USA Wins Eventing Gold at Pan American Games

USA Wins Eventing Gold at Pan American Games:

USA WINS TEAM GOLD, CANADA’S PHOENIX CLAIMS INDIVIDUAL TITLE

by Louise Parkes

American riders scooped Eventing Team gold in convincing fashion at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico on Sunday when all five team-members sensationally completed on their Dressage scores. But the USA had to settle for silver and bronze in the battle for the Individual title, as Canada’s Jessica Phoenix stood firm to capitalise on the advantage she had established in the Dressage arena last Friday.

It was a historic result for 28-year-old Phoenix, who hails from Uxbridge, Ontario as she is only the second Canadian rider ever to earn individual Eventing gold in the history of the Pan-American Games. Riding the nine-year-old Westphalian gelding, Pavarotti, she set the target with a Dressage mark of 43.90 and never looked back. A flawless Cross Country performance on Saturday was followed by another copybook round over the coloured poles on Sunday to clinch individual gold. “It’s a dream come true”, she said afterwards.

PIVOTAL

The Dressage placings proved pivotal, as the top four all remained within that grouping, although America’s Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot improved from third to fill silver medal spot in the final analysis. Team-mate, Bruce Davidson Jr., moved up from fourth to take the bronze at the expense of fellow-American Michael Pollard who narrowly missed a medal-placing with two fences down on the final afternoon.

“For me and this whole team, our goal was to win team gold,” said Davidson. “There was more pressure and more joy in winning that. We are such a close team, I feel bad for Michael – I almost feel guilty sitting here. You want to come as a team, win as a team and leave as a team – and that’s what we’re going to do”, he pointed out during the post-competition press conference.

BUSY

Cross Country day was busy, with 17 eliminations and one retirement from a starting field of 49 runners, but eight horse-and-rider combinations returned clear within the time limit of 9 minutes 30 seconds. Phoenix was one of the latter, timing her round to perfection when breaking the beam two seconds inside the optimum time after a great tour of the 5,225 metre track designed by America’s John Williams.

“Pavarotti is such a great cross-country horse”, Phoenix said on Saturday. “He’s straight and bold and has an incredible gallop. I’m so proud of him, because he jumped extremely well the whole way today.”

And he was foot-perfect again on Sunday in both rounds of the final Jumping phase. The Team result was decided in the first of these when the top three individual results from each country were taken into account. Phoenix, Rebecca Howard (Roquefort) and James Atkinson (Gustav) combined their scores for a mark of 172.50, which left them with a 36-point advantage over the bronze medallists from Brazil whose top three finishers were Serguei Fofanoff (Barbara TW), Marcio Jorge (Josefine MCJ) and Jesper Martendal (Land Jimmy). But the winning side was in no doubt as all five Americans completed without a single fault to add to their Dressage scores. Their final tally of 138.60 left them with a 33.9-point winning margin.

And it was an extra-important day for the bronze medal winners from Brazil as they, along with the fourth-placed Argentineans, secured qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

INDIVIDUAL FINAL

According to the rules of the Pan-American Games, only the best three from each team are permitted to advance to the Individual final round, so the two Americans Shannon Lilly (Ballingowan Pizazz) and Lynn Symansky (Donner) had to watch from the sidelines as 25-year-old Hannah Burnett steered Harbour Pilot – an eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse produced by Canadian team leader and 2000 Olympic Games Individual gold medallist David O’Connor of the USA – into Individual silver spot ahead of Davidson with Absolute Liberty. This was the first Pan-American medal for Davidson, who finished sixth at the Games in 1999 and whose father, Bruce Davidson Snr., had claimed individual gold four years earlier.

“The Mexican Federation deserves a huge round of applause from all of us”, said David O’Connor at the end of the competition, “and congratulations to the Americans, they had real camaraderie that showed”, he added. “None of us would be here without the team of people that we have behind us, from our coaches to our support staff to our families at home who are probably both cheering and crying right now”, said Canada’s newly-crowned individual gold medallist Phoenix, who sang Pavarotti’s praises – “I love this horse, and I am so excited for his future!” she said.

Result:

Teams: GOLD – USA 138.60, Schoensgreen Hanni (Michael Pollard) 44.50, Harbour Pilot (Hannah Burnett) 45.20, Absolute Liberty (Bruce Davidson Jr) 48.90, Ballingowan Pizazz (Shannon Lilley) 49.30, Donner (Lynn Symansky) 52.20; SILVER – Canada 172.50, Pavarotti (Jessica Phoenix) 43.90, Roquefort (Rebecca Howard) 62.90, Gustav (James Atkinson) 65.70, Foxwood High (Selena O’Hanlon) 79.20, Five O’Clock Somewhere (Hawley Bennett) 79.60; BRONZE – Brazil 209.80, Barbara TW (Serguei Fofanoff) 61.80, Josefine MCJ (Marcio Jorge) 66.80, Land Jimmy (Jesper Mrtendal) 81.20, Eleda All Black (Marcelo Tosi) 94.30, Tom Bombadill Too (Ruy Fonseca) 1,000.00.

Individual: GOLD – Pavarotti (Jessica Phoenix) CAN 43.90; SILVER – Harbour Pilot (Hannah Burnett) USA 45.20; BRONZE – Absolute Liberty (Bruce Davidson Jr) USA 48.90.

Unilateral and Bilateral Laparoscopic Ovariectomy in 157 Mares: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Here is a solution to the chronic in heat mare. Like a stallion if you are not planning on breeding her, why not consider removing her ovaries. In addition to the laparoscopic approach described here there are several other methods, some of which require general anesthesia to remove the ovaries. We prefer standing and sedated. Post surgical care usually involves keeping the mare quiet and in a stall for several days post surgery.

Unilateral and Bilateral Laparoscopic Ovariectomy in 157 Mares: A Retrospective Multicenter Study:

Objective

To evaluate surgical techniques, perioperative complications and outcome of laparoscopic surgery for unilateral and bilateral ovariectomy in mares.

Study Design

Retrospective multicenter case series.

Animals

Mares (n = 157).

Methods

Indications for surgery were neutering, fertility problems, elimination of hormone-related abnormal behavior, ovarian tumors as well as nonregressive ovarian hematomas or cysts. Ovariectomy (n = 206) were performed by a standard laparoscopic procedure in 157 standing sedated mares. Dissection and hemostasis were achieved by using either (1) a linear stapling device, (2) bipolar electrosurgical instruments, with or without a modified Roeder knot, (3) a vessel-sealing system, or (4) a diode-laser with ligation. For some larger ovarian masses (>20 cm diameter), a 2-step surgical procedure was used with standing flank laparoscopic ovariectomy followed by ovarian retrieval through a median celiotomy. Surgical techniques, outcome, and perioperative complications of each method were recorded and analyzed.

Results

Laparoscopic dissection of the ovary was accomplished in all mares. Because of the size of the ovarian tumor (n = 7) or in 1 mare with behavioral problems (n = 1), the dissected ovary was removed through a median celiotomy under general anesthesia. Seventeen mares (10.8%) developed postoperative complications (eg, incisional drainage, incisional infection, seroma formation, dehiscence, transient fever and mild abdominal discomfort). All mares with flank incisional problems had ovarian size >12 cm and in 15 (88%) of these mares electrosurgical instruments were used for mesovarial dissection.

Conclusions

Laparoscopic ovariectomy in standing sedated mares provides good surgical access and is associated with low morbidity.

The Five Elements

Dr. Shana Buchanan is available for appointments at BVEH-Navasota for Acupuncture and Herbal Therapy.

The Five Elements:

Dr. Shana Buchanan, MBA,

Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified in Veterinary Chiropractic, Certified in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine, Veterinary Food Therapist

The five elements that we will be discussing are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each of these elements has a season, a climate, a direction, a color, a flavor, a sound, an emotion, growth, an orifice, a sense, a tissue, a function, a body action, a body odor, a weakness, and certain personality aspects that make up their characteristics. We will explore each element’s uniqueness in our pets. Pets and people can exhibit more then one type of constitution. Additionally, if there is a mixture of elements that make up the constitution of a pet, the element that is usually expresses is during its season.

The Fire element’s season is summer, the color is red, the climate is hot, the emotion is joy and fright, the tissue is vascular system, the function is circulation, the organ is the heart, and the weakness is walking. The Fire personality is easily excited, extroverted, tends to be the center of the party, loves to be loved, mischievous and is proficient in competition. The Fire’s physical characteristics include a strong body, small head, prominent blood vessels, runs fast but easily fatigued, and is excellent for short-distance racing. The Fire’s disease predispositions include strokes, separation anxiety, and restlessness. A small animal that has a Fire constitution is friendly, greets strangers warmly, is noisy and barks, is excitable and is difficult to keep still. A horse that has a Fire constitution is friendly, noisy and vociferous, loves to be touched or petted, is excitable, is difficult to keep still and is very sensitive.

The Earth’s season is late summer, the climate is damp, the color is yellow, the emotion is preoccupation and worry, the tissue is muscles, the function is digestion, the organs are stomach and spleen and the weakness is sitting. An Earth’s personal characteristics include honesty and kindness, is a good care taker, is laid back, is humble, is easily satisfied, is slow to response to a stimulus, is a good worker that is a little slow and is generous and modest. The Earth’s physical characteristics include a short and sturdy body, a prominent musculature, a big head, and thick lips. Disease predispositions include chronic gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and colic, edema and obesity. A small animal with an Earth constitution is friendly, is eager to please, is a slow walker, enjoys sleeping and relaxing, and is laid back. A horse with an Earth constitution is friendly, enjoys relaxing, is easy going and mellow, is eager to please and moves slow.

The Metal’s season is fall, the climate is dryness, the color is white, the emotion is weeping, the organs are the lung and large intestine, the tissue is the skin and hair coat, the function is respiration, the body action is coughing and wheezing, and the weakness is lying down. The Metal’s personal characteristic are a good organizer, a leader in a group, a rule follower and likes routines, is confident and consistent. The Metal’s physical characteristics include a broad forehead, a broad chest, and good hair coat. The disease predispositions are respiratory problems, including cough, asthma, and nasal congestion, diabetes, and constipation. A small animal with a Metal constitution is quiet and confident, disciplined, follows the owner’s commands, organized and knows what to do next or what is expected, and has a clean hair coat. A horse with a Metal constitution is quiet and organized, confident, disciplined, follows the rules, prepared for what happens next, and has a clean hair coat.

The Water’s season is winter, the climate is cold, the color is gray/black, the emotion is fear/terror, the organs are kidney and bladder, the tissue is the bones, the function is elimination, and the weakness is standing. The Water’s personal characteristics includes being introverted, terrified and fearful about everything, quiet, willing to live along, very consistent but slow when doing something, and a fear biter. The Water’s physical characteristics are a thin, middle sized body, cold intolerance, and have deep, big eyes and ears. The disease predispositions are edema, infertility, back pain, urinary infections, and depression. A small animal with a Water constitution hides behind the owner, is not confident, is a fear biter, and leaks urine because of fear. A horse with a Water constitution hides or runs away, kicks when afraid, is not confident, may present rear-end and threatens to kick when approached.

The Wood’s season is spring, the climate is wind, the color is green, the emotion is anger and irritation, the organs are liver and gall bladder, the tissues are tendons and ligaments, the function is purification, and the weakness is looking. The Wood’s personal characteristic includes a dominant behavior or attitude, quick and fast movements, skilled with running or moving, impatient, easily becomes angry, alert and responds quickly to stimuli and is good at adapting to changing conditions. The Wood’s physical characteristics have a thin body, big eyes, good but variable performance, runs quickly and has nimble movements. The disease predispositions include hypertension, stroke, allergy, depression, hysteria and neurosis. A small animal Wood constitution is confident, irritable/”crabby,” active, energetic, athletic, aggressive, angry, bites with little provocation and is impatient. A horse with a Wood constitution is confident, irritable/”crabby,” active, energetic, athletic, aggressive, angry, kicks, stomps or strikes, impatient and bites.

As you can see there are several breeds that come to mind when describing the various elements. For example, a typical horse with a Wood personality is a racehorse. A typical dog with an Earth personality is a Labrador Retriever. A Water dog is any small breed that is scared, particularly Chihuahuas. A Metal horse example is a horse that does well in weekly competitions such as Dressage. A Fire animal example is a Jack Russell Terrier, especially when it is a puppy. However, like previously stated, most animals and people are a mixture of the elements, and the current season can influence an animal’s disposition. Now that you know a little about the various elements what do you think your pet’s dominant element is?

References

Xie, H & Preast, V. (2002). Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine: Volume 1 Fundamental Principles. Florida: Jing Tang.

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