with the promise ofnothing but the feeling of doing something good for someone else. The St. Baldrick’s FoundationEvent, which took place on February 29th, brought together numerous Lake Erie students and facultymembers, along with its coordinator, sophomore Erin Stanforth. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a nonprofitorganization which raises money for childhood cancer research. Money is raised through eithertypical donation drive fundraising events, or in this case, through shaving events in which volunteerssubmit to having their heads shaved in exchange for sponsor donations.Erin was not merely the coordinator of the event though; she whole-heartedly involved herselfin the cause and volunteered to have her own head shaved. Prior to the event, Erin had long, wavybrown hair; now she is sporting a close-shaved look, as are several other equine students and Lake Erie’svery own Dean of Equine Studies, Dr. Elizabeth Giedt.Equine students Megan Falk (l) and Erin Stanforth(r), and Dr. Giedt in the centerIn total, 25 people volunteered to shave their heads, including six women, three of which were college students. With an initial goal of$500, the Lake Erie event ended up raising about $1,000 through in-person and online donations, and is currently up to over $6,000 in donations.As Erin puts it, “It is really important for young kids to see that people support them, and are willing to give up their hair for them.”By Bethany Sattler

Upcoming EventsDressage Derby ofOhio I and IIJune 16-17Farm Vet/USDFClinic with LiloForeJune 30-July 1Wild Whim in Foal to Hilltop’s BugattiAs part of Lake Erie College’s stud farm program, the students in the stud farm classes areusually involved in the breeding of one of Lake Erie’s horses each year. This allows for next year’sstudents to be able to experience caring for a mare and foal,and possibly watch a foaling. It also gives the current studentsvaluable experience in coordinating a breeding and allthe responsibilities associated with that, including selecting asuitable stallion for the mare.This year, Lake Erie College is proud to announce itspartnership with Hilltop Farms in Colora, MD regarding thebreeding of LEC’s school mare, Wild Whim. Hilltop Farmshas generously donated a breeding season to their stallion,Bugatti, to the College. The only fees the college is responsiblefor is shipping of the cooled semen. We are very gratefulHilltop’s Bugattito Hilltop Farms for their generous offer for such a superbbreeding stallion. This is a wonderful opportunity for the collegeto benefit from the hard work of the equestrian students by improving the bloodline of LEChorses.Bugatti is a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion that excels in the dressage world. Bugatti is approvedwith multiple breed registries, including the Verband Hannoverscher Warmblutzuchter(Germany’s Hanoverian breed society), American Hanoverian Society, and International SporthorseRegistry/Oldenburg Registry of North America. Wild Whim is a Jockey Club-registered thoroughbredand was adopted by the College in 2010 as an asset to both the training and riding programand the stud farm program because she was carrying a foal at that time. The opportunity tomerge such strong bloodlines will be a testament of the high quality directives LEC strives to putforth in its equine reproduction program. Whim was bred at the end of March and has been confirmedin foal. The current and future reproduction students will be eagerly awaiting the newest additionto the farm due in April of 2013 and, we sincerely thank Hilltop Farms for their generosity.By Danelle WaiteLake Erie’s Newest AdditionThe stud farm students have more exciting news- we have a new foal at thebarn! On April 2 nd , around 5:30 in the morning, current equine reproduction studentsDanelle Waite and Alyssa Cunningham witnessed the foaling of “Rocky”, an adorablepaint colt. Rocky’s mom, One Special Chip, is currently being leased by Lake Erie forthe semester, along with another pregnant mare, Lil’s Ebony Star. Both mares arequarter horses and are currently being cared for by the stud farm and reproduction studentsas part of their curriculum.All of the students in those classes have been on foal watch throughout the pastmonth and a half, eagerly awaiting the foalings for these two mares. “Star” is still beingmonitored and is due any day now, and we’re hoping for another splashy paint foalfrom her! Both mares and the foal are healthy and doing well, and we hope to have anothernew addition soon.Coming Up in Next Month’s Issue…Recognition of the Graduation SeniorsPrix de Villes ResultsEquine Appreciation ReceptionGood Luck to LEC’s IDA Team at Nationals!