At the Little Everglades International CDE, Chester Weber finished in first place in the FEI Horse Team division. Weber, who is well-known for his excellent dressage presentation, posted a score of 37.43 to take the lead in his division.

Shelly Temple finished in fifth place in the FEI Single Pony division of the same event. Both drivers are sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research. Among other products they use to keep their driving horses in top condition, Weber and Temple count on Nano●E to provide antioxidant support during strenuous exercise.

Champion driver Shelly Temple will present a webinar on January 10 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. CST.

Content is designed to help drivers improve communication with their horses through lines, whip, and voice so that the horse will understand more clearly what the driver is intending to convey. Competitive drivers and pleasure drivers should all benefit from the information shared in this webinar that is provided in cooperation with the American Driving Society (ADS).   

Shelly, an experienced driver who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, has competed at the Advanced Level in CDEs for 15 years. She represented the United States at the World Pony Championships, placing second in the dressage competition and helping the U.S. team earn a bronze medal. She is an ADS and USEF 'R' Judge in combined driving, and is an active competitor, instructor, trainer, and clinician. She also has served on the ADS Licensed Officials and Dressage Committees and the USEF Driving Technical Committee. 

Cost for the webinar is $10.00 for ADS members and $15.00 for nonmembers. Check the ADS Online Store to register. In the case of technical difficulties, fees will be refunded. Call 608-237-7382 with any questions.

Shelly Temple has been driving a new pony, Hemmingway, in competitions this year. Temple and Hemi have consistently earned solid dressage scores throughout the season, and Hemi had the best overall performance in the Intermediate-level marathon at the Katydid CDE in Windsor, South Carolina in November.

As pleased as Shelly is to be showing a new pony, she hasn't forgotten her tried-and-true former driving partner, the Morgan gelding LR Ami B-Line (known as Cooper). Instead of driving, she's riding Cooper in dressage competitions. The pair recently finished well at the Viewpoint Dressage Holiday on Horse event, where they showed at second level and earned a score that will help to qualify Shelly for a United States Dressage Federation bronze medal award. She reports that Cooper, who earned driven honors such as USEF national single pony champion for 2006, 2010, and 2011 and USEF Horse of the Year combined driving single pony for 2007, is learning the dressage movements and is ready to begin schooling flying changes.

To finish out the year, Shelly said that both Cooper and Hemi will participate in a clinic with world champion Thorsten Zaremba. "We will be using the mild winter of Aiken, South Carolina, to continue the conditioning and finesse work of both Hemmingway and Cooper," she reported. "My goal is to qualify both ponies for the World Pony Championships in France in November of 2013."

Shelly is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research. She uses products developed by KER to keep her competition ponies in top condition. She explained, "When at home, I try to keep my ponies turned out as much as possible, on a regular feeding schedule and with regular work routines. When competition season begins, with constant travel, irregular or no turnout, and changing feed and work schedules, RiteTrac keeps their digestive systems working as they should. It's a regular part of our program to keep the horses performing and feeling their best!"

At the Tenth Katydid Carolina Challenge Combined Driving Event, Shelly Temple guided Hemmingway to first place in the Intermediate Single Pony division.

Leading by ten points after the dressage phase, she built the margin to 45 points with a fast but precise marathon performance. Shelly drove an almost perfect cones course, finishing under the time but knocking one ball off its base for three penalty points in this phase. The pair finished as the leaders in their division.

Shelly is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER). She trusts KER-formulated feeds to ensure that her performance horses will receive the benefits of balanced nutrition throughout their busy schedule of training and competition.

KER-sponsored equestrian Shelly Temple continues to do well with Hemmingway, the single pony she has recently begun to drive in Preliminary competition.

Shelly and Hemmingway finished in first place at the Pinetree CDE held at Southern Pines, North Carolina. In the group of ten entries, Shelly was never in worse than second place through the event's three phases.

To be sure Hemmingway has the best nutrition to support his efforts in training and competition, Shelly uses feeds formulated by Kentucky Equine Research (KER). She also uses Nano-E, a product that supplies highly bioavailable vitamin E. This nutrient is vital to a competition horse's immune, cardiovascular, circulatory, and neuromuscular functions.

At the Kentucky Classic CDE held in early October at the Kentucky Horse Park, Shelly Temple drove Hemmingway to a first-place finish in the Preliminary Single Pony division.

In a field of nine competitors, Shelly had first place in dressage, third in marathon, and second in cones and was awarded the overall win. Hemmingway, who is owned by Irene Gillis, is a new pony for Shelly and has performed well this fall in spite of being driven as a single pony, a change from his previous position in a pair. Shelly is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), and Hemmingway is fueled by feeds formulated by KER.

Hemmingway's preparation for the October shows has consisted of endurance and cardio work. In addition, developing softness, relaxation, and confidence are all part of his daily training sessions, according to Jeff Legg of Catalyst Driving Center. He commented, "KER's supplements are an important part of the maintenance of Catalyst Driving's horses and ponies. With KER's scientifically formulated feeds, Shelly rests assured that Hemmingway will receive the promoted benefits."

KER-sponsored driver Chester Weber was also a winner at the Kentucky Classic CDE. In the Advanced Horse Team division, Chester finished more than 100 points ahead of the second-place driver. His Warmblood horses Senate, Boy, Boris, Ringo, and Splash gave their customary outstanding efforts that have helped to maintain Chester's achievement of eight USEF National Four-In-Hand Championships.

Among the KER products that keep Weber's horses in top condition are Restore, an electrolyte supplement designed to match the composition of sweat, and Nano-E, a natural vitamin E source to support immune, cardiovascular, circulatory, neuromuscular, and reproductive functions.

At the Glen Willow Combined Driving Event in West Grove, Pennsylvania, Shelly Temple drove Hemmingway to a third-place finish in the Preliminary Single Pony division. Hemmingway is a nine-year-old German Riding Pony gelding that has been used as part of a pair of driving ponies, and Shelly is retraining him for a role as a single pony. The Glen Willow competition was Shelly's first event with Hemmingway.

Shelly, who is sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), has combined nutrition advice with some of KER's nutrition supplements to help her competition ponies reach their athletic potential. For the various equines in her stable, Shelly has used RiteTrac, a digestive tract conditioner; Synovate HA, a product that supports joint health; and Preserve PS, a prescription-strength supplement that provides superior antioxidant protection and features natural vitamin E.

Shelly Temple, a combined driver sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, is excited to be working with Hemmingway, a nine-year-old dark chestnut German Riding Pony gelding owned by Irene Gillis. For the last two years, Hemi has been driven as part of a pair in Advanced level competition, so Shelly is introducing him to not only a new driver but a new position as a single pony. She will begin to compete Hemi in driving events this fall.

In addition to training and showing her own horses, Shelly is also called on to share her expertise with the driving world in a number of other ways. Shelly recently served as president of the ground jury at the Green Mountain Horse Association Combined Driving Event in Woodstock, Vermont. In this position, she oversaw and coordinated the duties of various event officials who fielded questions and interpreted regulations throughout the competition. The event drew 51 entrants in Training, Preliminary, and Intermediate divisions.

Shelly Temple, a combined driving competitor sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER), is continuing with training this summer, but is confining her horse's efforts to the early-morning hours because of near-record temperatures at her stable in Aiken, South Carolina. Summer is usually a break for combined driving, but Shelly will have plenty of time to step up her horse's conditioning before defending her champion title in October at the Kentucky Classic Combined Driving Event.

Shelly uses Nano-E, Preserve, and Rite Trac from KER, and feels these products are integral in keeping her horses healthy during the stress of hot, humid weather. Nano-E, a source of highly bioavailable natural-source vitamin E, is especially important for horses without access to fresh green pasture.

Though she is not competing this summer, Shelly stays in close touch with the driving world. She has been selected to judge a driving event in Wisconsin in July and another in Vermont in August.

Lifelong horse enthusiast Sherri Heichelbech, Fort Branch, Ind., won a free training session with three-time national combined driving champion Shelly Temple in a recent contest sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

"I am so excited! I signed up for the contest because I am eager to learn more about combined driving, and Shelly Temple has such a great reputation," said Heichelbech, who has been pleasure driving for several years but plans to compete in a combined driving event for the first time this summer.

Heichelbech currently drives two of her horses, a POA and a Friesian. "The POA that I hope to compete with soon is a seasoned, great-minded veteran. He's been with us a long time, first as my daughter's pony, then as an event horse, and now as my driving partner. My Friesian, though, has just started driving this year, but he is a nice young horse with a lot of potential."

The training session will be held in Windsor, S.C., which is home to Catalyst Driving, Temple's training facility. Temple is one of several equestrians sponsored by KER, and she trusts products developed and manufactured by KER to keep her horses in top condition. In particular, she uses the KERx products RiteTrac, EO-3, Nano-E, Synovate HA, and Preserve PS.

Heichelbech entered the contest by signing up for award-winning e-newsletters created by KER, The Weekly Feed and Equine Health Review. Sign up for the newsletters today!

Kentucky Equine Research is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving both the horse owner and the feed industry. Founded nearly 25 years ago by Joe Pagan, Ph.D., the company's goal is to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology and apply that knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses at all stages of life. For more information, contact Kentucky Equine Research at 3910 Delaney Ferry Road, Versailles, KY 40383; 859-873-1988; e-mail [email protected]. Visit our online library of nutrition and health articles at www.Equinews.com.