Autumn weather is the stuff of dreams for equestrians around the world. Crisp mornings with fog in the air and sunny afternoons make for the most enjoyable time of year for both barn chores and trail rides.
Our Soft Ride team is still on the road. We just wrapped up the OEPS meeting with vet students in Lexington, KY. Next, we’re headed to the NAEP conference in Saratoga, NY where we’ll get to sit down and discuss laminitis with two of the top researchers in the world - Dr. Andrew van Eps and Dr. Chris Pollitt.
We’re hoping to see some of the fall foliage changing colors as we crisscross the country for conferences. Whether you’re enjoying the changing seasons from home or on the road, Soft Ride is here to support you!
Soft Ride Team
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Soft Ride Boots on the Move!
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Top left corner - Chrissy Aitken driving Gerritje in the World Cup. Top right and bottom row - Chrissy and Sir Prince Charming.
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Chrissy Aitken and Sir Prince Charming placed second in the Intermediate Single Horse Para division at the Grand Oaks CDE and Live Oak International and in the CAI2* Para division at the Spring Fling CDE. This qualified Chrissy for the FEI Para World Cup in Driving, the paralympic equivalent for the sport, in the Netherlands.
Chrissy Aitken of Parma Heights, Ohio, traveled to Exloo, Netherlands where she competed with a Dutch horse, Gerritje in the FEI World Cup paramennes 2023 at Hippisch Centrum Exloo. The team placed in the top ten overall at their first Para World Championship and won an individual bronze in dressage.
Aitken, 34, has third and fourth-degree burns and is a quadruple amputee. She says she found a sense of comfort and peace when she began the sport of driving and made her connection with her horse, Prince. In an interview, she stated: “I am no longer restricted by my disabilities because when I’m in the driver seat with my horse I am just like everybody else. I can compete with typical people and still beat them so I’m not restricted or held back, it's more of a sense of freedom.”
Chrissy and Prince plan to be in Ocala, Florida to compete for a place on the 2024 Para Driving Team. Prince wears his Soft Ride Boots on the trailer ride to Florida and to all their competitions away from home.
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Photo Courtesy of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital
OEPS Meeting
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We had an amazing time at the OEPS meeting in Lexington, Kentucky over Labor Day. OEPS (Opportunities in Equine Practice Seminar) is the leading student forum in equine veterinary medicine. This year over 50 vet clinics sponsored the event and every single one prescribes and uses Soft Ride Boots, SoftRider shoes, and Ice Spas in their clinics.
Nearly 300 3rd year vet students from around the country attended the event where they interacted with the top professionals in the business. Soft Ride’s sponsorship has helped fund scholarships for travel and accommodation expenses for these students. Our hope at Soft Ride is that by sponsoring the OEPS conference and encouraging large animal veterinary students to, we can help fill the ranks of equine vet clinics across the country. Encouraging dialogue between new, young vets and their established counterparts is critical to the veterinary industry. By introducing these students to the assets and opportunities available to them we hope to fuel the veterinary industry of the future.
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NAEP Sarasota Vet & Farrier Conference
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Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners annual conference will include wetlabs and lectures from Dr. Andrew van Eps and Dr. Chris Pollitt, two of the premiere laminitis researchers in the world. Their lab will focus on reverse engineering the horse’s foot in a study of laminitis causes and treatments.
Event Information:
September 27-30
Saratoga Springs City Center
522 Broadway Entrance
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866
Dave Dawson
dave.naep@gmail.com
585-205-5122
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All American Quarter Horse Congress
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The AQHA Congress is the largest single-breed horse show in the world. Congress is held in Columbus, Ohio, and hosted by the Ohio Quarter Horse Association. OQHA is committed to setting the standard in the equine industry by engaging equine enthusiasts through world-class competition, recreational activities, education, and engagement of the next generation of participants and industry leaders.
Event Information:
Soft Ride Booth - 602
September 26 - October 22
Ohio Expo Center
717 East 17th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43211
info@quarterhorsecongress.com
614-505-7200
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American Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Convention
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The AAEP Annual Convention & Trade Show is the world’s largest continuing education event dedicated to equine practice, anchored by more than 100 hours of continuing education and a 300-exhibitor-strong trade show featuring the newest products and services for practice.
Event Information:
Soft Ride Booth - 2728 / 2629
November 29 - December 3
San Diego Convention
111 Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92101
800-443-0177 (U.S. and Canada)
859-233-0147
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We LOVE hearing from our customers and getting updates on how your horses are doing! Please send us your story and a photo of your horse in their Soft Ride products for a chance to be featured on our social media, in an upcoming issue of our newsletter, and to be entered in a Soft Ride giveaway!
Email us here: socialmedia@srboots.com
Text us photos and stories to 419-469-5293 (this number only receives texts, for questions please call our main customer service number).
Tag us:
Facebook: Soft Ride Equine Comfort Boots
Instagram: @soft.ride
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As we continue our drive to keep your horse on his feet, we've received more than 15 patents, ship to over 50 countries, and work with more than 6,000 veterinarians around the world, as well as every veterinarian school in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. And with horse owners from every discipline using our products, we can safely and proudly say, "The best in the world rely on Soft Ride."
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