Event Rider Chiacchia in Critical Condition

The eventing world is standing by the bedside of rider Darren Chiacchia. The Pan American Gold Medalist was injured when his horse, Baron Verdi, somersaulted at a jump on the cross country course Saturday at Red Hills, in Tallahassee, Fla.

Chiachia sustained a serious head injury and remains unconscious, although he is breathing on his own and fears of a spinal cord injury turned out to be unfounded.

The Equestrian Aid Foundation has designated an emergency fund to help defray the costs of his medical care. “Darren has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Equestrian Aid Foundation for several years and serves on our Ambassador Committee. His great energy and ideas have been of tremendous value to us,” writes the foundation on its website. You can donate to the fund by visiting www.equestrianaidfoundation.org.

The 43-year-old Chiacchia burst onto the international eventing scene in 2000 when he was the traveling alternate on the U.S. Olympic team. Chiacchia and Windfall 2 had their best season ever in 2003 when they won the Individual Gold medal in the Pan American Eventing title at Fair Hill. He’s been a top placer in the country’s most prestigious events, include Rolex Kentucky, Fair Hill and Foxhall Cup.

Chiacchia has overcome difficulties before. Just three months before competing at the World Equestrian Games in 2002 in Jerez, Spain, Chiacchia broke both hips. Chiacchia operates Independence Farm and splits his time between Springville, N.Y. and Ocala, Fla. He has dreamed about going to the Olympics since he was 14.

For updates on his condition, visit Chiacchia’s website, www.eventrider.com

Money for Madeover Mustangs
The winners of this year’s Extreme Mustang Makeover stand to make a bit more money for their efforts. The Mustang Heritage Foundation announced that an additional $20,000 will awarded during September Extreme Mustang Makeover to be held in Ft. Worth, Texas. The event features 200 mustangs and their trainers competing for a $50,000 purse.

To win, handlers must receive high scores based on the body condition of their American Mustangs, as well as their ability to handle the horse "in hand". Three skilled horsemen will judge the competition.There will also be a yearling division held in conjunction with the Western States Wild Horse and Burro expo in Reno, Nev., August 15-17, with a purse of $5,000. There will also be several youth-oriented competitions.

"Our standing room only crowds in 2007 included hundreds of young people who were totally in awe of what these trainers were doing with these Mustangs," said MHF Executive Director Patti Colbert in a press release. Handlers will have until August 15 to gentle their Mustangs for the Reno competition and September 18 for the Fort Worth competition. Applications and complete competition rules are available at www.mustangheritagefoundation.org or by calling 512-355-3225. The deadline for applications is April 30.

Unwanted, Rescue Coalitions Discuss Issues
The Kentucky Horse Council is organizing a meeting of equine rescue groups to discuss the continuing hay shortage and other issues related to unwanted horses. "It's a chance for the rescue people to get to know each other, and for us to learn more about what they are doing and what they might need," said Ginny Grulke, the horse council's executive director. "We thought it was something that needed to be done, and the hay situation has just gotten us more focused on the rescues than ever before. We see the need for rescues going nowhere but up for the foreseeable future." With the current economic climate, equine rescue organizers worry about an increase in unwanted horses.

At the same time, the Unwanted Horse Coalition, the Washington, D.C.-based organization under the American Horse Council that hopes to reduce the number of unwanted horses, has released a brochure, “Own Responsibly: Guidance for current and potential horse owners”

“We’ve updated the brochure to reflect the growth the coalition has experienced over the last year,” said Dr. Tom Lenz, UHC chairman. “The Own Responsibly handbook is the first of its kind in the industry. It not only covers major components of horse ownership and care, it tackles some really important issues that a lot of horse owners don’t begin to consider until they’re in a hard situation.” The handbook addresses basic horse care, options for owners, important questions to ask, second careers, success stories, euthanasia, tax ramifications of charitable donations, and programs that extend the useful life of horses.