United States Eventing Association

Bethany Hutchins-Kristen headed into 2023 with hopes of earning the SmartPak USEA Stallion of the Year award for a second year in a row on her homebred Geluk HVF, and after a stellar season, including a top-10 finish at the TerraNova CCI2*-L (Myakka City, Florida), she took home the top prize with an 18-point lead.

Because every horse is different, caring for some senior equines is easy while caring for others can be a challenge. When does a horse become senior, how does the body change, which health conditions become more prevalent, and what can owners do to compensate for their horse’s aging body?

Colic is pain that originates in the abdomen. Gas colic, also referred to as spasmodic colic, is one of the most common types of colic in horses. It is defined as mild to moderate abdominal pain that is caused by the accumulation of gas in the intestine. Gas colic either resolves on its own or with medical treatment recommended or provided by your horse’s veterinarian.

Your horse was designed to spend his days roaming and grazing, thriving on the nutrients found in fresh grass. But since acres of pasture can be hard to come by, most horse owners turn to hay to meet their horses’ forage requirements.

When Team SmartPak Rider Silva Martin saddles up, it’s always with a helmet. Silva’s riding career has taken her from Germany all across the world before she settled in the United States in 2007—well before helmets were popular in dressage. When the traditional top hat ruled the dressage ring, riders often schooled in baseball caps or nothing at all.

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is delighted to announce the renewed partnership with SmartPak as the “Official Feeding Supplement of the USEA” for 2023. SmartPak will also continue their support of various USEA programs as a “Gold Sponsor of the USEA American Eventing Championships,” “Contributing Sponsor of the Adult Team Championships at the AEC,” “Bronze Sponsor of the Classic Series” and “Contributing Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Series.” The “SmartPak USEA Stallion of the Year” and “SmartPak USEA Pony of the Year” leaderboards will also allow the company to assist in recognizing the top placing stallion and pony of the Association at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in St. Louis, Missouri this December 6-10. SmartPak will provide ample prizes and awards for the programs and championships that they support.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is excited to welcome back SmartPak as the ‘Official Supplement Feeding System of the USEA’. SmartPak will also return as a ‘Gold Sponsor of the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds (AEC)’, a ‘Contributing Sponsor of the USEA Adult Team Championships (ATC)’, a ‘Bronze Sponsor of the USEA Classic Series’, a ‘Contributing Sponsor of the USEA Future Event Horse Series (FEH)’, and a ‘Contributing Sponsor of the USEA Young Event Horse Series (YEH)’. SmartPak will provide generous prizes to all the programs and Championships mentioned above.

The USEA Adult Team Championships (ATC) were a huge success this year, garnering a record-breaking 58 ATC teams at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. The ATC provides USEA Adult Rider program members with the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area in a friendly and fun environment at the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, and Preliminary levels.

Your horse was designed to spend his days roaming and grazing, thriving on the nutrients found in fresh grass. But since acres of pasture can be hard to come by, most horse owners turn to hay to meet their horses’ forage requirements. Unfortunately, many of the key nutrients found in fresh pasture are lost as soon as it’s cut and dried for hay.

Knowing what sort of support your horse needs can be tough, but it can also make a big difference. There’s a lot of confusion between your horse’s foregut health and hindgut health. After all, the process of breaking down food and absorbing nutrients is all technically “digestion,” so isn’t it all the same? Not quite. The organs in the foregut and hindgut have different functions, and each area has unique health concerns.