Jenny’s April Blog Entry

Posted on by adamwfurlong

Hi everyone!

This is my second blog since partnering with Furlong’s Healthy Horse and in it I am going to recap everything that went on during March and the first part of April. For starters, the Aiken season has come to an end. The whole crew made the trek back to Pennsylvania at the beginning of April and I have to say it was little bit too cold when we first got back. But now the grass is coming in, it is starting to warm up, and dare I say that we may only have a few more weeks of having to put blankets on?!

Anyways, all of the horses traveled well and are all settled into the training regimen. The competition schedule has been really busy but has been very successful. Early March, Forty and I made the trek to Tallahassee, FL to compete in the advanced division at Red Hills International Horse Trials. Red Hills is known for being a tough event mostly because there are always crowds of spectators that come to watch. When your horse isn’t used to seeing so many people it can be very distracting to them. So, to be honest, I was very nervous going into Red Hills because it was only my second Advanced with Forty and it is in a different league than the advanced I did at Pine Top earlier in the year.

We did dressage Friday afternoon, so I did a pre-ride Friday morning. I spent the pre ride getting Forty really supple and obedient in hopes that when I got on for my test I could just pick up where we left off. When I got back on him to do the test in the afternoon, he felt even better than he did that morning. I spent most of my warm up going through parts of the test trying to get them as good as I could. Forty put in the most consistent test he has ever done. I was really happy with him! He just went in the ring and did his job. I was able to ride him forward and we didn’t have any bobbles. Our test was good enough to put us in second place after dressage.

Cross country was Saturday and the course was technical but not overly big. Forty was really honest and understood all of the questions but the course did not leave me with the best feeling at the end. The fact that the galloping tables weren’t that big ended up not being a good thing because Forty did not hold on them very well. That made it really difficult for me to get a good rhythm going throughout the course. I ended up only picking up a few time penalties but I managed to get all the jumps jumped the first time which I was happy about because sometimes you just have to get it done!

The fact that I didn’t have the most rhythmical round on cross country affected my show jumping round the next day. The warm up arena was really hectic and I let it frazzle me. I went into the arena to do my round and I let my nerves get to me. I had the second and the fourth jump down. After the fourth fence, I kicked myself into gear and put in a really good round to finish strong. Because of the time penalties I picked up on cross country and the two rails in show jumping, I ended up finishing in 8th place. I spent the two weeks after Red Hills focusing on all of my training being positive. I wanted Forty to be as relaxed as possible going into our next event.

Our next competition was Carolina International, which takes place in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Even though Southern Pines was our first three star, I had a great feeling going into the event. I knew that all I had to do was trust the training that we had been working on at home. Again, this event was over three days, so we did dressage on Friday. Unfortunately, the weather was miserable to say the least. It was cold, windy, and to top it off, it was pouring rain all morning. Not the kind of weather anyone wants to do dressage in, but all the competitors put a smile on their face and went in the arena ready to show the judges what they could do. I have to say that the judges were scoring really tough, but they were being consistent. There were some really lovely, rhythmical and accurate tests that did not score very well. I did not have very high expectations for the dressage phase because the test is more difficult than the advanced tests and the standard of the competition was much higher than any other event I have been in. A little bit to my surprise, Forty delivered the best test he has done to date. He stayed relaxed and obedient the entire time we were in the arena. There are a few movements that I still need to make more solid, but it was the best test we were capable of preforming on that day. It was good enough to sit us in the middle of the pack in a fifty horse division.

The next day was show jumping, and the course was riding tough. In the warm up I tried to give Forty a lot of different rides to the jumps so he would be ready to cope with the difficult course. I went in the ring after having some down time because a few of the professionals slid in front of me because of conflicting ride times. I gave Forty a really good ride to the first fence, but got off my line to the second fence, which was a vertical. Forty chipped in and we had the rail down. Through the middle of the course I was very accurate and Forty was jumping out of his skin. Coming into the last line, I cut my turn too much, which didn’t allow me to get straight enough to the in and out, and I had the rail down as I was jumping in. It was a beneficial round because I learned that I don’t have to protect Forty too much. I can allow him to take on the course more, so overall I was happy and learned more about my horse!

The cross country course was big and technical, but overall pretty galloping. Walking around it the first time was pretty intimidating, but it seemed more doable after walking around it a few more times. Forty and I went out on course in the middle of the day and the weather was ideal! I galloped out of the start box trying to make the time. I was riding really tight lines and was being really accurate. I had the most fun on that course that I have ever had! Forty was making all the difficult combinations feel easy and I galloped home inside the time at our first three star! Our next event will be Fair Hill CIC3 star, and then we will be off to the Jersey Fresh CIC 3 Star! Until next time, here’s to healthy horses and more good times!!

Jenny

Under 25 Eventer Jenny Caras Partners with Furlong’s Healthy Horse

Posted on by adamwfurlong

Furlong’s Healthy Horse, a part of B.W. Furlong and Associates of Oldwick, NJ, is pleased to announce a partnership with event rider Jenny Caras, 19, of Marietta, GA. Recently named to the USEF Under 25 (U25) training group, Jenny is currently working as a rider for Phillip Dutton and she exemplifies good horsemanship and professionalism.

In 2010 Jenny was a member of the Area III CCI* team at the North American Junior/Young Riders Championship riding Raku, a horse she purchased from Mike Winter. In 2013, riding Fernhill Stowaway, she competed in the NAJYRC CCI** where she earned the individual bronze and team gold medals. She was subsequently named to the USEF Eventing 25 training group.

“We first met Jenny a couple of years ago when she was training with one of the practice’s long standing clients, Julie Richards,” said Furlong’s Healthy Horse (FHH) Vice-President, Adam Furlong. “She is a talented individual and since that first meeting we have seen her come up the levels of the sport. Our plan is to support and educate Jenny and help her grow as an individual. She’ll be documenting her experiences this year with a monthly blog entry on the Furlong’s Healthy Horse website, which will provide readers with some really cool insight into the effort and commitment involved in being a high performing young rider.”

Fernhill Stowaway is currently doing dressage while rehabbing after a pasture accident. Jenny is aiming Fernhill Fortitude for the CIC*** at Jersey Fresh, which is sponsored by B.W. Furlong and Associates.

“I just did my first CIC*** at Carolina International in North Carolina and overall had a really good experience! We had a pretty good dressage, two rails down in show jumping, but then we bounced back and had an amazing run on cross-country!” she said. She is also planning to do the three-star at Fair Hill in a few weeks. “Working for Phillip is a great experience and the right place for me to be right now.”

One of the main philosophies of Furlong’s Healthy Horse is making sure that riders/horse owners employ sound medication practices that are in the best interests of the horse. “The education of the rider is vital in ensuring safe practices when treating horses, particularly with so many questionable products on the market,” says Furlong. “By partnering with a young rider, we are working with the next generation and making sure she is aware of the drug rules, she knows the proper way to take care of a horse, and is not necessarily just chasing the cheapest and/or quickest solution. We know this generation of U25 riders will be influential in eventing and Jenny will have a good platform to share information and demonstrate the right way to practice safe medicine.”

Jenny said, “I’m really excited because I feel like the partnership is going to be mutually helpful. I think people tend to give their horses a ton of supplements and things we think they need without having someone actually diagnose the horse. Furlong’s Healthy Horse provides the opportunity to have your horse evaluated and the treatment is tailored to the individual. Basic things like electrolytes all horses need, but for a more serious concern like gastric ulcers, more medical judgement is required. As a part of a veterinary practice, FHH provides expert medical advice to manage your horse, and also can tell you which drugs and supplements are legal for your sport. Dr. Furlong has worked with my horse, and through Furlong’s Healthy Horse I got Gastrogard, which I know is safer than the number of illegal products that are on the market. As a result, it made him calmer and more trainable, and after he felt better our dressage score came down 20 points!”

Adam Furlong also said, “Her horse is sound and healthy which is our goal. Because she’s part of our client base, she has an inside direct line to the vet and staff that oversee anything health-related for her equine partner. Any time she’s at an event that Dr. Furlong is attending, he can check up on her horse and advise her in his care. Ultimately we want to further build and develop these kinds of relationships to help grow the next generation of riders.”

https://fhh.bwfurlong.com/tag/caras/

Introducing Jenny Caras

Posted on by adamwfurlong

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Hi, my name is Jenny Caras and I am very proud and honored to be partnering with Furlong’s Healthy Horse. I am a 19 year old from Marietta, Ga. Ever since I can remember, the only thing I’ve wanted to do was ride horses. When I was two years old, my parents had a petting zoo birthday party for me and they brought a pony for pony rides. My Mom and Dad had to pull me off the pony to “share” pony rides. Mom and Dad knew I had the “horse bug”, but wanted to put it off as long as possible, so they kept telling me that I had to be five before I could start taking riding lessons. Things worked out in my favor when Mom and I came across a riding school when I was three and the instructor said “she had a pony just my size”. I stayed in that same riding school until I was twelve, which is when I asked my parents to let me attend the O’Connor Camp in Ocala for Christmas. I did not even have my own horse, but was leasing Gwen, an OTTB, from my riding school. I went to the camp,and after the first few days, David O’Connor talked to my Mom about buying me my own horse. David told my Mom that if I had been riding around in an arena twice a week for the last seven years in the hot, cold, rain, light or dark, that I probably was not going to outgrow it, and certainly needed my own horse to go “and have fun on.” The rest is history!

Now, I am an advanced level three day event rider working and riding for Phillip Dutton. I have one horse at the advanced level, Fernhill Fortitude, an 11yo Irish Sport horse gelding. We purchased “Forty” in 2011 from Carol Gee and Fernhill Sport Horses, and our partnership has grown above and beyond anything I could have hoped. I spent much of last year conditioning Forty to be as fit as possible. I have learned that the key to having a successful upper level mount takes a lot of time and dedication to getting them and keeping them fit. I am very fortunate to have great training and coaching, and great vet care helping me out!

So far this year, Forty and I were named to the Under 25 Developing Rider training list for the United States, a program I have been a part of since 2013. Riders are named to the list for showing potential to ride on a future team for the United States, which is my ultimate goal. The training session took place in Ocala, FL at the end of January. We spent four days focusing solely on our riding and improving our horses. We spent one day on xc, one day on show jumping, and two of the days doing dressage. The new developing rider coach, Leslie Law, did a great job giving all the participants individualized attention. In addition to watching the other lessons every day, we had two lectures. Some of the topics discussed were sponsorship, veterinary care, stable management, and how to tack on a horse shoe ( which is invaluable).

In early February, Forty and I competed in the intermediate division at Pine Top Farm. I was really happy with Forty in the dressage phase. He has always been a good jumper,but really lacked training on flat work. He has really improved a great deal in the off season this year, and I truly feel like he is finally understanding and getting the strength to do what I am asking of him. I am able to get him more connected and uphill now, which has improved our scores significantly. The show jumping is usually the phase I struggle with the most, but I have been working on my reps a lot and it paid off! Forty jumped a clear round, and it felt really easy. I have found that focusing on jumping one jump at a time is a lot more manageable than thinking you have a whole course of rails that fall down. I went slow on cross country because the ground was a bit hard, and it was my first run of the season. I used the round to knock the “rust off”, and as a confidence builder. It was a great run for me and Forty to get the season started.

Two weeks later, we went back to Pine Top to compete in the Advanced division, our second at that level. I could not have been happier with how Forty handled the move up from just two weeks before! I definitely noticed the dressage was more difficult, but Forty put in a solid test. The show jumping course was difficult especially the triple combination at the end. Forty jumped really well, and we just had one unlucky rail in the triple. The cross country course was big and technical, but everything rode forward which was good for Forty since he has such a big stride. Riding around the course, I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having and how well Forty was handling all the questions that were asked of him. Someone said to me before I went on course, “Remember your horse doesn’t know the numbers are blue instead of red”, meaning Forty didn’t know we we doing anything different than we usually do! He was just ready to run and jump!

For our next event, we will be heading to Tallahassee, FL to compete at Red Hills Horse Trials in the Advanced division. After that fingers crossed, we are headed to Southern Pines, NC to take our first CIC 3*!

Thank you so much for reading, and I wish all of you a great season!!!!

Jenny

Rebates!

Posted on by adminfurlong

Marquis

Buy one box (4 tubes) of Marquis, and receive a $100 rebate when purchased through Furlong’s Healthy Horse.

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Legend

Save $10/dose of Legend when purchased through Furlong’s Healthy Horse, which nets out to $60 for a box of 6, or $50 for the Multi-dose.

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Gastrogard

Earn $5/tube on all purchases of Gastrogard when purchased through Furlong’s Healthy Horse.

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